Lere Olayinka: Falana only makes noise on TV — his SAN title was an afterthought

Lere Olayinka, media aide to Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), has criticised Femi Falana, human rights lawyer, over comments against his principal.

During a media chat in Abuja on Friday, Wike accused Falana of spreading falsehoods about the defection status of some Rivers state legislators on national television.

“A few days ago, the supreme court settled this matter of defection. “If someone of Femi Falana’s caliber can go on national television and lie, it’s very serious. Lies can cause a lot of crises,” the FCT minister had said.

Responding to Wike’s comment, Falana said the minister’s allegations were baseless and tendentious.

Falana said the allegations stemmed from his comments on a recent supreme court ruling on the defection of 27 members of the Rivers state assembly.

He added that his comments were based on the fact that the matter was raised suo motu and determined by the court.

“Mr. Wike is the only life bencher in Nigeria who has never handled a case in any trial court or appellate court,” Falana said.

However, in a statement issued on Monday, Olayinka said Falana’s comments questioning the appointment of Wike as a life bencher are “funny and ludicrous”.

Olayinka said the FCT minister has “contributed immensely to the advancement of legal education” in Nigeria.

“It is funny and ridiculous that in the mind of Falana, only those who have handled cases in trial court or appellate court are lawyers, and that a lawyer must have handled cases in trial or appellate court to be qualified for appointment as a life bencher,” the statement reads.

“Apart from going on television to make noise, what has Falana contributed to the legal profession? Even the SAN that he got, was it not an afterthought? Was it not years after his mates had gotten SAN?

“As Governor of Rivers State, Wike was instrumental to the establishment and infrastructural development of the campus of the Nigerian Law School in Port Harcourt, which is the best centre for legal education in Nigeria today.

“He also played major roles in the development of facilities at the Yenagoa campus of the Nigerian Law School by constructing a state-of-the-art 1,500-capacity hall and 200-bed male and female hostels, among other interventions.

“Now that he is FCT minister, he is constructing a 10-unit housing quarters for the Nigerian Law School, Bwari, Abuja. He has also provided operational vehicles to the school to improve its operation.

“The question is, what has Falana done for the legal profession? Even in Ekiti state, where he is from, he has not contributed anything.

“The Bar Center in Ado Ekiti was built by Aare Afe Babalola (SAN), while the one in Ikere Ekiti was built by Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN).

“Also, Aare Afe Babalola has been sponsoring the Nigerian Bar Association’s annual lecture for years and has been assisting lawyers in Ekiti with medical treatments in his Ado Ekiti teaching hospital. What has Falana done? Nothing!”