Sunday 24 April 2016

Front page


Anticipated presidential:



Anti-Biya protest demonstrations in South Africa
By Njodzefe Nestor
Protesters in front of Cameroon
Embassy in South Africa
Opposition parties and Cameroonians resident in South Africa on Friday April 22, 2016 staged a demonstration in front of the Cameroon High Commission, 80 Marais Street, Brooklyn Pretoria, South Africa, to protest what they called the negligence of Biya’s government on pertinent issues and the coordinated calls by the CPDM for President Paul Biya to stand as candidate in the 2018 presidential elections.
According to a source close to The Median in SA, the presence of the Police did not deter the protesters from brandishing placards with anti-Biya inscriptions.
                The three political parties involved namely the SDF, MRC and CPP handed a memorandum to the Cameroon High Commissioner to South Africa, Adrien Kouambo, after the protest demonstration, reports said.
                The organizers of the protest, dubbed ‘Black Friday,’ said they want to warn Yaoundé authorities that they have had enough from the Biya regime. 
                “We are protesting as Cameroonians in the Diaspora who want political and other reforms in our country. We have had enough. We are charting a path for the Third Republic - the post-Biya era,” said the SDF Chairman for South Africa, Milton Taka.
                This was corroborated by the Chairman of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement, CMR, in South Africa.
                "We are sending a signal to the BIYA regime that 34 years at the helm of our beloved country has contributed to the deterioration and disintegration of the country. He should retire. Let Cameroonians come out in their numbers and denounce the regime," said Nestor Djomatchui.

Biya regime:



Coping with end-time signals
Paul Biya deserves praise for keeping Cameroon together in peace so far. But no one can be sure of peace anymore in the next few years of the end of the Biya-era. The absence of rules of succession within the CPDM will almost for sure push powerful ambitious bureaucrats to acts of disaffection and sabotage to gain ascendancy. Biya’s treatment of this powerful class of ministers and GMs has only prepared them to pounce on him as soon as the opportunity comes. The only way out for Biya to save his head and that of his young and beautiful family is to renounce his own ambition to continue after 2018, and allow free and fair elections within the CPDM on the one hand and at national level on the other hand.
Peace is the one thing that Cameroonians, divided as they are, easily concede to the Biya-regime. It is still a miracle that Cameroon escaped a civil war, given the desperate opposition confrontations with the government in the early 1990s and Cameroon’s history of acrimonious elections.
                But that peace can no more be guaranteed with the approach of the end-years of the regime, ie up to 2018. The problem is succession. Paul Biya is working on two possibilities neither of which is welcome particularly by the powerful bureaucrats who constitute the pillars of his regime.
                The President longs to stay in power in defiance of his age and longevity in office. The second scenario is to impose a hand-picked successor from the ruling CPDM and ram him down the throats of Cameroonians at the presidential election of 2018. Either possibility promises trouble for Biya, real big trouble indeed. The opposition and the international community are opposed to his continuing in office with the manipulation of the constitution.
                Potent as the international community is in halting the President, it is within the regime itself that Biya will have some of the most unpleasant surprises, betrayals and back-stabbing.

Powerful bureaucrats
                The class of powerful bureaucrats that control both the ruling party and the government will most probably prove to be Biya’s greatest nightmare!
                The second force that the president must reckon with is the wide-spread dissidence within the rank and file of the CPDM. It is this group whose outright abstention from successive elections the President should be wary about. They are waiting for him at the turning.
                Three factors make the powerful CPDM bureaucrats potentially deadly to the president. First, there are no rules of succession within the party allowing for a free and fair contest by which a democratically chosen candidate would emerge as the party’s flag-bearer in the 2018 election. This absence opens the way for all forms of intrigues and sabotage against the regime by interest groups to gain ascendancy over other competing groups.
                Second, the relationship between Biya and his aides and subordinates is not always wholesome or self-respecting as with partners functioning at different levels. The president is often high-handed and too much of a chief who sometimes enjoys subservience from collaborators.
                Biya keeps a good distance, partly due to his refusal to receive public officials. His rather punitive and unpredictable use of his appointive powers and other aspects of his style combine to create fear for him rather than encourage trust and loyalty by his collaborators.
                The danger of this pattern of relationship between the Head of State and his subordinates is never apparent until perhaps when there comes a crisis. The chief then suddenly realizes that he stands alone, with collaborators whose loyalty he could swear by having defected.

Fako SDO bans high heeled shoes on 20th May



The SDO for Fako, Zang III has publicly declared that women who will wear high heel shoes will not be allowed to come to the ceremonial ground to disturb the celebrations on May 20. The Fako SDO who was chairing the first preparatory meeting of the event at the Limbe City Council Hall, on Wednesday 20 April, regretted that though the National Day is a very solemn and important occasion in the life of every nation, many people usually take it for granted.
                One of the groups of people he identified as usually causing unnecessary distraction and undermining the importance of the ceremony are women who usually wear high heel shoes that cannot allow them to walk freely. These women, he stressed, usually distort protocol and at times are forced to remove the shoes and hold in their hands.
                To this end, the SDO immediately ordered the Commander of the Limbe Naval Base and the forces of Law and order to ensure that no woman with high heel shoes is allowed into the grandstand on that day. He warned that anybody who will violate his instructions will face his wrath.
                One other issue the SDO also jettisoned as far as the 20th May celebration is concerned is late coming by invitees. According to him, once he officially arrives the grandstand, no other person irrespective of their social status will be allowed to enter the grandstand.
                Hear him: “if anybody comes to take up a seat at the grandstand when I am already there, I will get up and give my seat to that person and you know what that means. I am the representative of the Head of State, and I did not appoint myself.”

