You Can’t Correct The System By Belittling The Profession, Daniel Regha Slams VDM Over Comments on Nigerian Lawyers

Social media commentator Daniel Regha has criticised Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), over his recent comments about lawyers and the legal profession.

Regha argued that VDM’s lack of formal legal training means he may not fully understand the education, experience and professional requirements involved in becoming a practising lawyer in Nigeria.

Reacting to the controversy surrounding VDM’s appearance at the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) conference, Regha said the activist had no justification for ridiculing the legal profession as a whole, while questioning why he was invited to the event in the first place.

He also criticised the NBA, saying the association should take responsibility for the controversy if VDM’s appearance was not deliberately planned.

Regha further pointed to the role of lawyers in defending citizens’ rights, noting that lawyer Deji Adeyanju, who has previously assisted VDM, had come to his aid on several occasions.

According to him, the presence of incompetent individuals in a profession does not make the entire profession incompetent.

He said the legal profession, like every other field, has both competent and incompetent practitioners, adding that criticising individuals within a system should not translate into disrespect for the entire profession.

Regha also warned Nigerians against supporting blanket attacks on lawyers for social media engagement while expecting the same professionals to defend citizens during protests, elections or legal disputes.

He argued that meaningful reform should focus on addressing individuals and institutional weaknesses rather than belittling an entire profession.