BY ABADOM LAWRENCE AMECHI
IN THE ancient Roman Empire, there was a practice of organising a triumphal parade for victorious generals and their armies after returning from battle. The victorious general would lead the procession through the city as citizens gathered along the streets, cheering and showering him with praises.
But there was a deliberate reminder built into the celebration. A person, sometimes a young boy, would stand behind the general and repeatedly remind him that he was still a mortal man. The purpose was to ensure that the overwhelming praise and adulation did not make him believe he was a god.
Perhaps the uncomfortable truth is this: VeryDarkMan has become, in the eyes of many Nigerians, the last hope of the common man – not because he is perfect, but because the institutions that should ordinarily play that role have failed to inspire confidence.
This tradition was, in essence, a safeguard against hubris – the excessive pride and self-confidence that can arise from power, victory and adulation.
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Even at the height of its glory and power, the Roman Empire understood that unchecked pride is dangerous. The Nigerian Bar Association should come down from its high horse and accept the uncomfortable reality that the Nigerian judicial system, of which it is an integral part, is deficient in the glory it once commanded.
In recent times, the judiciary has become an institution many Nigerians no longer recognise, let alone take pride in. The Bar may have enjoyed considerable prestige in the past and played a significant role in building a society governed by law, but those days appear to be gone.
As we navigate the dark days of our nationhood, days sustained by a political class that has often found accommodation within the failures of the judicial system, all we ask is for the bar and the bench to retrace its lost path and reclaim its integrity. The legal profession no longer commands the kind of respect that it used to have
To continue revelling in the hallucinations of a lost glory, while refusing to confront the realities of the present, is nothing short of incurable hubris.
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The reactions and responses of some lawyers to the invitation of VeryDarkMan (VDM) to the NBA Conference in Port Harcourt are a painful reminder that some of our lawyers are still living on past glory. That is why a lawyer will refer to him as someone from nowhere
A society with a functional police force and a credible judicial system would not create the conditions that make someone like VDM appear indispensable to the struggle for justice.
VDM is merely the inevitable image in the mirror of the society we have become. When institutions fail to deliver justice, people will naturally seek alternative avenues to express their grievances and demand accountability.
Today, for many Nigerians, it appears easier to seek justice through VDM than through the courts. The judiciary, which was once regarded as the last hope of the common man, is gradually losing that sacred position.
Perhaps the uncomfortable truth is this: VeryDarkMan has become, in the eyes of many Nigerians, the last hope of the common man – not because he is perfect, but because the institutions that should ordinarily play that role have failed to inspire confidence.
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It was Mr. Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress, who recently launched a strong criticism against Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) and public institutions for allegedly defending and normalising certificate forgery in Nigeria.
Speaking at a democracy dialogue organised by the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation, Obi was categorical in his criticism of Senior Advocates of Nigeria, accusing some of them of actively defending forgery and other fraudulent practices within the political space.
So, perhaps the lawyer who humorously mused about inviting him to address lawyers was not entirely wrong. There may indeed be something to learn from him – not about the law, but about power, influence, impunity, and the apparent ability of some individuals to operate above the authority of court judgements. And that, perhaps, is the more troubling lesson for the Nigerian legal profession and the judiciary.
His position may be uncomfortable for the legal profession, but it raises a fundamental question that cannot simply be wished away: when legal practitioners use their expertise to defend a conduct that undermines the integrity of public institutions, should they not also be subjected to public scrutiny.
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Our lawyers know that the Nigerian judicial system suffers from deep-rooted corruption, political interference and severe financial constraints, all of which have drastically eroded public confidence in the administration of justice.
There have long been serious allegations that politicians and other powerful interests frequently attempt to manipulate the courts, particularly in electoral and high-profile political cases. The perception is that compromise often begins with desperate attempts by political actors to influence judicial decisions.
Senior lawyers and litigants have also been accused of contributing to this problem by corrupting or compromising judges. This has given rise to the cynical legal saying that there are “those who know the law and those who know the judge.”
Protracted litigation, frivolous appeals and unjustified adjournments have further clogged both the lower and appellate courts, leaving litigants waiting endlessly for justice. In many cases, justice delayed has effectively become justice denied.
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It is against this troubling background that VDM emerged. The system we have built – one characterised by institutional failure, distrust and a growing sense of helplessness – has inevitably created the space for someone like VeryDarkMan to become an alternative voice for Nigerians seeking justice and accountability.
VDM is not the problem; he is, in many ways, a reflection of the problem. He did not come from nowhere. He emerged from the very space created when the Nigerian legal profession and, indeed, the judicial system began to lose the glory, credibility and public confidence they once commanded.
Today, there is a growing perception that some politicians have undue influence over some judges, while some lawyers are seen as occupying the space between the bench and political power. When citizens begin to believe that access to justice depends less on the strength of their case and more on who they know, the judiciary inevitably loses its moral authority.
I heard a lawyer mischievously suggest that perhaps one day, MC Oluomo might be invited to speak to lawyers. I asked: why not?
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If not to teach lawyers the law, perhaps there are lessons they can learn from him – particularly about how non-state actors acquire the power and influence to stand at polling booths on election day and tell people who are not voting for the APC to go home.
Lawyers may also learn something from him about how court orders can be disregarded with little or no apparent consequence. After all, if the entire machinery of the judiciary does its job, judgements are delivered, and those judgements can simply be ignored, one is compelled to ask: of what relevance is the judicial system?
The Court of Appeal in Abuja upheld Alhaji Tajudeen Ibikunle Baruwa as the legitimate President of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), nullifying the leadership claims and election of Musiliu Akinsanya, popularly known as MC Oluomo. The judgement affirmed an earlier decision of the National Industrial Court.
Yet, despite the Court of Appeal ruling, MC Oluomo remains in the position he was declared not to be entitled to occupy.
So, perhaps the lawyer who humorously mused about inviting him to address lawyers was not entirely wrong. There may indeed be something to learn from him – not about the law, but about power, influence, impunity, and the apparent ability of some individuals to operate above the authority of court judgements. And that, perhaps, is the more troubling lesson for the Nigerian legal profession and the judiciary.