Unbearable frustration:



UB graduate sets herself on fire, dies
By Ajongakou Santos in Buea
An ex-student of the University of Buea believed to have graduated in 2013 is reported dead after setting herself on fire owing to the frustration of unemployment in the country. The Median learned from her neighbours that, the girl, Magdella who hails from Manyu in the South West Region of Cameroon committed suicide in the village after going jobless for three years; coupled with the numerous mockery and insults she got from the villagers and her relatives.
                As the story goes, Magdella’s friends and other people quickly intervened to save her from the suicidal act but failed to do anything meaningful because the burns were really deep. They however rushed her to the hospital, from where she died three days later; on Saturday, April 16, 2016.

Concretizing Biya’s greater ambitions dream:



Bright future for Camtel with 4G infrastructure
Once distressed and listed for privatization, the management of the state-owned telecoms giant ventured into mobile telephony and internet provision. Today, the future appears bright once again for the company
By Ojong Steven Ayukogem in Yaounde
GM David Nkoto Emane.
After a long spell of precariousness due to flawed management of previous managers, Cameroon’s giant telecoms company, CAMTEL, is once again on its feet and firmly so.
                The state-run company that was long earmarked for privatization alongside other distressed national outfits, is now picking up the pieces, and getting on track for yet another boom.
                The secret behind this magical turn-around in the fortunes of Camtel is not hard to find: The resort to wireless, broad band technology (mobile telephony), the provision of internet services, and the launching of the optic fibre backbone that not only covers the entire national territory but extends to neighbouring Chad. There is also an ongoing project to connect Cameroon and Brazil in South America by optic fibre. Ofcourse, All of these is thanks to the managerial clairvoyance and business acumen of the General Manager of Camtel, David Nkoto Emane.
                It should be recalled that following the advent of mobile telephone in Cameroon in the mid 1990s, the craze by the public for the new, more modern and convenient handy sets rendered the fixed phone (CAMTEL’s sole product at the time) obsolete, redundant and out of place. And with the attendant loss of a greater part of its customer base, Camtel’s fortunes plummeted drastically this, with obvious consequences.           
                Faced with the situation, government had no option other than to list Camtel for privatization in 1999.
                But after potential buyers failed to seduce government with attractive buy-off bids, the government gave the management of Camtel the go ahead to venture into the provision of more modern and fashionable products, if only to better its precarious financial situation.
                Today with its two major products, CT phone and broadband internet, Camtel is experiencing a boom. The management of the company has rekindled hope in the workers and the government about the company’s future.

Ahead of Labour Day 2016:



Disgruntled workers await Gregoire Owona in Limbe
Gregoire Owona
As the count down to the 130th edition of the International Labour Day, to be celebrated on Sunday 1st May draws near, anxiety is heightening amongst workers in Fako division where the national event is expected to be launched. 
                As soon as news made the rounds that the Minister of Labour and Social Security, Gregoire Owona will be launching activities in Limbe on Monday 25 April, several workers and staff delegates of some enterprises started mobilizing and strategizing on how best they can table their grievances to the minister without compromising their jobs.
                Many workers in companies around Fako disclosed to reporters that in their enterprises, labour laws and minimum wages are not respected. However, they are unable to complain because if they try to reclaim their rights, they are simply shown the door.
                One of the sectors where some of these workers are most angry is the NGO sector. According to our sources many NGOs now recruit highly qualified persons  as volunteers, only to enter the real qualifications as their project staff and permanent workers to grab huge sums of money from funders.

Property tax:




Campaign to distribute pre-filled returns launched
- Over one million property owners targeted as taxation department grants general amnesty to tax evaders
By Ojong Steven Ayukogem in Yaounde
Hiol Nicolas, Head of the Dept. of studies,
planning and reforms at the DGT
Mobile teams from the General Directorate of Taxes DGT, have since last week begun distributing pre-filled returns of property tax to owners of built-on and non-built-on estates in Douala and Yaounde. This followed the launching of the 2016 campaign for the collection of property tax on 15 April 2016.
                The campaign targets 400.000 property owners in Douala and Yaounde only. But it is hoped that over one million property owners would be registered in the property tax data-base by the time the campaign is extended to the rest of the eight regional capitals in the country.
                This was the take home message from a press briefing granted by the Head of the division of studies, planning and reforms at the DGT, Nicolas Hiol, on 19 April 2016.
                Facing pressmen, the senior tax inspector noted that though some property owners in Douala and Yaounde were actually paying their property tax, the compliance rate was unfortunately so low, barely about 20%.
                He attributed this unsatisfactory outcome to the reticence of most property tax owners and to difficulties encountered by the tax department in convincing evaders to see the need to declare and pay their property tax.

University of Buea:



Journalism students schooled on job creation
By Ajongakou Santos and Doh Bertrand in Buea
UB Journalism Students at the symposium
Over 250 UB’s Journalism students have been challenged to gain work experience soon after graduation as a prerequisite to getting better and sustainable jobs. The call was made during a one day Career/Orientation Workshop at the Amphitheatre 250 of the University of Buea last Wednesday, April 20, 2016.
                The event brought together former Journalism students now in the job market as guest speakers; for them to share their experiences and tips of how they survived the ever competitive job market in the country with their future colleagues.
                Mr. Benyella Njeko, CEO of Clone Multimedia LTD talked on “Unconventional Entrepreneur” in which he discussed the tips of how students could gradually transform their ideas to the extent of becoming entrepreneurs even before their graduation from the University. He equally shared his experiences and challenges of how he got started and the success tips that kept him going right up to the moment.

Konye council adopts 2015 administrative accounts


Mayor Barrister George Musima Lobe:
A visionary at the helm of Konye council 

The Konye council administrative and management accounts for 2015 have been adopted by all the councilors of the council. This was during an ordinary session of the council that took place at the council chambers on 21 April 2016. The session was presided by the lord mayor Barrister George Musima Lobe in the presence of the senior divisional officer for Meme, David Koulbout Aman.
                 During the meeting the mayor revealed that out of the FCFA 560 million that was voted for 2015, 546 million was realized giving a realization rate of 97.67%. The expenditure stood at 518 million, with a balance of 28.8million as surplus.
                Mayor Musima further outlined the projects realized in the cause of the year. He cited notably the construction of four culverts in konye town; pipe borne water in Ibemi, Kokobuma and Wone; payment of 17million as part of inherited tax debt, equipment of the mayor’s office, rehabilitation of Mofako-Matoh road, provision of scholarships to Konye students in HTTTC Kumba, construction of a business center at Ngolo Bolo, stalls at the Konye market, holiday jobs to youths amongst others.

