Publisher/Editor: OJONG Steven AYUKOGEM. Tel: (+237) 77 07 27 79. E-mail: themedianpaper@yahoo.com
Sunday, 24 April 2016
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
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
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 |
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!
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