The decision by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to invite social media activist, Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), to speak on insecurity at its 66th Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt has triggered critical conversation about expertise, institutional communication and the influence of new media.
VDM participated in a panel session on Tuesday, August 25, where he discussed insecurity and his experiences with violence and other national issues, before receiving a recognition award from the NBA.
The development has drawn criticism from communications professional Fatima Muritala, who, in a LinkedIn post on Tuesday, questioned whether the decision appropriately reflected the intellectual and professional standing of the conference.
“When Institutions Communicate, the World Is Watching,” she wrote, warning that institutional content can shape how Nigeria is perceived globally.
The NBA’s 66th Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt
The Nigerian Bar Association’s 66th Annual General Conference is taking place in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, from August 21 to 28, 2026, under the theme “Beyond Limits.”
The NBA describes the gathering as a major professional event bringing together lawyers and other stakeholders for discussions, networking, professional development and engagement on issues affecting the legal profession and wider society.
The Bar describes the event as a major legal gathering featuring transformative dialogue and landmark sessions, while the NBA’s official programme includes plenaries, specialist sessions, forums and other engagements. The conference has attracted lawyers, judges, Senior Advocates of Nigeria, policymakers, academics, diplomats and business leaders.
Against this backdrop, Fatima argues that the stature of the gathering makes the NBA’s communication decisions particularly consequential.
Her central concern is therefore not simply that VDM attended, but what his inclusion communicates about institutional credibility, expertise and the standards expected from a professional body of the NBA’s standing.
Who is VeryDarkMan, and why did the NBA invite him?
Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, is a Nigerian social media activist and content creator who has built considerable public influence through outspoken commentary on corruption, alleged misconduct, insecurity, social injustice and public accountability.
He has become one of the country’s most recognisable and controversial digital voices, particularly among young Nigerians, using social media to draw attention to issues he believes deserve public scrutiny.
At the NBA conference, however, his role was not presented as that of a lawyer or security expert. Reports indicate that he participated as a panellist in a session focused on insecurity and related national concerns, where he spoke from his experiences and perspective.
Defending his presence, VDM said:
“I’m not here to teach you people law; I’m here to share experience.”
This distinction is important because it represents the central argument surrounding his invitation, as to whether a person can contribute meaningfully to a national conversation through lived experience and public influence even without formal professional expertise in the subject.
VDM’s participation and the controversy over expertise
VDM’s appearance became more contentious after he made strong claims about the causes of insecurity and alleged roles played by government and security institutions.
Reports from the conference said he attributed insecurity largely to politics and accused institutions of benefiting from the security crisis, while representatives of the military cautioned him over allegations made during the session.
The NBA subsequently presented him with a recognition award following his participation, adding another dimension to the public debate. For Fatima, however, the controversy illustrates a larger problem surrounding new-media influence.
“Visibility does not equal validity, virality does not equal expertise, and influence does not equal authority,” she argued.
She questioned why specialists in security, intelligence, peace and conflict resolution and terrorism research were not more prominently positioned in such conversations.
Her argument is not necessarily that VDM should be prevented from speaking, but that professional institutions should carefully distinguish between public influence, personal experience and established subject-matter authority when designing high-level discussions.
Fatima Muritala’s concern about institutional communication
Fatima Muritala is a communications and advocacy specialist with more than a decade of experience working across development programmes, strategic storytelling, stakeholder engagement and knowledge management.
Her professional profile identifies experience with projects supported by organisations including USAID, UK Aid, DFID, the United Nations, WHO, UNDP, IITA and Tetra Tech.
Her work has focused on translating complex programmes into accessible communication while strengthening visibility, accountability and impact. It is from this professional perspective that she examined the NBA-VDM controversy.
Fatima argues that institutional communication goes beyond publicity because it shapes public understanding and reputation.
“Content is never just content,” she wrote. “It carries a message, shapes perception, creates associations, builds or damages reputation.”
She therefore believes the NBA must consider not only the immediate popularity generated by its communication choices but also the longer-term institutional and international implications.
For her, the fundamental question is straightforward: “What image and reputation do you want to build?”
New media, institutional responsibility and the bigger question
At the heart of Fatima’s argument is a broader debate about how Nigerian institutions should navigate the changing information environment.
Social media has weakened traditional gatekeeping by allowing individuals to communicate directly with enormous audiences without passing through conventional editorial structures.
Fatima acknowledges this democratisation as valuable but warns that it also creates risks when influence is confused with expertise or when serious allegations are disseminated without adequate verification.
“New media has democratised information. That is a good thing. But democratisation without responsibility can become misinformation at scale,” she wrote.
Her concerns become particularly significant when serious allegations against security agencies are made before a professional audience and subsequently amplified online.
The issue, therefore, extends beyond VDM or the NBA. It raises questions about how professional institutions should balance openness, public engagement, lived experience and popular voices with evidence, expertise and institutional responsibility.
As Fatima puts it, “The world is watching.”
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