Another Red Feather:

Okie Johnson Ndoh Elected CMA National President

By Nestor Njodzefe in Bamenda

Okie Johnson Ndoh is the new CMA National president

The Catholic Men Association, CMA, now has a new national executive. The exco will henceforth be led by Mr. Okie Johnson Ndoh, who doubles as the General Manager of the Hydrocarbons Prices Stabilization Fund, CSPH. Okie Johnson was plebiscited by the 110 CMA members from all the dioceses in the country except the Ngoundere diocese that was unavoidably absent. He will have as vice president Mr. Awasum Julius.

            This was a major outcome of the extra-ordinary general assembly of CMA that met at the Big Mankon hall in Bamenda, on Friday, 9 February 2018.

            The deliberations were presided over by the vice chairman of the Conference of Bishops of the Bamenda Ecclesiatical Province, Bishop Andrew Nkea of the Mamfe Diocese, assisted by Arch-Bishop Cornelius Esua of the Bamenda archdiocese.

            Another major highpoint of the conclave was the adoption of the first-ever constitution of the group approved by the bishops.

            During the mass co-celebrated by Bishops Andrew Fuanya Nkea of Mamfe, Agapitus Nfon of Kumba and the arch bishop of Bamenda, Cornelius Esua, Mgr Nkea prayed with CMA members to stay focused on the objectives of the association and to avoid anything that will bring about a split like the twelve tribes of Judea.

            Mgr Nkea urged CMA members to always keep their ears open and listen to the word of God, and to emulate the example of their patron, Saint Joseph, who is referred to as Man of Honour.

            To the new CMA president, Bishop Nkea reminded him that leading the CMA is not a political opportunity and so he should not give the office a political outlook.

            Members of CMA were told that the CMA is not a secret society and thus all its activities must be carried out in the open to ensure transparency.

 

BAPEC Bishops with a cross section of CMA members

            It should be recalled that a previous elective general assembly of the CMA in Douala in August 2017 ended in a stalemate, because of wrangling and contentions over what many considered as an unclear electoral process and opaque financial management of the out-going executive.

            That was perhaps why the new president, Mr. Okie Johnson Ndoh, during his acceptance speech revealed to members of CMA that before the GA in Bamenda he took upon himself to write an anonymous letter to the Bishops of the Bamenda Ecclesiastical Province, BAPEC, and this was after he sought the advice of some top ranking personalities in the church. Okie said in the letter, he called on the bishops to step in and restore sanity in the CMA before it splits completely.

            Mr. Okie said the bishops had no other option than to step in and take the bull by the horns. They convened a meeting in Yaounde in late 2017 during which an interim exco of CMA was put in place and given the mandate to propose a constitution for the group and also call an extra-ordinary general assembly in Bamenda where the constitution shall be adopted and a new national executive put in place.

It should be noted that the proposed constitution was adopted by popular acclamation in Bamenda, but this was not before Bishop Nkea advised CMA members to avoid further debates because the bishops had looked at the draft and had made vital amendments in accordance with the Catholic doctrine. 

            A major amendment the bishops imposed in the constitution was the discarding of the list system which warranted that the president, secretary general and treasurer should come from the same diocese.

            It should be recalled that the CMA originated from the St. Theresa’s Parish Kumbo in the Late 1970s as an emulation of the well organized Catholic Women Association that was promoted by the then Rev Fr. John Culknan, who was the Priest of that Parish. At the time Kumbo was still under the Bamenda Diocese.

            Other members of the new CMA exco are Dr. Tchoupi Raphael as secretary-general, Atabe Gilbert as assistant secretary general, Yufanyi Bath Okodiakuru from Douala as treasurer, Cyril Tambe from Mamfe as financial secretary, Nde Ndeh Richard Lajong as communication secretary and Ghong Fidelis as liturgy master.