SHUMAS donates water, much more to Bamendakwe



By Njodzefe Nestor in Bamenda
Handing over of health equipment to
Bamendakwe Integrated Health Center
Strategic Humanitarian Services, SHUMAS and her partner, Building Schools for Africa, have handed over a series of projects realised within the Bamenda 1 sub-division specifically in Bamendakwe. This was on 18 April 2016, during a hand over ceremony co-chaired by Shumas Director and the SDO for Mezam.
                The projects included two workshops and some workshop equipment to GTC Bamendakwe; provision of medical supplies and the extension of Water supply and a water tap at Bamendakwe Integrated Health Center and the building of a catchment, 1 km Pipeline, 15m3 Tank and 2 public taps as support to the Menka-Tamaley Community Water Project.
                It all started on the 18th of September 2015 when the foundation stone of these projects were laid by the former Senior Divisional Officer for Mezam Felix Nguele Nguele. Seven months after, it was a dream come true the people of Bamendakwe and its environs.
                Speaking on behalf of the beneficiary, Celine Ngwa, vice president of the Bamendakwe Development and cultural Association described the realised projects as “good seeds sown in Bamendakwe which from all indications shall yield fruits and serve its purpose and the population of Bamenda 1”.
                The Principal of Government Technical College, Bamendakwe just like the Director of the Integrated Health Center described the intervention of SHUMAS as timely given that they needed equipment to function with which were not readily provided by the governemt.
It is worth noting that in December 12, 2015 Government Technical College, Bamendakwe received some school and working equipment from the Strategic Humanitarian Services, SHUMAS meant for the workshops.

GM of Catholic teachers:



Bishop Bushu hails historic creation of K’ba diocese
By ETAH CHRIS Nchia
Bishop Bushu and Catholic teachers
The Bishop of Buea diocese His Lordship Immanuel Balanjo Bushu, has described the recent step by the Papacy to carve out the new kumba Diocese as a “Great Historic Success”.
Bishop Bushu voiced his support for the passage of the newly created diocese, which seeks to bring Christians closer to religious men and women in the catholic folk.
                “For long we have been waiting. It was announced by the Apostolic Nuncio to Cameroon on the November 30th 2006 at midday over the Cameroon Radio Television in Yaounde that Kribi, Bafang and Kumba were going to be made Dioceses. Kribi and Bafang have become already and now lately Kumba has become after ten years of the announcement,” the Bishop noted.
                The soft spoken Bishop also addressed thousands of catholic teachers recently in CKC Tiko while closing a three-day 2016 meeting of Catholic teachers of the Buea diocese, which teachers from the new Kumba diocese part-taking for the last time.
                In his closing episcopal homily, His Lordship Bishop Bushu of the Buea Diocese reminded Christians to emulate the good examples of John. His homily weapon from John 21:1 to 19 revealed that as teachers “there are many signs of Christ presence in us. We need to love him completely so we can think and act like him”, he told the nosy instructors.
                Talking to the press shortly after the three-day meeting, Bishop Immanuel Bushu thanked God for his infinite mercy.

To discourage Ivory trafficking:



Billions worth of Ivory burnt in Yaounde
Over 2000 Elephant Tusks and 1,753 art objects made of Ivory were on 19 April 2016 publicly incinerated in Yaounde
By Ojong Steven Ayukogem in Yaounde
Minister Philip Ngole and Ambassador Samantha Power
granted a press briefing after setting fire on the tusks
The government of Cameroon has publicly destroyed over 3 tonnes of Elephant Tusks and 1,753 art objects made of Ivory as a way of demonstrating its resolve to discourage Elephant poaching and trade in Ivory.
                The Elephant Tusks (2000 in number) and art objects were burnt in an open ceremony at the esplanade of the Yaounde Conference Centre, on 19 April 2016.
                The incineration ceremony that was witnessed by at least 10 government ministers, apart from other Cameroonian dignitaries, was presided over by Cameroon’s minister of Forestry and Wildlife, Philip Ngole Ngwese, in the presence of the Permanent Representative of the USA to the United Nations Her Excellency Samantha Power and the United States Ambassador to Cameroon.
                Speaking on the occasion, the Cameroon Forestry and Wildlife minister said the public incineration was the first in a series of operations aimed to stifle trade in Ivory and Elephant Poaching in Cameroon.
                The minister said by ordering the burning of the tusks and art objects, the president of Cameroon, Paul Biya, was sending a clear signal to poachers and Ivory traffickers that Cameroon’s commitment to combatting criminal poaching and ivory trade has no bounds.

Two arrested trafficking Primate Skulls



By a correspondent in Bamenda
Two people have been arrested in connection with the illegal sale of primate skulls in the North West Region. This was during an operation carried out on 15 April 2016 by the Bui Divisional of Forestry and Wildlife.
                A 32-year old man called Damian who was one of the traffickers had travelled from Nkambe to Kumbo with the products two days before his arrest. He was arrested when he was about to sell the primate skulls to a customer. He was arrested by the team that worked in collaboration with the gendarmerie brigade and the judiciary in Kumbo, and with technical assistance from The Last Great Ape Organisation LAGA.
                Preliminary investigations had established that there were at least two people involved in the deal but only one was arrested. But his statements indicated that the booty belonged to at least two of them.
The other suspect, a 39-year-old man called Sebastine who had 8 primate skulls had stayed behind and handed the skulls to Damian to sell in Kumbo. The team immediately set for Nkambe where he was waiting for his share of the money. On arrival, he was quickly located, arrested and transferred to Kumbo where the legal proceedings were ongoing. The consignment made of 15 mandrill skulls, a buffalo horn, six gorilla skulls and other primates parts were later presented to the state counsel in Kumbo alongside the two suspects.
                Shortly after the arrest of the first trafficker, Mill Ndjaga Arland, the Bui Divisional Delegate of Forestry and Wildlife who led the operation team to the field said that “We have put in place a network of intelligence gathering on illegal trafficking of wildlife species in the division which in effect, is a transit zone and after exploiting information we got, the trafficker was arrested with the support of LAGA”.
                The towns of Nkambe and Kumbo are considered to be transit area where products leaving parts of Cameroon transit directly to Nigeria and vice versa. This is the second time in less than 7 months that a trafficker has been arrested with wildlife products in Kumbo after ferrying the products from Nkambe.
                The Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife, since the beginning of this year, is in a renewed alert mode to track down and prosecute all those endangering wildlife species in the country and President Paul Biya has just given fresh impetus to the fight wildlife officials are waging following his decision to allow the Minister incinerate in Yaounde, 3.5 tons of seized and confiscated ivory tusks and artifacts.

