Publisher/Editor: OJONG Steven AYUKOGEM. Tel: (+237) 77 07 27 79. E-mail: themedianpaper@yahoo.com
Sunday, 21 May 2017
Yaounde:
President BIYA presides over 45th National
Day
The President of the Republic of Cameroon,
Paul BIYA on Saturday 20 May presided over a military and civilian march past
to commemorate the 45th edition of the National Day. It was the 34th time he
was performing the ritual in 35 years of his reign.
Each
faction of the Cameroonian Armed Forces participated in this year’s military
parade under the command of Brigadier General Ezo’oMvondo Simon. He was
assisted by Colonel EnowEyong Joseph.
Meanwhile,
pupils and students sang patriotic songs on the preservation of peace and
unity. Political parties also showed their will to respect republican
institutions and maintain social cohesion. Members and sympathisers of the
ruling CPDM exhibited their might with special tributes to President Paul
BIYA.
Opinion
FINAL COMMNIQUE OF THE FIRST PLENARY
SESSION OF THE NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR THE PROMOTION OF BILILINGUALISM AND
MULTICULTURALISM WHICH HELD ON 20TH OF APRIL 2017 AT MONT FEBE HOTEL
On Friday 28th April 2017, at 11:00am, Mr.
Peter MAFANY MUSONGE, presided over the first plenary session of the national
commission for the promotion of bilingualism and multiculturalism, at Mont Febe
Hotel.
The
meeting was attended by all the members of the said commission.
There
were four main points on the agenda of the meeting, namely:
- The introductory statement of the
president of the Commission;
- The presentation of members of the
Commission;
- General discussions;
- Others matters.
In
his introductory statement, the president of Commission, Mr. Peter MAFANY
MUSONGE, started by congratulating the members of the Commission for their
brilliant appointment into this organ, as well as the confidence bestowed upon
them by the Head of State.
He
also used the opportunity to acknowledge the recent appointment of the
secretary general of the said Commission, in the person of Dr. CHI ASAFOR
Cornelius. He continued with recall of the attributions of the no 2017/013 of
23rd January 2017, laying Commission its establishment, organization and
functioning. He finally called on all of them to totally engage themselves for
the attainment of the assigned objectives, and generally not to spare afford in
view of meeting the expectations of the people.
Subsequent
to that, there was individual presentation of the members of the Commission.
This phase of the meeting permitted the different members to speak of their
respective experiences either as civil servants and State dignitaries or simply
as citizens intervening in diverse sectors of the society, bringing out
contributions which could be expected from them for the attainment of the
objectives assigned to the Commission. At the end of this exercise, the
president was delighted to note that the Commission was sufficiently rich in
terms of competence to be able to surmount the numerous challenges it will be
faced with.
The
third point of the meeting was on general discussions, notably members taking
turns to speak. This permitted to record the vision of the members on the
activities of the Commission as well as the social crisis in the North West and
South West Regions of Cameroon. In this regard, and upon the request of the
President of the Commission, proposals for short, medium and long term
solutions were made by the various speakers. In that respect, the following
suggestions were made:
-
“Bench marking” in countries which like Cameroon live with bilingualism and
multiculturalism on a daily basis, for example Canada, to get inspiration from
their success model;
-
The identification of priorities and an introspection with could permit an
understanding of priorities of the causes of the social malaise;
-
Field work, to come into direct contact with the realities, and to find
appropriate solutions to the identified problems;
20th May Celebration:
Bamilekes showcase their numerical
superiority in K’ba
-Close to 50 Bamileke meeting groups
stormed the Kumba ceremonial grounds and marched past in front of the new SDO
for Meme, on 20th May. They left their Anglophone brothers, especially the
native Bafaws and Bakundus, watching in awe and shame.
