Femi Falana Slams NBA for Inviting Ex-Liberian President George Weah to Lawyers’ Conference

Human rights activist and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has openly faulted the Nigerian Bar Association for inviting former Liberian President George Weah to address its 66th Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Speaking on the association’s official platform following Weah’s keynote presentation, Falana called on the leadership of the legal body to stop providing grand platforms to African political figures who undermined democratic institutions during their tenure in power. Falana argued that granting such platforms to leaders with controversial human rights records undermines the bar’s standing as a defender of justice.

The senior lawyer accused Weah’s administration (2018–2024) of compromising Liberia’s domestic judiciary to the extent that citizens were forced to seek legal remedies abroad. Falana pointed to instances where the former Liberian government allegedly refused to comply with binding judgments issued by the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice, including rulings on war-era land seizures and the illegal removal of an associate Supreme Court justice.

Falana’s sharp rebuke stood in contrast to Weah’s keynote address, where the former Liberian leader had urged lawyers and judges to protect judicial independence against executive interference. Urging the NBA leadership to exercise greater scrutiny in future event planning, Falana insisted that the legal association should prioritize celebrating leaders who demonstrated genuine respect for court orders and democratic governance.