Posted by By TAIWO AMODU and VINCENT UKPONG KALU on
Ever since a news magazine published a detailed account of how Ambassador Samuel Edem got involved in the voodoo scandal, many Nigerians have been reacting to it.
Ever since a news magazine published a detailed account of how Ambassador Samuel Edem got involved in the voodoo scandal, many Nigerians have been reacting to it.
Among those who spoke are former General Secretary of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Chief Frank Kokori, ex-president of the Campaign for Democracy, Mr. Moshood Erubami and activist lawyers, Festus Keyamo, Femi Falana, Mike Ozekhome, among others.
Excerpts.
It's a national shame and sign of retrogression - Mike Ozekhome
It is a sign of retrogression and superstitious belief. It is a mark of illiteracy and adult delinquency for any person with the right senses in this 21st century to think that he can acquire power through voodoos and astral means.
It becomes incomprehensible when heavy sums are allegedly involved. It is inglorious and insanity and a national shame. Anti-corruption agencies should look into the treasury of the NDDC. An agency that has not been able to impact on the lives of the Niger Delta people should have such surpluses spent on voodoos by an official. It is a national shame. This should go beyond party affairs. NDDC is a Federal Government parastatal corporation.
The ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) should not see this as another family affair, where people who should be prosecuted for offences they committed are allowed to go free because they belong to the party and such offences are treated as a family affair.
This shows that most politicians are morally dead, they pursue mundane things and the politics of come and chop and amala politics.
He is not fit for public office - Fred Agbaje
If it is true that the Chairman of NDDC has such amount of money in his possession, which is not unlikely, having regard to the amount of money voted to that organization and the organization has not rendered account to any body in the world. That is case for the EFCC to investigate. It calls for thorough, comprehensive and surgical investigation of the account of NDDC as government parastatal by the EFCC. It is not a matter to be swept under the carpet. In order words, the police must look at the criminal angle to it and the EFCC will look at the staggering amount of money involved.
If it is true that he did it he is not fit to hold public office. He is not morally upright.
I thought Nigeria has got beyond the level of juju . Most Nigerian elite have gone back to the primordial level. Thy are still carried away by that Satanic belief that juju is everything, while the rest of the world is talking about technological breakthrough. Nigeria political elite are still running back to their villages to consult juju. If they want to settle political problems they consult juju - Babalawo, Okija shrine.
He should be removed as the Chairman of a highly rated organization like the NDDC and send back to the village.
He should be arrested and prosecuted - Festus Keyamo
I have gone to court over that matter and I have written to the Inspector General of Police to immediately arrest him and try him for attempted murder. The police are chasing shadows. How can they be talking of money issue when the issue of attempted murder is there? This man should be arrested, whether it is juju or not. What we see is the case of attempted murder. EFFC can investigate him for the source of the money. What I am concerned is the issue of alleged attempted murder. It is immoral for somebody who planned to kill to say that he was hypnotized. This is the height of moral depravity.
The lesson we should learn from this is for his arrest and prosecution.
He is a PDP man, nothing will happen to him - Femi Falana
This is a material for the EFCC and ICPC. By now, he should be answering questions on how he came about the funds. As far as the law is concerned, he has to explain how he came about the money to the EFCC and for the police, he has case to answer on the threat to the life.
He is a PDP man. In matters like this, it is usually settled as internal affairs of the PDP. All forms of crimes are committed by PDP chiefs and nothing happens to them. Former Speaker Etteh and many others were at one time or the other fingered and nothing happened. It is only police officers, who were promoted, not by themselves, who are being punished, including Haz Iwedi who died as a Commissioner of Police and whose rank is being reduced posthumous.
The law enforcement agency should do its duty by arresting Chief Edem on the basis of his disclosure as revealed by a magazine and that is the only way to show the world that we are a civilized people. President Yar'Adua believes in maximum tolerance for corruption; nothing will happen to that man I can assure you of that.
Samuel Edem's account bizarre, it speaks volume of corruption in NDDC - Frank Kokori
It is a serious matter. I think it looks bizarre, unbelievable. But that he confirmed it that he was under a spell was a rubbish. It goes to show how our country is being run. It is serious'.
On the Federal Government directive that the EFCC and the Inspector General of Police should wade into the matter to unravel the source of the fund allegedly spent by the NNDC chairman, it is face-saving.
‘It is a question for the EFCC, ICPC, but they know the way they make the money. Look, all of them are doing it. You see the problem is the whole leadership in Nigeria. They are all corrupt and when the leadership is corrupt you can't make a surgical operation. What will come out from the EFCC findings?. The ones they have arrested, what have they done? Most of the people they have arrested are on bail! So, what are you expecting them to do to Edem? To jail him?
He hasn't done anything new - Moshood Erubami (ex-president, Campaign for Democracy)
It is just one out of million that happens in Nigeria everyday. He hasn't done 'It is just one out of million that happens in Nigeria every day. He hasn't done anything different from what we have been hearing from power probe, NNPC probe, and all others.
I think we are getting to a level that Nigerian government should try to avoid anarchy in Nigeria, because what he has done is that some people have been personalizing collective resources, for their own selfish agenda.
Unfortunately for us, the judiciary has become an accessory, in the sense that cases are adjourned indiscriminately, injunctions are granted indiscriminately, cases are denied diligent prosecution, making it impossible for the anti-graft bodies to do their job.
Somebody like Edem who has confessed to that offence, is so far guilty by his confession… he is guilty of mismanagement of fund and unethical practices. But take him to the court now, the tendency is for the court to grant him bail! Cases of corruption that should take few months, take a year in Nigeria. It allows people who have been arrested for corruption to move around freely to jeopardize investigation and flaunt their wealth.
The judiciary hasn't shown that it is the last hope of the common man. It is getting to a level now that Nigerians will make a resolve to deal with people that they know have appropriated money that were meant for their development. The primitive acquisition that is going on unchallenged is a prelude to anarchy.