Monday 29 February 2016

Ahidjo was a strict disciplinarian, Biya doesn’t care


       -Hon. Albert NgomeKome, former Minister and DG
Minister of Transport under Ahidjo and DG of FONADER under Biya, Albert NgomeKome was a household name in Cameroon from the 1970s up to the mid 1980s. Today this illustrious son of Tombel in KupeMuanenguba Division has gone underground; he is hardly seen any where and  has hardly made a public declaration. Following the 2nd October 2015 cabinet shake-up that saw the appointment of two Ministers from KupeMuanenguba Division, The Median’s Editor, Ojong Steven Ayukogem caught-up with the elder statesman at his home in MimbomanYaounde and sought to know from him how ministers were selected by Ahidjo, how Ahidjo treated his ministers, his opinion about politics in KupeMuanenguba division among other issues. The interview makes for compelling reading. Just read on.

Hon. Albert NgomeKome, former
Minister and DG
Good day Honorable Albert NgomeKome and Happy New Year

Good day to you Steve and Happy New Year 2016 to you as well.

Honorable you look so young and strong that is for a man that was already a big personality in the 1970s and early 1980s. What accounts for this strength and youthfulness?

If truly I look youthful and strong, it may be because of a combination of certain factors. First of all my diet. I control what I eat. My breakfast consists of bits of the following: lettuce, carrots, cucumber, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, lemon, banana and celery. All these are converted into a smoothie which I drink every blessed morning with a slice of brown bread. I conclude my breakfast with a cup of coffee. I also eat a lot of vegetables and fruits-pineapples, oranges, grapes, water melon etc. it is said that you are what you eat.
Secondly, I am at peace with myself and my God! I don’t envy anybody for anything. My God has provided me with almost all my needs! My peace of mind may therefore be a contributory factor to my “strength and youthfulness”.

Honorable, you have hardly made a public appearance or pronouncement for decades now; you are neither seen nor head anywhere. Where have you been for all this while? Why are you so cut-off from the public view?

By nature I am not one who seeks publicity and I don’t speak carelessly. But I speak when I think that what I say will contribute to the advancement of the debate. Contrary to what you imply, I am not cut-off from public view, but I may be cut-off from the political public view because I am not a member of any political party and when political meetings are held – CPDM, SDF, CDU and UNDP – you don’t see me there. But when I feel strongly about a current political event, I express my opinion. Besides, I have aired my opinion about certain issues in your publication – The Median. I am an active member of many cultural and social groups, some of which I am the key foundation member. The problem is that if you are not seen on TV, you don’t exist politically.

Honorable can you tell us a bit about your self, that is your birth, your education, career etc

Albert NgomeKome is a Cameroonian born on the 18th of October 1939 at Mpako, Bakossi in KupeMuanenguba Division. I attended the Native Administrative (N.A) School in Nyasoso and proceeded to Basel mission College, Bali (Now Cameroon Protestant College – CPC) on scholarship in 1955. I graduated with a West African School Certificate in 1959, and after working for two years as a Cooperative Inspector following a one year training course in Ibadan, Nigeria in 1961, I entered as a pioneer student into the newly created Cameroon College of Arts, Science and Technology CCAST Bambili. On graduation in 1964, I proceeded to the United States of America for studies on scholarship under the African Scholarship Program for American Universities (ASPAU). On graduation, I did a six-month internship in the Political and Security Council Affairs (PSCA) department of the United Nations in New York. From there, I left for the University of Lancaster, England to do a master’s Degree on a British Council scholarship. I returned to Cameroon in December 1969 and resumed duty with the West Cameroon government as an Administrative Officer. I came to Yaounde in September 1972 as head of a service in the Ministry of Public Service. When in 1973 FONADER was created, I was appointed Assistant Director of Credit, a post I held till 1977 when I was appointed Director of Credit.


Can you still recall the events leading to your appointment as minister in 1979? Were you consulted before the appointment, if so by whom?

In early 1979, the year of my appointment as Minister, a few months before my appointment, I was invited a couple of times by the then Secretary General of the Presidency (H.E Samuel Eboua of late) and by the Director of Cabinet of the Presidency (H.E. Beb a Don of late). Having been told nothing specific after the interviews/conversations, little did I know that all this was probably to judge my fitness for the imminent appointment. A day before the appointment, a very senior police officer informed me confidentially that they (the police) had been following my movements for the past two months under the instructions of the presidency and that my profile is interesting. I only understood what he meant the next day.

On the day of the appointment, I was informed that the Head of State, H.E. AhmadouAhidjo would want to see me at 11:45am. Up till that moment, I didn’t understand what was going on. It was during this meeting with the Head of State that I was informed of my imminent appointment as Minister of Transport to be announced over the radio at 1pm on that November 8th 1979. It was the habit of the Head of State to receive all those he was to appoint before the radio announcements.

At the time you became minister were you an active militant of the CNU party? Did you become minister because of your militancy in the CNU party or because of your performance as a technocrat in the public administration?