By Doh Bertrand Nua in Kumba
 |
Ever head of this political party called
The Patriots in Cameroon? They didn’t
show up in Yaounde to march, but they did
in Bamenda.
|
Bamileke in Kumba have used the occasion of
the 45th National day to once again demonstrate that they control not only the
economy but also the social and political life of K-town, the capital of Meme
Division and economic hub of the SW region. Rubbishing calls for ghost towns by
fleeing Consortium and SCNC militants, Bamilekes in Kumba trooped into the
ceremonial grounds in their thousands and stole the show during the traditional
march past on Saturday 20th May.
Observers
said the massive and preponderant turnout of the Bamilekes not only rubbished
boycott calls by some opposition parties and Southern Cameroons enthusiasts, it
also portrayed in many was the “settlers” from the West region as the de-facto
pacemakers of Kumba.
Marching
past and chanting patriotic songs in front of the new Meme SDO, Chamberlain
Ntou’ouNdong, the discernibly confident and enthusiastic Bamileke men and
women, clad in uniforms of different designs and colours, left their native
hosts in Kumba watching in utter shame and awe.
To rubbish SDF boycott:
Strange political parties march past in
B’da
News courtesy Cameroon Journal, Bamenda
Activities to commemorate May 20 in Bamenda,
capital of the NW Region have ended with a timid turn-out. The march past which
started with various military corps at the Commercial Avenue, kicked off at
about 9:30A.M. with the arrival of Northwest Governor, LeleL’afrique and other
top government officials.
The
march past (like in all other parts of the region) saw the absolute boycott of
the mainstream opposition party, the Social Democratic Front as well as two
other parties with deep roots in Anglophone Cameroon – the People’s Action
Party PAP and the Cameroon People’s Party CPP.
Our
reporter managed to get as close as he could to the Grand Stand at the
Commercial Avenue where dignitaries were seated, under heavy guard (see
pictures) and as the march past went on, it became increasingly clear that the
many sections passing for CPDM sections in Mezam, could in fact be persons
brought in from the West Region.
As
the march past went on, a French-speaking man in his 40s yelled “c’est le
theatre, meaning this is theatre”
He
said he was seeing some parties he has never heard of like “The Patriot” party, and “Union de
Bienvoiyance du Cameroun UBC” .
The
man quoted earlier, asked how come in Bamenda parties like the purported UBC
and “The Patriot” are marching, parties no one has ever heard of in this part
of the country.
Observers
suspected these were either university from Dcshang students or Francophone
students from the University of Bamenda masquerading under the umbrella of
these fictitious “parties”.
“Amour
Mezam” travel agency buses could be spotted transporting school children and
others to and from the Commercial Avenue in clear defiance of calls for ghost
towns. Only few months ago, an Amour Mezam bus was reduced to ashes around New
Road in Bamenda because it was seen moving around during ghost towns.
Who is in control?
K’ba Gov’t Delegate & Mayor Pala-Pala
over Motor Part
-Mayor Kona Makia threatens Gov’t Delegate
to act within two weeks or be ready to hear from him
By DohBertarndNua in Kumba
 |
| John Kona Makia, Mayor of Kumba III council |
The Mayor of Kumba III council, John Kona
Makia has given two weeks to the Kumba government delegate to get the Ntam
Motor Park operational or he will be forced to step in and launch operations at
the park. Mayor Kona Makia noted that the gov’t delegate Victor NgohNkele is
delaying with the park project despite knowing only too well that the motor
park is supposed to be one if not the biggest revenue source for the Kumba III
council.
“The
government delegate is delaying the park from going operational but has
continued collecting taxes and other revenue from occupants of the precincts of
the Motor Park. Victor Nkele does this without caring about the Kumba III
council that harbors the park, and which is naturally and by right also
supposed to benefit from the park,” complained Mayor Kona Makia, who warned
that “we will seize that park form the city council and declare it operational
that is if the gov’t delegate fails to act within the 25th May deadline. We
cannot sit and fold our arms while the city council reaps off a property that
is supposed to be ours by right….The city council cannot be collecting all the
revenue when we are in dire need of our own sources of revenue.”