Chief Daniel Mokambe installed as Mbonge Mayor



By Priscilia Asungi b in Mbonge
HRH Chief Daniel Mokambe Matta, 45, second class chief of Mbonge Marumba has been officially installed as the new mayor of Mbonge council. He was installed on Tuesday 19th April 2016 by the senior divisional officer for Meme, David Koulbout Aman, at a ceremony that took place at the Mbonge grandstand.
                The SDO exhorted the new mayor to ensure good working relationship with his collaborators at the council, guarantee increase in the collection of council revenue, organize regular clean-up campaigns to promote hygiene and sanitation in the municipality, protect and safeguard council property and most importantly to identify vital projects that can improve on the livelihood of the population.
                Moreover, Koulbout Aman urged the new mayor to be humble, open-minded, creative, hardworking and unrelenting.
                He seized the opportunity to applaud the first deputy mayor for his commendable management of the council during the short period that he acted as interim mayor. He urged the all the deputy mayors to ensure team spirit and respect for hierarchy, so as to enable the new mayor to complete the mandate of his predecessor.

Alternative sources of power supply:



UB trains council workers on renewable energy
By Ajongakou Santos in Buea
Trainnees pose with Dr. Nalova Lyonga
Twenty-one (21) trainees from some 16 councils of the South West Region have received end-of-course certificates in Sustainable Renewable Energy Systems from the University of Buea. The certificates were issued last Thursday, April 21, 2016 in the boardroom of the Faculty of Education, University of Buea after six months of training.
                The trainees from the Bamousso, Bangem, Diloume, Ekondo-Titi, Edabato, Koumbo-Etindi, Kumba I, Kumba II, Mbonge, Muyauka, Nguti, Essangele, Tinto, Toko, Wabane and the Buea Councils were challenged by UB’s Vice Chancellor to use the Knowledge gained to keep their various councils well equipped for effective transformation. Dr. Nalova Lyonga also urged the council workers to break the legacy of begging, spoiling and begging again from the government; while insisting that “a country that is not training engineers is lost”.
                Within the framework of the partnership for renewable energy between the University of Buea and the mayors of the South West Region, the Faculty of Engineering and Technology drew up a road map for the construction of sustainable renewable energy systems in various localities of the region’s six divisions.

Hon. Atinda donates to health centre, schools



By Atemnkeng Evaristus in Mbonge
The Hon. Member of Parliament for Meme West Constituency, Hon. Martin Atinda, has extended his largesse recently when he handed a consignment of mattresses and bed sheets to the Kombone integrated Health centre in Mbonge Sub-Division, Meme Division
of the South West Region.
                Handing over the consignment to the chief of Centre, Hon. Atinda Martin reminded them of the importance the government attaches to the health sector and urged them to make good use of the matresses while ensuring that hygiene and sanitation remain their watchword. He said though his constituency is one of the largest in the country, he will struggle by God’s power to do the little he could. Talking to the over one hundred villagers who turned out to witness the ceremony, Hon. Atinda said his coming to Kombone town was also to thank them for their election that took him to parliament and also to acknowledge that he started his teaching career in GHS Kombone town.

SW Public Contracts confab to tackle corruption



By ETAH CHRIS Nchia in Buea
SW public contracts delegate
Corruption has been identified as the major vice affecting the smooth execution of public contracts in the SW region and Cameroon. Reason why the effects of corruption in technical and administrative aspects of contracts will be among the major issues to deliberated during the up-coming Regional, divisional and stakeholders Conference of the Public Contract sector in the South West Region.
                The Confab that will span from 5 to 6 May 2016 in Buea, will also review and strategize on the current and future stakes of public contracts in the region.
This was made known recently in Buea by the South West Regional Delegate of Public Contracts, Mr. Kati Alfred, during a chat with the press.
                He told pressmen that the phenomenon of contractors bidding for and winning contracts before discovering the reality on the ground will be intensely discussed at the confab. A list of blacklisted contractors will be published to prevent them from bidding for subsequent contracts, Kati said.
He noted that the role of the Public Contract Ministry is to ensure the award of contracts and follow up the execution process as well as facilitate the payment procedure. But he regretted that because some engineers have categorically refused to collaborate with the public contracts department, administrative bottlenecks have set in and they greatly hinder the smooth execution of contracts.