Like any other minister, I was a member of the CNU party. (At that time, Cameroon had only one party to which everybody was a member). I was not that active in the party and I don’t think I was appointed because of my militancy in the party. Rather, the Head of State informed me that he was aware of my academic and professional life and that on that basis; he had decided to appoint me Minister of Transport.

It is often said that Ahidjo’s ministers were not rich but today ministers are some of the richest Cameroonians you can find around. Is it that  Ahidjo did not provide for his ministers some of the advantages that Biya’s ministers enjoy today?

It is very true that Ahidjo’s ministers were not rich, many even died poor, very poor. I will not however mention  their names here. But Ahidjo was a strict disciplinarian and punished any misbehavior on the part of his ministers. I am not fully aware of the official advantages the ministers of today have, but from their life-style and the luxury in which they live, I am inclined to think that the Biya ministers have better advantages than those of Ahidjo’s government. Today’s ministers get away with a lot of misconduct; they are involved in lots of financial and social scandals which hardly attract any instant punishment. There is some sort of laissez-faire. In those days, you had to justify the sources of any personal project you undertook. For example if you were building a house of a certain level, the security will find out the origin of your sources and if these sources were unorthodox, the Head of State would be informed. The consequences followed immediately. Today, civil servants and ministers build houses worth hundreds of millions of CFA francs and nobody cares to find out the origin of their resources. The very expensive cars which civil servants with meager salaries ride are scandalous. But nobody cares!
                              
When you became minister under Ahidjo did you consider yourself as the political leader of the Bakossi people, as it is now the case where ministers automatically see themselves as the political torch-bearers for their people?

-No, I was not, nor did I consider myself the political leader of my people just because I was a minister. There were very strong party men in my area. We had Hon. C.N Njumbe (of late) who was the CNU president for Meme which at the time included present day Ndian and KupeMuanenguba Divisions; there was Hon. Thomas Ebongalame (of late) who was Administrative Secretary of the CNU, I worked hand in hand with these party officials and there was no conflict. When need arose, we made joint interventions and jointly wrote and signed memoranda for projects in our area, like that for the creation of KupeMuanenguba Division. The two I named above were astute politicians. Everybody knew his place and there was no struggle for leadership or supremacy.

You hail from Mpacko in Tombel sub-division. The late Justice Ngalame also from Mpacko was Secretary General in the administration at about the same time. Hon. Ebongalame from Nlog also in Tombel was the MP. There were other Tombel sons like S.N EjedepangKoge and Mr. Nzub’Epie who were also “big people” in the administration at the time. The late Hon. AjebeSone of the pre-Independence era was also from Baseng in Tombel. But despite this political dominance of Tombel, there was unity and harmony in Bakossi land. What has caused this new phenomenon whereby holders of political office are seen first as coming either from Tombel or Bangem and not simply as Bakossi?

Yes, it is true that at a certain period in the political history of Bakossi, the people of Southern Bakossi (now Tombel sub-division) as opposed to Northern or Upper Bakossi (now Bangem sub-division) dominated the political scene. But contrary to your assertion that there was “unity and harmony” in Bakossi land, i will like to inform you that the unity and harmony was just on the surface. In reality, our brothers of upper Bakossi were very unhappy with the situation and did not keep quiet about it. They wrote letters quoting all the names you have mentioned. But time being the solver of problems, the situation was reversed when a Minister and a Secretary General of a Ministry were appointed from Upper Bakossi (Bangem). The people of Tombel did not complain and are not complaining. We are one people and it doesn’t matter from where somebody is appointed, he is there to serve ALL the people of the division and should receive the support of each and every Bakossi man/woman!

If your opinion was sought as to how power sharing in KupeMuanenguba should be done what would be your suggestion?

There should be no question of power sharing in KupeMuanenguba. The people of this Division should remember that they have a common destiny. It will be politically satisfying if each of the three sub divisions could have its own parliamentarian. Appointments to political posts of responsibility are beyond the control of the people. All they should do is to stop soiling each other and especially those with posts of responsibility with the stupid and idiotic hope that they will be appointed to their posts when they are removed.

How do you relate with the present crop of ministers from KupeMuanenguba notably Hon. EbongNgole,  Prof. Elvis NgolleNgolle, Mr. Ngole Philip Ngwese and the youngest and newest among them MrElung Paul Che?

My relationship with the former and present Ministers of KupeMuanenguba is good. That is a place where I have been and there is absolutely no reason why I should envy any of them. On the contrary, I should behave like a father to them and give them advice when they need it.

Your last word to the people of KupeMuanenguba and Cameroonians at large.

For the first time in history, KupeMuanenguba has two Ministers. They should work together for the benefit of our division. It is obvious that those who want their posts will not be happy to see them there and will antagonize and soil them (maybe not openly) in order to make them look bad in the eyes of the government and their people. Envy, ambition and jealousy are the root of bad relationships among KupeMuanenguba elite. They say if he can be appointed, then whey not me?

Thank you honorable for accepting to talk to us and God should continue to guide and protect you!

Thank you and may God bless you as you serve the nation through your newspaper.


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