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VeryDarkMan Has Replaced Judiciary As Hope Of Common Man, Says Farotimi

Published

3 weeks ago

August 31, 2026

Human rights lawyer and activist Dele Farotimi has said social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, has effectively replaced the judiciary as the hope of the common man in Nigeria.

Farotimi made the remark while reacting to the controversy over VeryDarkMan’s invitation to the Nigerian Bar Association’s 66th Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt.

In a video uploaded on YouTube on Saturday, the activist argued that VeryDarkMan’s growing influence was a reflection of Nigerians’ declining confidence in the country’s justice system.

Farotimi said the emergence of individuals who take on roles associated with exposing wrongdoing and seeking redress would be unlikely in a society where the police and courts function effectively.

“A society that has law and order, that is ruled by law, that has a functional police system, a functional court system, would not even tolerate the presence or existence of a VDM. VDM is the life indictment of a judicial system that is essentially peopled by crooks in the place of jurists. That’s what VDM is.

“It represents a type, a type that has been tolerated, mollified because of the failure of the system.”

He described VeryDarkMan as a reflection of the wider problems within Nigerian society, arguing that criticism of the activist would not address the institutional failures that had contributed to his popularity.

“The reality is that you are the one who has to do something to fix the image in the mirror. VDM is merely the image in your mirror. The society you have built requires VDM to find justice.

“It’s easier to find justice through the types and likes of VDM than through your courts. They say the judiciary is the last hope of the common man. Nah, lie.

“VDM has become the last hope of the common man in the society that you built. Shame on all of you. And not just the lawyers or the judges, but the entire society that has made this possible.”

Farotimi further warned that the situation could produce more figures operating outside traditional institutions if the underlying grievances remained unresolved.

“The society you built requires VDM to do justice. Very soon there will be multiplicities of VDM in the society that you have built. And if you have not noticed, there are already copycat VDMs springing up.

“Because the society requires VDM to find justice. How much of a shameful society have we built? Or shall I say shameless society?”

According to him, the development should be viewed as an indication that Nigeria’s institutions were failing to meet the expectations of citizens.

“If the courts are useless, the VDMs of this world will emerge. And if you think VDM is the end of it, that’s the best you’re going to get. The ones who will come after, some of them will come behind him and they will carry guns to enforce their laws.”

He urged Nigerians to look beyond VeryDarkMan and confront the institutional weaknesses that had created the conditions for alternative sources of justice to gain public acceptance.

“The reality of the matter is that, look very well in that mirror. Look well in the mirror that is being held up for you. If you have built a society where the truth has become an offense, it is because the law does not rule that society.

“In societies where the law rules, the truth is protected almost at any and all cost.”

Farotimi also said meaningful reform of the judiciary could not depend on the removal or death of individual figures, but would require collective efforts to address systemic problems.

“I wrote a book. It wasn’t about Afe Babaola. My book was about the judicial, is about the judiciary. No matter how corrupt you might deem a single person, human beings are necessarily mortals. You don’t die one day.

“Would the death of anybody end the corruption and put refraction into the judiciary or society? No. It would take the collective determined to change our sickling reality to ever change it, if they will.”

He said the controversy surrounding VeryDarkMan’s invitation should instead prompt questions about why Nigerians increasingly perceive individuals such as the activist as more capable of securing justice than formal institutions.

“But the reality is that this is what Nigeria has become. If you are going to be bemoaning his invitation, ask yourself what led us to get to the point where we built a society, where justice is better assured with a VDM than your court.

“It didn’t happen overnight.

“It didn’t happen by accident. We didn’t stumble into this. We allowed it.“

News

Six Corps Members Receive N10m Grants To Boost Agribusiness

Published

1 day ago

September 22, 2026

Editor

Six members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) have received a total of N10 million in grants to expand their agribusiness ventures under the Farmers for the Future Programme.

The programme was organised on Monday by the British American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation (BATNF) in collaboration with the NYSC to encourage young Nigerians to embrace agriculture and develop sustainable businesses.

Presenting the cheques to the beneficiaries in Abuja, the NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, urged Corps members to maximise the opportunities provided by the service year by venturing into commodity marketing and other viable businesses.

Nafiu said agribusiness remained a viable avenue for young people to build sustainable enterprises, create employment and generate wealth.

He also stressed the importance of value addition to the success and sustainability of business ventures, while commending BATNF for placing Nigerian youths at the centre of its entrepreneurship initiatives through value-chain development, employment creation and its partnership with the NYSC.

“I charge you to spread the news around. We have seen the outcome, and it is a good idea,” he said.

