By Ayodele Oluwafemi

Femi Falana, human rights lawyer, has faulted the decision of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to invite George Weah, former president of Liberia, to its ongoing annual conference. 

Speaking during the 66th annual conference of the NBA in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, Falana asked the NBA to stop inviting “dictators in Africa” to come and address lawyers.

On Sunday, Weah delivered a keynote address at the ongoing NBA conference.

In his address, the former Liberian president urged Nigerian lawyers to defend judicial independence and resist attempts by political leaders to weaken institutions that safeguard democracy.

Weah, who was president of Liberia from 2018 to 2024, is the only African footballer to win the prestigious Ballon d’Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards, a diadem he took home in 1995.

Criticising the invitation of Weah to the NBA conference, Falana, a senior advocate of Nigeria, alleged that Weah “captured” the Liberian judiciary during his administration.

The senior lawyer said Weah refused to comply with the judgments of the ECOWAS court, citing the judgment directing the return of land seized from the people of Mandingo.

Falana said Weah also refused to comply with the ECOWAS court decision directing the reinstatement of Kabineh Muhammad Jan’neh, who was dismissed “without no basis”.

“This goes for the leadership of the bar. I want to appeal that the bar association must stop inviting dictators in Africa to come and address us,” he said.

“George Weah, who was here yesterday, and was talking about the judiciary. In his country, his regime captured the judiciary to the extent that they had to contact some of us outside the country to get legal redress in the ECOWAS court.

“In the case of the people of Mandingo against Liberia, people whose landed properties were seized during the war. The ECOWAS court gave them judgment.

“George Weah refused to comply with the judgment. The new government of Boakai has therefore set up a committee for the enforcement of that judgement.

“Second, Kabineh Muhammad Jan’neh, an associate justice of the supreme court in Liberia, was dismissed without any basis.

“Again, we went to the ECOWAS court, the court set aside his dismissal and awarded him $200,000 and he was ordered to be reinstated.

“George Weah refused to comply with the judgment. That is the man coming here to talk about the rule of law and democracy. He ruled Liberia between 2018 and 2024. During his time, drug barons took over the country.”

Source: TheCable