By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Publisher of Christian motivational book, Our Daily Manna, Reverend Chris Kwakpovwe, has been directed by Justice SBA Candide Johnson of the Lagos State High Court to pay the sum of N9.5 million to a female lawyer, Ms Tamara Egbedi, for negligence.
In January 2010, Ms Egbedi attended a crusade organised by the cleric at the National Stadium in Lagos and sustained injuries during the programme.
It was gathered that the woman lost seven teeth after she fell into a drainage in between the seats at venue of the event.
Informing Rev Kwakpovwe at the end of the service, he handed her over to Mrs Matthew Daniels, a senior member of the church, who asked her to get estimate from a Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) Ikeja Dental Centre which she did, but rather than doing the needful, they chose to inform her in a letter that they were helping her out of charity.
Worried by how she was neglected, the lawyer, through her counsels, demanded compensation in a letter dated 3/3/2010 from the defendants, who insensitively responded in letter dated 26/3/2010 (EXHIBIT F) denying liability. This forced her to file a suit against the man of God.
Justice Johnson, while delivering the judgment in SUIT NO: LD/359/2011, held that from the evidence adduced by the parties, it is not in contention that Ms Tamara suffered injuries at the venue in the cause if attending the crusade.
“It is difficult not to observe that for the defendants who put themselves forward as spiritual shepherds of their sheep that they appear to have demonstrated scant care and concern for victims of their January 2010 spiritual crusade and have likewise by the letter of their lawyers (Exhibit F) daring this claimant to go to court, the defendants appear to have elected carnal warfare over spiritual warfare thus leaving it to the courts of law to intervene.
“It is virtually ridiculous for Rev Chris Kwakpovwe as the presiding Pastor, and a registered Trustee of Manna Miracle Mountain Ministry and the Publisher/Writer of ‘Our Daily Manna’ (ODM) to invite the general public and the claimant to a program which they expected to and which ‘recorded a huge attendance’ and then without any remorse or conscience, argue that they only rented space at the National Stadium so he and his religious ministry owed no duty of care or concern for the welfare and safety of the guests they had invited to their own spiritual “party” or event organized by them.
“It is this type of reckless impunity and conscientlessness that makes many people complain about callousness and wickedness in Nigeria,” the judge held.
“The National Sport Commission (NSC) rented the space to the defendants, who then structured, arranged and independently organized their event to their own taste and standards.
t is in my view, cowardly and irresponsible to invite a guest to your house or other venue for your independent event and then turn to blame a 3rd party for your own want of care and want of organizational due diligence,” the ruling said.