Belated Bamenda Stadium soon to be a reality



But commentators say its coming too little to late
By Njodzefe Nestor
In about six months from now, the metropolitan city of Bamenda will be proud recipients of a stadium with 2500 covered seats, the latest generation of synthetic turf that allows for better evaluation of water, team dressing and Press rooms, TV Studio, VIP Chamber, Officials room, restaurant, Olympic running tracks and provision to handle at least seven sport disciplines.
                The foundation stone of this stadium valued at some CFA 780 billion was laid on April 20, 2016 by Northwest Governor Lele L’Afrique Adolph, in the presence of Tombi A Roko Sidiki, FECAFOOT president, Ni John Fru Ndi, SDF Chairman and some top raking administrative, traditional and religious authorities.
                While addressing those who came to witness the long awaited dream, Northwest Governor Adolph Lele L’Afrique enjoined FECAFOOT officials to work harder to provide Bamenda with a befitting sporting infrastructure and to push for some of the fallouts of the 2019 AFCON to reach Bamenda and the Northwest region as a whole.
                In response, the FA boss said Bamenda is amongst the major cities of the country to be equipped with a modern stadium with a capacity of 20 000 seats under a national development program.                For the Olympic Stadium, he said Bamenda was earmarked because the presence of elite teams and the lack of infrastructures. Bamenda he added is one of five towns chosen with the others being Bafia, Bafang, Bangante and Sangmelima.

Monday 18 April 2016

Front page


Buea town Chiefdom:

Dr. Endeley’s son elected as Nakuve’s successor
Prince Robert Esuka Endeley, 41, son of the late PM of former British Southern Cameroons, Dr. Emmanuel Mbella Lifafa l’Endeley, has been chosen by the royal family as their candidate to succeed the late Nakuve Chief Justice Samuel Moka Lifafa l’Endeley, who died in June 2015. Prince Esuka Endeley beat his cousin Crown Prince Charles Efungani Endeley (the eldest son of late Nakuve Chief Justice SML Endeley) by 10 votes to 3. This was in a closed family election organized on Saturday 9 April 2016 in Buea. Prince Esuka Endeley will be presented to the Buea king-makers during consultative talks to be called by the Fako SDO any time soon, The Median can affirm.
By Ojong Steven Ayukogem in Buea
Late Chief Endeley
As the process to find a successor for the late Paramount Ruler of Buea opens, there are indications that Prince Charles Efungani Endeley, who until now was seen as the heir-apparent to the Buea throne, may not succeed his father as chief. Prince Charles Endeley was crushingly defeated by his cousin, Prince Robert Esuka Endeley, in a closed family election that brought together the representatives of all the houses that make up the royal family of Buea town, on Saturday 9 April 2016. Prince Esuka got 10 of the 13 votes cast, while Prince Charles Endeley shared the remaining three votes with the other three contenders.            
                The family election precedes consultative talks to be called any time soon by the Fako SDO. The consultation will regroup the king-makers of the Buea paramount chieftaincy clan to select a successor for the late Nakuve Chief Justice SML Endeley.
                During that sitting the royal family will present Prince Robert Esuka Endeley to the king-makers as their candidate for the much-coveted Buea throne, it was confirmed.
                But it is understood that all is not yet lost for Prince Charles Efungani Endeley, who can still challenge the outcome of the family election and also present his candidature when the king-makers meet for the consultative talks.
                That notwithstanding, it is important to understand why Prince Charles Endeley did not enjoy the support of most of the members of the Royal Family. An anonymous family source told The Median that even before their father’s passing, the children of Nakuve Chief Endeley were not very united; and this division greatly compromised their chances during the conclave of the royal family. 
                The source noted for example that Crown Prince Charles Efungani has not been in very fraternal terms with his junior brother, Prince Alexander Ngomba Endeley, whom the public also tipped as a potential successor to his father’s throne. Prince Charles is also said to be at odds with his cadet brother, Prince Ernest Nako Endeley, who is said to be the most vivacious and jovial of the five sons born to the late Nakuve Justice Endeley.
                Another argument that might have worked against the late Nakuve’s children, we were told, is that the Royal family wanted a pure-breeding Bakweri son to become the next Chief of Buea. Incidentally, the late Nakuve Chief Endeley’s children are said to have a mixture of predominantly Bakweri blood and some dose of Hausa blood flowing through their veins. This is because their late mother, Queen Gladys Sillo Endeley (a one-time mayor of Buea) was said to have blood links with North Cameroon.   
                Also, some quarters in Buea town including notably Vasingi, Bona Lyonga, wondongo etc accused the late Nakuve SML Endeley of not supporting their quest of becoming sovereign chiefdoms. The indigenes of these quarters complain that they have continued to be ruled from the Mokunda Palace, while other much smaller settlements in Buea have grown into fully-fledged chiefdoms with their own chiefs.
                Then unlike most of the chiefs that preceded the Nakuve, the latter did not inherit his throne from his father but rather from his uncle, the late Chief Gervacius Endeley. Besides, it is said that when Chief Gervacius Endeley died, it was the Nakuve’s elder brother, Dr. EML Endeley that was picked through a gentleman’s agreement to succeed the late chief. It however turned out that Dr. Endeley was not physically and psychologically prepared enough to sit on the throne; he therefore declined the nomination and suggested instead that his junior brother Justice SML Endeley be given the crown.
                It is believed therefore that by electing Prince Esuka Endeley as their candidate, the Royal family has simply done justice to Dr. Endeley, who magnanymously surrendered his opportunity to his junior brother. 
                What’s more, some members of the Royal family have still not come to terms with the serial deaths that marked the period leading to the crowning of HRH Nakuve SML Endeley as the King of Buea. Having learnt their lesson, the royal family has adopted a selection process that will prevent the infighting and bad blood that caused heads to roll in the past. And that is probably why they have chosen to go by way of an election to pick a consensus candidate for the succession of the Nakuve.

Damas, Yaounde:

School teacher rapes teenage girls
Parents and teachers of a nursery/primary school in Damas Yaounde are yet to come to terms with information that one of the teachers of the school was sexually abusing female pupils.
                Sone, as the teacher, in his 40s, is called, was almost lynched by nearby populations after news filtered to the public that he sexually abuses his female pupils and even rapes others.
                Police rescued the criminal from the hands of the raging mob this not before he had been beaten to near death.
                Sone was later taken to the Efoulan Gendarmerie for interrogation. He has admitted committing the crime but pleaded for forgiveness saying he does not know why he is only sexually attracted to teenage girls.
Doctor’s examinations also confirmed he actually penetrated some of the pupils.
                At the time of going to press, his HIV status was not confirmed.