Mayor
Makia revealed that the total grip of the city council on the park only
compromises a partnership agreement that the Kumba III council signed with a
private operator granting him temporal rights to manage the site around the
precincts of the park.
Mayor
Kona Makia recalled that following a heated debate over the issue during the
last accounts session of the city council, he gave the government delegate two
weeks to get the park operational or he would be forced to take steps to start
operations there.
“So
we hope that by the 25th of May the park will have gone operational. But if the
government delegate fails to open the park we will have no option than to open
it ourselves,” Mayor Makia warned.
Situated
in the Kumba III Municipality, the Ntam Motor Park has remained a major bone of
contention between the Kumba city council and the Kumba III council. While the
City Council insists that she is the statutory owner and manager of the park,
the Kumba III council also holds that she not only hosts the park but is
supposed by right to manage the park.
It
should be mentioned that the Ntam Park is one of the busiest motor parks in
Kumba given that it serves as takeoff point for all vehicles plying the
Kumba-Mamfe-Ekok-Nigeria, Kumba-Bamenda and Kumba-Tombel-Loum-Douala roads.
Repeated
requests by the Kumba III mayor, for the gov’t delegate to hand the park to the
council have fallen on a deaf and adamant government delegate, who maintains
that the park is still under the direct control of the city council.
Ownership
and control of the park was the theme of a heated debate that almost halted
deliberations during the last administrative and management accounts session of
the city council that held on 11 May 2017.
B’da-Babajou road to take 24 months
The minister of Public Works, Emmanuel
NganouNjoumessi has officially launched reconstruction works on the
Babajou-Bamenda stretch of the BamendaBafoussam Highway that is expected to
cost about 61 billion FCFA co-financed by the
Cameroon government and the World Bank and has given firm instructions
to contractor to respect the two years deadline given them.
Emmanuel
NganouNjoumessi accompanied by the Secretary of State in charge of roads, at
the Ministry of Public Works Max AyinaOhandja and the World Bank Delegation
while launching the project on May 12, 2017 said President Paul Biya has as mission to
dis-enclave the Northwest. He also revealed that as part of governments effort
to ensure effective decentralization, construction of roads is gradually being
transferred to municipal authorities.
According
to a release from the Ministry of public Works, The total road network involved
in the project is 52 km comprising of
35Km between Bamenda in the
Northwest and Babajou in the West region and 17 km of inner city roads within
Bamenda.
Other
fall outs of the project include the construction of a weighing station,
leisure spots, a toll gate, of markets and pipe borne water lines along the
road and the tarring of 50km of rural farm to market roads. The contract would
be executed by the French company SOGEA SATOM to the tune of 37 billion Frs
CFA.
8 months after end of training:
HTTTC Kumba students still waiting for
graduation, integration
-Say their counterparts of ENS Yaounde,
maroua, douala and Bambili have since been graduated and integrated into the
public service. But HTTTC Kumba students must wait.
-Accuse the school’s Director of supporting
evil schemes of Yaounde regime
By DohBertarndNua in Kumba
Students of the first batch of trainees of
the Higher Technical Teacher’s Training College, HTTTC Kumba, are spoiling for
a strike to protest what they term as the discriminatory treatment they are
getting from the authorities in Yaounde. The anxious and irate supposed first
batch graduates of the school say they are yet to be told their fate since
eight months after they finished their training course.
“We
were admitted in 2014/2015 academic year as the first batch of 2nd cycle
students of HTTTC Kumba. We finished our course work and teaching practice in
July 2016 and defended our end-of-course dissertations in November 2016. But
since then nothing has been said about our graduation and posting,” complained
one of the anxious students whose identity we cannot reveal for obvious
reasons.
“In March 2017 some officials from the
ministry of secondary education, MINESEC, came to our school and held a meeting
with us and promised that we would be posted immediately. They asked us to
compile and submit our integration files, which we did. But until today nothing
more has been said,” regretted the student, who continued that “this phony
silence of the authorities is a real source of frustration to us; it may even
lead to a strike if something is not done soon.”
