The Lamentations of Sam Edem

Comfort Obi Email: comfort@thesourceng.com

Ambassador Sam Edem, the suspended chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), seem to have recovered from the shame that was his lot recently. So, he is talking to the Press, and stating his own side of the story which earned him a suspension from his job.
Edem's troubles, remember, began when he got entangled with a native doctor, Dr. Perebakowei Ogah, alias Mathew Sonoma. With Ogah, Edem had allegedly planned to kill the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio, and the NDDC managing director, Timi Alaibe, and also reduce Vice President Goodluck Jonathan to a mumu so he would protect Edem's job at the NDDC. The deal cost Edem N800 million. And blew open when Edem found out that none of the promises his friend made came to fruition. So Edem went to the police, reported the case, and alleged that his native doctor friend had charmed and duped him.
For the records, Edem did not deny the story. He told the police that his native doctor friend, in pretence of praying for him, used his (Edem’s) money to get himself the good things of life. The questions then were: how did Edem make that money, and what was he doing with a native doctor? He said the money was his. That part of it was given to him by Chris Uba to pursue his governorship ambition in Akwa Ibom, and the rest from his family businesses. He said he wanted his money back. But Edem’s native doctor friend insisted he had accomplished his own part of his deal with him, and waiting to get the balance of his money.
The police have since been doing their job. The sum of N55 million cash has been recovered from Edem’s friend. Seized also are posh cars and a 50-room hotel the native doctor acquired courtesy of Edem’s folly. But Edem does not think he had been foolish. And he feels no shame. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be talking to the press. He wants to be heard again. So, what’s new from what he said before?
Edem says he was “a victim of a booby trap set for me by very powerful forces using my security detail, Dennis Okenyi, whom I trusted, loved and treated like my own child.” According to him, it was Okenyi who introduced the native doctor to him. Edem: “It all started with a strange prayer proposal sent to me by a man who introduced himself as a pastor. This was at the instance of Okenyi. The supposed man of God came with a Bible, a Cross and holy oil. Never in my wildest imaginations did I know that I was dealing with a dangerous native doctor and fraudster. One prayer led to another. One prophesy led to another. Before I came to my senses, like any other victim of 419, I had been swindled of huge sums of money running into millions of Naira.” Eh yaaa, sorry o!
But before we continue with Edem’s story, or even sympathise with him, it is necessary to analyse, briefly, Edem’s submissions here. I have heard of government officials being drowned in one proposal or another, but I have never heard of a prayer proposal. What kind of prayer proposal would anybody submit to a man of Edem’s level, and parentage? His father was a clergy man (Methodist), and his mother, a Deaconess. It couldn't have been ordinary prayers. Otherwise, why a proposal? What’s wrong with a simple fellowship? It was devilish prayers. Proof: It backfired and put Edem in trouble. That is the type of prayer where new era churches chorus: Back to sender! Secondly, Edem’s story shows the mentality of some of these big men. Edem allowed his security detail to run his life, so much so that he introduced a native doctor to him. Like some of these leaders, Edem became a hostage to his security detail. One prophesy, according to Edem, led to another. It will be interesting to know what the man was prophesizing. Alaibe’s sudden death to enable Edem finally take over the running of NDDC, or Akpabio’s sudden death so Edem can revive his dead governorship ambition?
Edem denies he had any such plans. But in denying, he touched on an important subject. Insisting that what he calls his ordeal was “a high profile political conspiracy and propaganda to destroy, dehumanise and simply get rid of me as chairman of the NDDC by a combination of forces,” Edem submitted that his enemies “played on the intricate power-play in the NDDC between the chairman and the managing director.” My response: Intricate power play? Should that involve the hiring of a native doctor? And why should there be a power play?
Edem is not an executive chairman at the NDDC. Meaning that he should not involve himself in the day-to-day running of the commission. He should not visit the NDDC everyday. He should have a boardroom, and go to the NDDC only for statutory meetings, or any other necessary meetings. He should not have a retinue of staff at the NDDC. Problem is, in Edem’s case, as is the case with most non-executive chairmen of Boards and Commissions, he saw himself as a permanent staff of the NDDC. He had a retinue of over 20 staff members attached to his office. He had an array of cars, and a house in Port Harcourt. Why?
Edem calls on President Yar’Adua and the Inspector General of Police, Mike Okiro, to investigate his case. Is there anything new to investigate? Edem agrees that he engaged the services of the native doctor. The native doctor concurs, and says Edem paid him for services rendered. The only point of disagreement is in the nature of job Edem hired him to do. It is their words against each other. And it is Edem’s private business, not that of the President, or the IGP. The only job Yar’Adua has, as the head of the Federal Government, is to investigate what goes on at Boards and Commissions where non-Executive chairmen go beyond their schedule of duty, and take over the jobs of the Chief Executive Officers. Most government CEO’s have tales of woe to tell. The FG should read the riot act to such chairmen, and draw the border line.
Finally, let me express my sympathy to Edem over the alleged sell-out by his security detail. It can be very painful when somebody you took as your own betrays you. If that happened, my take is: the boy knew the workings of his boss mind. And zeroed in on his devilish thoughts. Too bad.