Classified establishments:

 2016 Inspection Campaign Launched
Results of the 2015 inspection campaign were released in Yaounde on Tuesday 12 April 2016, while the 2016 campaign was also launched.
By Ayukogem Steven Ojong in Yaounde
Minister of Mines Ernest Gwaboubou and Secretary of State
Minister of Mines Ernest Gwaboubou and Secretary of State
Dr. Fuh Calistus in family photo with participants at the
 launching ceremonyDr. Fuh Calistus in family photo
 with  participants at the launching ceremony
The sum of FCFA 477 million was recovered as penalties paid to the state by classified establishments in 2015. The money was recovered following an inspection campaign undertaken by the national committee of inspections at the Ministry of Mines, Industries and Technological Development MINMIDT.
                According to the technical secretariat of the national committee on inspections of classified establishments that released the results of the campaign, FCFA 449.9 million owed to the state and FCFA 27.9 million for inspection logistics was collected from defaulting establishments, making a total of FCFA 477.9 millions.
                Also, out of a total 3,326 establishments inspected, 132 first, second and third class establishments were sanctioned, while 90 others were served warning notices for hazardous, unhealthy practices.
                The statistics were contained in the report presented at a ceremony in Yaounde on 12 April 2016. Presided over by the Minister of Mines, Industries and Technological Development, Ernest Gwaboubou, who doubles as president of the National Committee of Inspections, the  ceremony had a dual purpose; to publish the report of the 2015 campaign and launch the 2016 campaign.

After Nkambe people started digging with bare hands:

Biya orders works to begin on ring road
Nkambe populations repairing ring
road with bare hands
Maintenance work on the Kumbo-Ndu-Nkambe-Misaje stretch of the ring has been emitted after the population decided to do the work with bare hands.
                Classified sources say the Presidency has ordered that all heavy duty machines at the Upper Noun Valley Development Authority-UNVDA should kick-start maintenance work immediately. According to the hint, UNVDA is expected to transfer its equipment pool to Kumbo latest next week.
                Notwithstanding, the population of Donga Mantung is wondering whether UNVDA has the skills and manpower to tar the road. Majority believe this is just another “mensonge d'etat" to frustrate plans by Donga Mantung people to raise money locality to tar the road.
                Last week, administrators, politicians, business men and women, religious leaders, traditional rulers, in Ndu Sub Division met in an emergency meeting to plan on how to carryout rehabilitation work on the Ndu-Tatum stretch. The meeting was chaired by the DO for Ndu, George Achu. It was agreed that on April 16, the entire Sub Division should move out to do the work.
                Donga Mantung elite at home and the diasporas according to a hint had also vowed that since government has fallen short of its civility, and that since President Biya could not fulfill his promise, they will they will mobilize funds to tar the road.
                It was even suggested that after the repairs, police and Gendarmes should be chased away from their money collection points and a tollgate erected at Njifor in Ndu.
                According to field reports, the tollgate will be managed by a special committee. It is hoped that within two years enough money money would be raised to also link Nwa, Lus and Ako to the ring road by tar.
                Impressionists are of the opinion that by sending UNVDA to carryout rehabilitation work on the ring road, the Biya regime is only pouring petrol on fire, especially given that UNVDA has no technical capacity to build roads.
                It is probably impossible to imagine the nightmare that caused Donga Mantung people to vomit the Biya regime if you have not being on that road, says Jinti Flashing Nfor. In fact, many politicians would regard this question as ranging from absurd and naïve to seriously uninformed.






Limbe FESTAC ends with a call for more investors

 
Limbe Govt del lifts hisown crown
The Minister of Arts and Culture, Professor Narcisse Mouelle Kombi has urged the various stakeholders especially the private sector to invest in the yearly Limbe Festival of Arts and Culture, FESTAC.  The minister was speaking in Limbe recently whilst presided over the closing ceremony of the 3rd edition of FESTAC. Minister Mouelle equally expressed satisfaction with the perfect organisation of this year’s festival. He used the occasion to hail the vision bearer of FESTAC, the Government Delegate to the Limbe City Council, Andrew Motanga Monjimba for the wonderful organisation of the events.
                Mouelle described the Government Delegate as the “Enfant Cherie” of President Paul Biya. “The festival has rendered Limbe populations more united and its organization is contributing in no small measure to promoting the development of arts and culture in the country,” Minister Narcisse Kombi underscored.
                The Minister was later presented with special and symbolic gift by the president of the Traditional Rulers of Limbe, Chief Molive Molungu Otto, on behalf of the Limbe Chiefs, for his efforts directed at making the festival a successful national event.
                The Government Delegate was equally given a special prize from the population of the Limbe municipality for the wonderful initiative of organising the festival which is already three years old.
                Also in attendance during the official closing ceremony were the personal representative of the Governor of the South West Region, the Secretary General at the Governor’s office, Clement Fon  Ndikum, Fako SDO Zang III, Government Delegate Limbe City Council and Festac vision bearer Andrew Motanga Monjimba, Mayors of the Limbe 1,2 and 3 Councils, the General Manager of CDC Franklin Njie Ngoni, the MP for Fako East Hon. Gladys Etombi Ikome, Traditional rulers of Limbe headed by their president Otto Molungu among others.

African Bar Association, AFBA:


Cameroon’s Agbor Balla voted Vice President
By Macquens Balemba in Yaounde
Agbor Balla
International legal luminary, Barrister Nkongho Felix Agbor Balla aka “Show Boy”, has been elected as the Vice President (Central Africa) of the African Bar Association, AFBA.
                The former legal consultant at the UN was elected at a joint emergency meeting of the executive council and the technical board of AFBA that held in Abuja, Nigeria on 14 April 2016, a news release of the African Bar Association said. The release was co-signed by the President of AFBA, Nigeria’s Hannibal Uwaifo and the Secretary General, Tanzania’s Mrs. Flaviana Charles.
                “We are glad to inform you that the meeting voted unanimously to elect you,” stated the release, which added that “the Vice President’s duties which are specified in the African Bar Charter, include: the general supervision and organization of the African Bar Association in Central African States and other duties as may be assigned by the president and or council.”
                Barrister Nkongho Felix Agbor Balla, following his brilliant election, automatically becomes a member of AFBA’s governing council.