We
gathered from our interlocutor that recently, when some students threatened to
stage a strike they were intimidated by the school’s authorities who also
threatened to expell any students suspected of instigating or staging a strike
on or around the school campus.
“Recently
we were forced to cancel a planned strike because the Director of the school
instructed the students’ leader (a francophone) to forward to him the names of
the leaders of the strike. The names had to be sent to Yaounde so that the
students should not be integrated and/or posted, we learned,” recounted another
prospective graduate, who wondered aloud why their counterparts of other
training schools should be graduated and posted while they of HTTTC Kumba
should wait sine die. He suspected the authorities are hiding something from
them.
“The
authorities of our school seem to be playing delay tactics: recently they
called us to come and verify if information on our attestations were correct.
They said they were doing this to avoid errors on our diplomas. They also
charged us to pay 30.000 frs each for our graduation robes. Yet the date of the
graduation has never been fixed or communicated to us,” complained the student,
who said they ought to have been posted like their counterparts of other
schools so that they can start preparing for the next academic year.
To counter calls for ghost towns:
Mercenaries hired to march in Buea on 20th
May
By Boris Esono in Buea
 |
| Mayor Ekema Patrick knighted by SW Governor |
20th May has been commemorated in Buea
under the theme “Army and the nation in full synergy for a Cameroon united in
its diversity and devoted to the ideals of peace, stability and prosperity".
Despite
calls by unknown individuals for a total boycott of the event, youths and other
personalities turned out on massively to celebrate the day.
Before
the march past, some 31 individuals were decorated with various medals of
honour. The Mayor of Buea, Patrick EkemaEsunge and the wife of SW Governor,
Nicole Okalia were raised to the dignity of Night of the Order of Valor. Others
were raised to Officers of the Order of Valor.
Like
what happened during the youth day celebration on 11 February, some strange
faces were seen marching under the banner of the Cameroon National Youth
Council and the Cameroon Sustainable Network. This created suspicion in the
minds of observers, with many suspecting that they were students from the
Police College in Mutengene. The individuals had all shaved their heads
depicting individuals from the arm forces.
Yet,
it was a colourful march past on Saturday that saw law enforcement officers
including Police, Army, the BIR, customs, forest guards and students from a few
basic, secondary and higher institutions marching in celebration of the 45th
National Day.
But
observers said the march past this year witnessed an unprecedentedly low
turnout compared to past years. Though government schools marched, the turnout
of students was very low. For instance GBHS Buea had just three students
marching.
No
confessional primary or secondary school marched. But the Catholic University
of Buea, CUIB, took part in the march past.
Hon Lifaka drums up CPDM participation at May 20th festivities
By AminatehNkemngu
 |
HonourableLifaka, Fako CPDM leader
|
As the count down to the National Day
festivities on 20 May narrowed, the Vice President of the National Assembly and
CPDM Permanent Delegate for Fako division has been drumming up participation of
the militants in Fako at the event.
This
was during a mobilization and fundraising meeting of CPDM top notches as well
as party leaders in the division that took place at the Limbe City Council on
Thursday 11 May 2017.The CPDM leader told participants at the conclave that the
meeting had been convened within the context of the Fako Development Fund,
which is geared at mobilizing financial resources from party militants to
support party activities in the division.
In
this vein, Lifaka revealed that the objective of the day’s meeting was to rise
the sum of FCFA 10 million to mobilize militants to take part in this year’s 20
May activities. The Vice President of the National Assembly was very blunt when
she told militants that very soon elections will be called and only militants
who have demonstrated unalloyed commitment to the party will be selected to run
for elective offices .In this regard, she said particular attention will be
paid to those who take part in this year’s 20th May festivities which is
holding against a backdrop of upheavals in the North West and South West
Regions of the country.
State power overpowers the ghost:
Gov’t Common Entrance written amid tight
security
- Unregistered pupils also write exams
By Doh Bertrand Nua in Kumba
Primary school pupils in Kumba, chief town
of Meme Division, Southwest region have shun fear and successfully written the
Government Common Entrance Examination without any incident. The examinations
went on hitch free in all the examination centres in Kumba.
