Crisis at SOPECAM:

Who will the gov’t favour, Joseph Le or Marie Nnana?

The SOPECAM Board Chair Joseph Le might have acted in subversion of the texts in force. But given that he is part of the establishment, he may stand a better chance of being vindicated than the GM, Marie Claire Nnana who is already mired in corruption scandals, apart from insubordination.

By Tanyi Kenneth Musa in Yaounde

Marie Claire Nnana

It is understood that in years past, things have not always been all rosy at the Cameroon Press and Publishing Corporation (SOPECAM), as from time to time there has been intermittent friction between the director general and some of her collaborators and even amongst the latter themselves. But, the current bad blood that characterizes the relations between the board chair, Joseph Anderson Le, and director general, Marie Claire Nnana is said to be rocking the state-owned company to unprecedented levels.

                This newspaper learned that an ugly scene in the unfolding drama was witnessed at the board of directors meeting of Wednesday, 31 May 2016. At the end of the session, cheques were supposed to be distributed to the different administrators as their participation bonuses. However, to their greatest surprise, the cheques were not ready at the time the session closed. The administrators had to leave without collecting a dime – a thing that had never before happened. Some administrators even went away, ignoring the food that was prepared for them, it was reported.

                At the origin of this state of affairs, was a contestation put forth by Marie Claire Nnana, to the effect that the board of directors meeting was illegal because, according to her, some members did not deserve to sit on the board.                            Nevertheless, The Median was informed that Joseph Le was quick to arrange with the administrative and financial affairs director of the house who prepared the cheques and invited the administrators to collect them the following day.

                Scene II: On the same day that the cheques were handed to the administrators, Joseph Le is reported to have unilaterally appointed two directors at SOPECAM: Léopold GustaveNgane (former management controller) as administrative and financial director, and Georges OlingaBiyo’o (former administrative and financial affairs director) as management controller. Signed on 31 May 2016, the appointments were read on CRTV’s 8 p.m. news the following day.

                We were informed that the board chair’s decision was against the text in force as he was supposed to have made a proposal of the impending appointments to the DG who in turn would propose them to the board of directors.           The Median also learned that only the appointments of HonoréKoumé to the post of commercial and marketing director and of Claude IgnaceOzela in the technical department were discussed and approved by the board on 31 May.

                The latter appointments, it should be noted, were published in Cameroon Tribune (whose publisher is Marie Claire Nnana) on Friday, 3 June 2013. On mission in Germany, Nnana gave firm instructions that the other appointments should not be published in the national bilingual daily. Joseph Le had no other choice than to publish all the decisions he signed on 31 May 2016 in some private tabloids notably French daily, Mutations.

                The third scene in the unfolding drama will definitely be the installation of the appointed officials at the scheduled time. How would this happen whereas their appointments were never consensual?

Enter Biya

                At press time we learnt that the Head of State, President Paul Biya who is currently on a private visit abroad, has instructed the Prime Minister Philemon Yang to intervene and calm the waters around the SOPECAM boat. On that score the PM has invited the warring parties to his office, individually, and given them firm instructions on actions to take in the best interest of the company and in respect for the laws in force.

                However, although the outcome of Philemon Yang’s good office is not immediately known, observers predict that he must have acted in Joseph Le’s favour given that the SOPECAM board Chair is also the deputy director of civil cabinet at the Presidency of the Republic and thus a close collaborator of the President who might have acted on the instructions of the president, we learned.

                Critics further give Joseph Le an upper hand because just a few years back, Marie Claire Nnana’s image was soiled when she was accused of financial impropriety at the helm of SOPECAM and grilled several times at the Special Criminal Court. “Can she have the psychological wherewithal to sustain the battle against Le, given the corruption allegations presently hanging on her neck?” a commentator questioned anonymously.