The royal family will give us a king

-HRH Chief Njombe Njoke, President Buea Chief’s Confab
HRH Chief Njombe Njoke
There were some disagreements between the chiefs and the family over the burial of Chief SML Endeley? Can you clear the air on this?

When the Nakuve passed on, i was not around. And because I could not be contacted by phone I was not present at the mortuary that evening. But in the morning my colleagues came to me and gave me the picture of what happened. I drove straight to the palace with a cream of my executive members of the Buea sub-divisional chiefs’ conference. At the palace we met Pa’s son and gave him the stance of the chiefs. We also gave him a liaison person, our protocol officer, to work with him. We gave him the conditions for the burial rites. But as it would appear some people think that they can do everything by themselves and the way they want. Truely we were not happy that the Nakuve was exposed in public. However, we were happy when finally the children understood with us and accepted to bury the king according to the tradition that their father incarnated. I think where ever the Nakuve has gone to he must be smiling with joy and pride that he was well buried.

What about the succession, has the process started?

I don’t want to believe that there is any problem with the succession in Buea. I am aware that there are problems with the succession in Limbe. But to the best of my knowledge and understanding the people of Buea are more mature. At the level of the chiefs, we understand that chiefs don’t create other chiefs. No chief creates another chief in another man’s chiefdom. In my dialect, it is said that no house can enter into another one. The Buea Royal family is made of very civilized and mature people. They will sit together and choose a new king for us. And when they will present us the king, we will anoint him, enthrone him and crown him. We don’t want the succession in Buea to be like that in Limbe.

SHUMAS, Donates to Government Secondary School Bangshie

By Njodzefe Nestor
Family picture infront of the new classroom
Three classrooms, 27 benches, tables, chairs, a toilet with hand washing and school garden equipment were on April 13, 2016 handed over to Government Secondary School Bangshie by Strategic Humanitarian Services, SHUMAS and her partner Building Schools and Market Makers much to the satisfaction of the school administration.
                Created in August 2012, Government Secondary School Bangshie has been operating in rented premises and was therefore in dire need of classrooms.
Speaking at the handing over ceremony at the esplanade of the school presided at by the Divisional officer of Bamenda I, the principal, Abongwa Eric Abongwa said the timely intervention of Strategic Humanitarian Services, SHUMAS and her partner Building Schools for Africa has given hope to the students who can now study in a conducive environment.

Scholarship Scheme:

Hon. LIFAKA extends largesse to OIC trainees
    Some 36 OIC trainees have benefited from the MP’s Vocational Training Scholarship Scheme for 2016.
By Ajongakou Santos in Buea
Hon. Lifaka hands 6.2 million to OIC director
Thirty six (36) trainees of the Cameroon Opportunities Industrialization Centre, COIC Buea have benefited from the Hon. Emelia Lifaka vocational training scholarship scheme. The Award Ceremony took place at the COIC Buea campus, last Wednesday, April 6, 2016.
                The 36 trainees are less privilege youths selected by chiefs of some villages in the Fako constituency. They included trainees in Hotel Catering and Management (9), auto mechanics and motor electricity (5), building construction, plumbing and electricity (9); metal works (6), information and communication technology (3), textile and fashion design (1), and woodwork (3).
Aimed at bringing hope to the hopeless, Hon. Lifaka’s scholarship scheme which amounted to FCFA 6.2 million was in its second edition, after the first edition last year. It should be recalled that twenty-six COIC trainees benefited from the scholarship scheme last year.
                Addressing the crowds that came to witness and support her generosity, Hon. Lifaka said: “My wish is that these children put this opportunity into great use by coming to school and taking their time to study in the different departments of the institution. I will be a fulfilled politician when I know that at the end of my mandate I would have touched the lives of as many people as possible and one of the ways of doing that is by teaching them how to fish instead of providing them with fish.”

Buea Municipalty:

Hospital chapel, flower market & council canteen inaugurated
New flower market constructed adjacent
to the hospital mortuary
Barely a fortnight after he inaugurated some landmark, people-centred projects in Wotutu and Boana, the Mayor of Buea on Friday, 1 April 2016 also inaugurated a modern chapel and a flower market at the Buea Regional Hospital Mortuary.
                Speaking on the occasion, Ekema Patrick Esunge said the chapel would serve for prayers and viewing of corpses during coffining ceremonies. He explained that the chapel would also prevent the situation that obtained before, whereby mourners had to get right into the mortuary to view and pray for their dead. He said this exposed the mourners to the risk of contracting infections diseases from exposed corpses.
                As for the flower market, Patrick Ekema said it would put an end to the difficulties that mourners encountered whenever they needed to buy wreaths for funerals, especially given that the nearest flower market was at mile 16 Bolifamba.

Greater accomplishments:

Buea mayor inaugurates giant projects in Boana and Wotutu
By Ajongakou Santos in Buea
Newly constructed Wotutu market warehouse
The welcome reserved for the mayor of Buea and the high-powered delegation that he led to the rural communities of Wotutu and Boana in the Buea municipality on Wednesday 23 March could only be likened to Jesus Christ’s entry into Jerusalem.
                Patrick Ekema Esunge and his delegation had come to inaugurate completed landmark projects in the two typically rural communities. The mayor had promised the projects to the populations of these communities during a socio-economic tour he made to all the rural communities in the municipality.
                Making the first stop at Wotutu village, the mayor inaugurated an ultra-modern warehouse at the site that has also been earmarked to host a market for the entire Bojongo court area. The warehouse will serve for storage and preservation of perishables by farmers and traders of the area. The farmers before now have had to be selling their produce on the roadsides or were forced to carry their produce to far away markets in either Limbe or Buea, thereby incurring financial loses in transportation cost and damage of their goods in transit.