At
Government Practicing School Kumba Town and Government Bilingual Primary School
Kumba-Mbeng where this reporter made a stopover, the atmosphere was serene and
calm just like in other parts of the town.
According
to some pupils who talked to this reporter, they attended private classes at
home to enable them take the examination.
“My
parents paid one of my teachers who always came home to teach me in the
evenings in all my subjects,” revealed one of the pupils.
Quizzed
on their evaluation of the examination questions, sundry candidates expressed
mixed feelings.
“The
questions were not very difficult to me though I could not answer all,”
indicated one of the candidates. Others said they only went to write the
examination to satisfy their parents because they were not prepared.
CDC, City Council want speedy construction of Limbe Seaport
By AminatehNkemngu
 |
|
Government Delegate to the Limbe City
Council,AndrewMotangaMonjimba
|
The
Government Delegated made this a key issue in his address to welcome the
Minister of Agriculture,HenriEyebeAyissi who was in Limbe on Friday 12 May to chair a dual ceremony to hand over 18
tractors to the CDC as well as launch the 2017 planting season.
In
his address, Andrew MotangaMonjimba upheld that with its 22,000 man power the
CDC has for too long represented the wellbeing and economic welfare of the
South West and North West Regions. While noting that the CDC is directly
responsible for the cosmopolitan nature of Fako, the Government Delegate went
on to say increase in the cost of transporting its products from the South West
to Douala for exportation over the years has dealt a serious blow on the
financial stability of the corporation.
In
this regard,he urged the government to
do all in its power and as soon as possible to ensure the construction of the
Limbe Natural Deep Seaport which has been the cry of the people since
independence.
Taking
the cue, the Board Chairman of the CDC Benjamin Itoe and the General Manager,
Franklin NgoniNjie threw their support behind the Government Delegate to the
Limbe City Council to press for the construction of the Limbe Deep Seaport.
Sixteen percent (16%) execution:
K’ba City Council records worst investment
budget execution ever
By Doh Bertrand Nua in Kumba
 |
| NgohNKelle Victor, Government Delegate Kumba city council |
Grand Councilors of the Kumba city council
have adopted the worst budget realization ever since the creation of the city
council. Sitting on Thursday 11ay 2017, to examine the execution of the
administrative, management and stores account of the city council for 2016, the
grand councilors noted that the realization rate stood at a paltry 16.4%. It
was the first ordinary session of the council for 2017.
According
to the gov’t delegate, Victor NgohNkele, the 2016 budget of the city council
stood at FCFA one billion, eight hundred and eight million, nine hundred and
fifty seven thousand, four hundred and seventy three francs (1 808 957 473).
He
noted that of that amount the sum of FCFA 837 768 150m was collected giving a
revenue collection of 46.31%. Meanwhile FCFA 803 137 762M was spent giving an
expenditure execution rate of 44.4%, with a surplus of 34 360 388M FCFA.
With
an investment of FCFA 118 937 529 for a budgetary forecast of FCFA 723 582 989,
the investment quota for the year 2016 stood at a minimal 16.44%, below the
investment quota for 2015 that stood at 53% and equally below the minimum of
40% as decreed by law.
According
to the government delegate to the Kumba city council in his address during the
session, the low execution rate is attributed to the fact that, the internal
revenue collection of the city council was hampered by factors such as
persistent inertia of some unscrupulous revenue collectors who negotiate with
traders and thrive in other malicious comportment which defraud the council of
its revenue and the suspension of the supervisory authority of the collection
of parking taxes from bike riders, tax evasion by traders and the malpractice
of tax officers who categories traders in lower categories of taxes instead of
their rightful categories amongst sundry other reasons. He added if such
abnormalities are rectified it will go a long way to maximize internal
collections.
NgohNkelle
Victor despite the worst realization rate recorded by his council outlined some
areas that the city council has excelled in, in terms of development. He cited
roads construction and maintenance works, construction of culverts,
contributions to the functioning of CEFAM, UCCC, and electricity maintenance
amongst others.