The beneficiaries are Dominic Olufemi (FC/25C/1143), who received N3 million; Temitope Adewole (ED/26A/2251), N2 million; Abdulwaheed Bala (ED/25B/1402), N2 million; Olanike Mayungbe (OG/26B/1037), N1 million; Kingsley Udoeyen (KG/26A/1735), N1 million; and Lorember Lorsue (JG/25B/1742), N1 million.

Speaking on the selection process, the Acting Director, Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED), Mrs Winifred Shopeka, said the programme began with an online registration portal through which Corps Members engaged in agribusiness submitted their business plans.

She said nearly 3,000 Corps members applied and underwent a rigorous selection process that produced 20 finalists.

According to her, the finalists participated in a boot camp and a final pitching session, which produced the 10 best presenters before the six ultimate winners were selected.

Shopeka said the beneficiaries had also been mentored and attached to established market operators to assist them in marketing their products.

She added that Corps Members who did not make the final stage of the competition were also trained by BATNF.

The BATNF Team Lead, Mr Oludare Odusanya, congratulated the beneficiaries and urged Corps Members engaged in agribusiness to master the fundamentals and acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed.

“We are happy with our collaboration with the NYSC, and it will continue,” he said.

Odusanya explained that BATNF was an independent organisation established to contribute to poverty reduction in Nigeria through sustainable agricultural practices and other interventions.

He said the Farmers for the Future Programme was instituted in collaboration with the NYSC to encourage Corps Members to venture into agribusiness and become job creators.

He added that the beneficiaries would be attached to mentors who would guide them towards achieving success in their respective businesses.

According to him, the programme has, since its inception, continued to enhance the entrepreneurial capacity of Corps Members.

News

CBN Reduces Interest Rate To 23%

Published

1 day ago

September 22, 2026

Editor

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Tuesday announced the reduction of the interest rate, also known as Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) to 23 percent.

Briefing the media in Abuja, the Governor of the CBN, Mr. Olayemi Cardoso, said at the 307th MPC meeting held on September 22, 2026 agreed the resetting of the MPR and recaliberation of the monetary policy market.

According to Cardoso, the committe is satisfied with the disinflation progress, adding that members noted stable banking sector following successful recapitalisation.

Meanwhile, according to Nigerian Tribune, reports that that the MPC, at its 306th meeting in July 2026, disclosed its resolution to retain the interets at 26.5 percent.

According to the Governor of the CBN, Olayemi Cardoso, “the Committee’s decision to maintain the current policy stance followed a thorough assessment of the balance of risks. Although headline inflation moderated marginally in June 2026, global uncertainties have heightened, due mainly to the renewed hostilities in the Middle East.

“In view of the evolving developments, maintaining a cautious monetary policy stance remains appropriate. In arriving at its decision, the Committee noted the recent resurgence of hostilities in the Middle East, with particular attention to its spillover effects on global energy prices and the potential pass-through to domestic inflation.”

News

NURTW: KWAM1 Settles Long-time Rift Between MC Oluomo, Tafa Sego

Published

1 day ago

September 22, 2026

Editor

Nigerian Fuji musician, Wasiu Ayinde Marshal, popularly known as KWAM1, has brokered a peace deal between the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) National President, Musiliu Akinsanya, popularly known as MC Oluomo, and the Lagos State Chairman of the union, Mustapha Adekunle, aka Tafa Sego.

The reconciliation took place at Ojusagbola in Ijebu, Ogun State, where several NURTW chieftains gathered for the meeting.

The development was announced on Tuesday on KWAM1’s digital media page on Instagram, alongside photographs from the meeting.

According to the post, the two union leaders have resolved their differences after years of strained relations.

“After years of an age-long rift, MC Oluomo and Tafa Sego have finally settled their differences. And from what we know now, this is final,” the post said.

The musician was said to have intervened as the Mayegun of Yorubaland, with the aim of bringing an end to the longstanding disagreement between the two NURTW figures.

“K1 acted in his role as the Mayegun of Yorubaland by seeking an end to the long-standing rift, once and for all,” it said.

The post also described the meeting as a significant step beyond previous public displays of reconciliation.

“This time, it was not just another handshake for the cameras. The two old friends and colleagues came together at Ojusagbola, with King Wasiu Ayinde Marshal (K1) playing the peacemaker.”

Both MC Oluomo and Tafa Sego were reported to be pleased with the outcome of the intervention.

“Both parties are delighted about the new development,” the post said.

The two men had previously been allies and prominent figures within the Lagos NURTW before their relationship became strained amid disagreements linked to leadership of the union in the state.