Belo Mayor drags SDO to NCC

By Jean Marie Ngong Song
The mayor of Belo council, Bernard Tosam Nenghabi has dragged the S.D.O for Boyo Joseph Oum II to the national communication council for what he has describe as a miscarriage of administrative decisions. He made the declaration in Bamenda April 9 upon his return from Yde.
                Following a live interview on state radio last week,the president of the national communication council,Peter Esoka in commenting on the closing own of the Belo community radio said, it is the council that gives instructions to the administration to close down any radio station and not the revers and that the council has not receive any complain from the management of the Belo community radio, Mayor Bernard TosamNenghabi quickly constituted a complaint against the Boyo SDO  and submitted to the council in Yaounde.
                According to the mayor for Belo, it was an opportunity for him to see the radio came to live again and remove his entire municipality which from 1950s had been in complete communication black out because of the poor topography of Belo sub division.
                Belo community radio was the only window opening the entire sub division to through world as the national and world news could get to the populace through the relay of the state radio. As to what led to the shutdown of the radio by the Boyo administration, mayor Tosam has accused the local CPDM elite of manipulation and frustration. Hear him:

Meme PIB execution stagnates at 5%

By Priscilia Bea Asungi in Kumba
The execution of public investment budget for meme as of now stands at 5% which according to the stakeholders is below expectation. The above execution percentage was disclosed on the 13\04\2016 during the first quarter participatory follow-up meeting by the divisional delegate of MINPAT Godwin Mbuda. The meeting took place at the women empowerment centre Kumba, presided over by the chairman of the committee, Martin Atinda in the presence of the 2nd assistant SDO for meme Yongkuma Nelson.
                Opening the meeting Martin Atinda urged all present to contribute and deliberate immensely for the development of the division.
                “Cameroon emergence can be partly achieved if we follow projects which have been budgeted strictly and act on them. It has been noted that some contractors up till now have not completed or executed their project for 2015. Woe betides such contractors and no such contractors should be awarded contract in 2016,” said Nelson Younguma 2nd assistant SDO for Meme.

HTTTC Kumba sits 2nd semester exams

By Atemnkeng Evaristius in Kumba
HTTTC students of the 2nd batch
Some 1.250 students of the 2nd batch of students of the Higher Technical Teachers’ Training College, HTTTC, Kumba have ended their 1st semester examination. According to the Director of Studies at HTTTC Kumba, Dr. Lukong Keneth MENGJO, the examination which ran from Monday April 4 to Saturday 9 April 2016 saw the students writing two papers daily. Despite the heavy rains the examinations in the 14 departments were described as hitch-free.
                The Higher Technical Teachers’ College HTTTC, Kumba, has as vision to make the school an institution of excellence in the training of leading professionals in cutting-edge technical education. It also seeks to endow the students with the ability to acquire and share knowledge, create opportunities and apply innovative technologies to solve problems, the school’s Director Dr. Agbor Ntui Micheal (reader) says.

Kumba district hospital awards meritorous workers

By Priscilia Bea Asungi in Kumba
Dr. Zachs Ebongo Nanje
Some 15 meritorious workers of the Kumba district hospital have been acknowledged and rewarded with medals and cash prizes by the hospital administration. This was during an occasion dubbed “KDH Best Workers 2015” that took place recently at the hospital premises under the patronage of the senior divisional officer for Meme David Aman Koulbout and the district medical officer for Kumba health district Dr. Mbamuluh Achu Phillip.
                Opening the ceremony that brought together both the medical and support staff of the hospital, the director of the medical outfit, Dr. Zachs Ebongo Nanje, reiterated on the importance of such events which he said is a system put in place by the ministry of public health to boost the moral of hard working hospital staff.
                Apart from counting the numerous achievements recorded during his stewardship at the helm of the hospital such as maintenance of hygiene and sanitation, fight against corruption, construction of emergency centre, good security system and many others. Dr Ebongo also used the ceremony to urge the government to upgrade the hospital to a regional hospital arguing that the population they serve and their production capacity is equal to that of a regional hospital. He also pleaded with the authorities to rehabilitate the intensive care unit, the infrastructure and equipment and deploy more personnel to accommodate the population.

Issa Tchiroma and the opposition in Cameroon

By Tazoacha Asonganyi, Yaounde
 Issa Tchiroma
When we look at what Time has done to the youthful ambitions of rigour and moralisation, one can only get amused at the casualties that the fading ambitions left on their tracks. One of such casualties is most obviously Issa Tchiroma.
                I call him a casualty because I knew him closely in what history will remember as the Coalition for National Reconciliation and Reconstruction (CNRR), composed of a score of them – opposition leaders – who were determined to dislodge Paul Biya in 2004 from Unity Palace. I was the Permanent Secretary of CNRR.
                I took him for a serious opposition leader because of the solemnity with which he mumbled the pledge each of them made at each of the regional rallies we held in all ten regional capitals, with the tricolor raised above the assembled leaders, and with each invoking the people and swearing that they would be the last to betray them. In fact, Issa Tchiroma actually wept on the podium in Garoua at the rally he hosted, when the parting speech of Ahidjo was played to the assembled rally attendants from a tape recorder; and he made a rousing, passionate welcome speech. He would later preside over the single-candidate selection meeting of the Coalition that resulted in the rubbishing of those pledges.
                To that extent that I knew him, I took him seriously. Based on that, I consider him a casualty. But some may say that if we add the chemical transformation that has converted him from a foe of the regime to a fanatic of the man of November 1982, he may be disqualified as a casualty. No matter!
                During the recent cacophony of “calls” and marches in the CPDM, he was seen marching in the East region, either in solidarity or as a surrogate member of the party, urging their hero to hang on. More recently, he has been indulging in the CPDM folly of using numbers, proportions and percentages to define freedoms and rights. And so he has been casting aspersions at opposition leaders that have been sending warning signals to his hero, because they are “minority” leaders!