Buea Regional Hospital:
Panic grips Kidney patients as dialysis
machines breakdown
By Boris Esono in Buea
 |
Buea hemodialysis center
|
Kidney Patients undergoing routine dialysis
at the Buea Regional Hospital Haemodialysis Centre have protested against the
unconvincing nature of the treatment they receive. The kidney patients staged a
demonstration on Tuesday, 16 May 2017 in front of the hospital protesting the
non-performance of routine dialysis exercises on patients at the center.
It
should be noted that routine dialysis did not take place at the centre for
several days running this despite the eight dialysis generators and the
state-of-the-art 4008S dialysis machines acquired from the world’s leading
dialysis firm, Fresenius Medical Care.
“We
want to make some noise so that Yaounde can listen to us because we have
complained to authorities in Buea but nothing has changed. If they do not
address the situation we are going to sleep in front of the Governor’s office
and block the hospital,” said one of the kidney patients whose name we are
withholding.
“There is no seriousness in the way we are
treated here. Patients cannot continue to be treated like this. I was supposed
to have been referred to some other centre, but that has not been done,”
complained another patient.
All
our attempts to get to the Director of the Regional Hospital to comment on the
development proved futile as he refused to talk, asking the journalists to go
and write whatever they could.
It
shoud be recalled that last year the Buea dialysis centre was shut down for
three days; from Monday, 7 March to Wednesday, 9 March 2016, due to the lack of
the dialysis consummate and an acute water crisis.
Articulating the Anglophone Crisis:
Hunters invited on radio debate programs in
K’ba
By Doh Bertrand Nua in Kumba
 |
| Chamberlin Ntou'ouNdong, Meme SDO 2 |
The Senior Divisional Officer, SDO, for
Meme Division, Ntou’ouNdong Chamberlin, has begged broadcast journalists in
Kumba in particular and other media practitioners in general to rethink the
kind of personalities they invite to analyze the ongoing Anglophone Crisis that
has gripped the two Anglophone regions in the country.
Chamberlin
Ntou’ouNdong made the plea to journalists on Tuesday May 16 at the conference
hall of his office during a crisis meeting that brought together all heads of
forces of law and order in Kumba, administrative authorities and media men in
Kumba.
The
SDO revealed to journalists that after investigating and cross checking
panelists on sundry radio programs, he has noticed that most of the panelists
lack a mastery of what they are invited to talk about. According him “most of your panelists on
radio programs are hunters” while revealing that after investigations it is
very certain all the panelists who pose as experts have no mastery of the
sensitive issues they try to enlighten the public on. He added “most of these
your radio analysts have nothing concrete doing in town are cannot to trace as
workers in any establishment in Kumba and so use this opportunities given them
on radio programs to mislead and misinformed the public.
While
lamenting the fluctuating nature of CRTV signals in Kumba that doesn’t give the
population the opportunity to get information from the national station, the
SDO noted the entire population of Meme division depends on what the
journalists in Kumba do and as such any radio program or any of the hunters
taken to analysts radio programs that will attempt jeopardizing public peace
will not be welcome. He lamented while the hunter like radio analyst have never
seen good in anything done by government, why some of them continuously abuse
administrative officials and go ahead to say baseless things which they ought
not say.
Anglophone crisis:
SCACUF petitions UN, warns of looming
Genocide
 |
| Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary General |
The Southern Cameroons Ambazonia Consortium
United Front popularly known as SCACUF has petitioned the Secretary General of
the United Nations to intervene in the Southern Cameroons crisis lest it
becomes genocide.
The
letter, dated May 18, and signed by SCACUF’s SG, Tassang Wilfred, opens with an
invitation to the global body to intervene in time so as to avert what it calls
“an impending disaster and waste of human life and valuable economic resources
occasioned by the outbreak of violence.” The letter states that all avenues for
peaceful dialogue have been exhausted and the Republic of Cameroun which it
calls an “annexationist government” appears to want only the language of force
which it is using on the people of the former British Trust Territory of
Southern Cameroons.
