STOP INVITING AFRICAN DICTATORS, FALANA FAULTS NBA FOR INVITING WEAH

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By: Balogun Ibrahim

Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has criticised the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) for inviting former Liberian President George Weah to speak at its annual conference, accusing his administration of undermining judicial independence in Liberia.

Falana made the remarks in a video posted on the NBA’s YouTube channel on Monday, a day after Weah delivered the keynote address at the NBA’s 66th Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Falana urged the NBA to stop inviting African leaders he described as dictators to address its members.

He alleged that during Weah’s 2018–2024 administration, Liberia’s judiciary was compromised to such an extent that some citizens had to seek justice at the ECOWAS Court.

According to Falana, the ECOWAS Court ruled in favour of the Mandingo people in a case involving allegedly seized land, but Weah’s government failed to enforce the judgment. He also cited the case of a Liberian Supreme Court associate justice whose dismissal was reportedly overturned by the regional court, which awarded him $200,000 and ordered his reinstatement.

Falana questioned the decision to invite Weah to speak to Nigerian lawyers about democracy and the rule of law despite the allegations against his administration.

He also accused Weah’s government of failing to curb drug trafficking in Liberia, while criticising the former president for allegedly travelling to Qatar during the 2022 World Cup to support his son, Timothée Weah, who represented the United States.

Meanwhile, Weah, in his keynote address, urged lawyers and judges to uphold impartiality and defend judicial independence. He said democracy could not survive on “strong men” but required strong institutions.

Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, who declared the conference open, also called for an independent and courageous judiciary capable of upholding justice regardless of status or influence.

The 66th NBA Annual General Conference was held in Port Harcourt under the theme, “Beyond Limits.”