SCACUF,
in the letter entitled “Exhaustion of Avenues for Peaceful Resolution,” gives a
background to the situation taking special note of the 20 May 1972 referendum
which it calls “a malicious referendum” and explained that, “our people were
made to choose between ‘OUI’ and ‘YES’ for a unitary State. This annexation was
completed by Paul Biya, in 1984 when he returned the entity back to Republic of
Cameroun’s status upon independence in 1960.
The
letter also traces the route traveled by Southern Cameroons in its resistance
to La Republique’s rule beginning with a memoranda signed by one of the
territories most prominent academics in 1963, late Bernard Fonlon, passing
through HRH Gorji Dinka, former Bar President of Cameroon, then the formation
of SDF in 1990 which had as aim to defend the rights of the marginalized in the
union, the formation of the Cameroon Anglophone Movement in 1992 (CAM). In
unequivocal terms, the communiqué holds that in 1992 Fru Ndi won the
Presidential elections but was prevented from entering the Presidency just because
of his Anglophone background. “In October 1992, Ni John Fru Ndi, candidate of
the SDF party won the Presidential elections but was prevented from taking
power through a rigged process at the Supreme Court……this is in keeping with
the unwritten practice that nobody from our territory can ever be President,”
it reads.
The
famous All Anglophone Conference I and II where the founding fathers of the
union in the persons of Dr. JN Foncha and ST Muna castigated the very union
they fought for was also advanced as evidence of marginalization by Yaoundé
authorities, which followed the birth of many Anglophone pressure groups
including the SCNC challenging the union that was never consummated. In
substantiating this view, SCACUF said, in 2010 prominent Southern Cameroonians
like Justice Ayah Paul Abine, Mola Njoh Litumbe, Cardinal Tumi and the former
Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon in the person of Rt. Rev
Nyansako Ni Nku were unanimous, that there was no treaty sanctioning the union
and that the two parties should go back to the negotiating table. It was the
same message reechoed by intellectuals during the public meetings held to
celebrate 50 years of independence and reunification.
National Day:
What 20 May means to former West
Cameroonians
Former West Cameroonians have never
cherished the idea of the so-called 20th May celebrations, an institution
foisted upon the people, its heritage and territory. We have known since 1972
that 20th May was wittingly hatched and forced upon us by two successive
regimes of Ahidjo and Paul Biya who were out to complete our assimilation into
the French colonial hegemony in Cameroon.
When
20th May became a national day in 1972, it wasn’t an invention to foster
national unity as the regimes have told us in successive years. Rather the
whole idea was crafted with the intention of surreptitiously wiping out the
identity of, and the emblems of the Southern Cameroons from the federal status
that we obtained in 1961.
We
recall that in 1960, French Cameroon got its independence from France and one
year later, the Southern Cameroons too gained independence as a state, howbeit
choosing in that plebiscite to unite with LRC. When French Cameroon emerged
from Independence, it had a flag, a national anthem, state capital, all of the
things that constitute a sovereign nation. Like LRC, the Southern Cameroons too
had a Flag, an anthem, a state capital in Buea, a gov’t in Buea, economic
institutions of its own like banks, the airport in Tiko, the Sea Port in
Victoria, and a territory with borders, flanking LRC, Nigeria and Equatorial
Guinea by sea.
But
when the French began the sneaky project of erasing everything Anglo-Saxon,
masked in the name of national unity and national integration, what they
actually integrated and assimilated wasn’t the two cultures of the country,
rather it was the Southern Cameroons’.
Consider for instance, that the stanza in
the Cameroon national anthem written by Bernard Fonlon in which he described
the natural endowments bestowed on the Southern Cameroons was egregiously taken
out of the Cameroon national anthem. And isn’t it very interesting that many
are unaware of this? People sing the Cameroon Anthem today, ignorant that
anything in it talked about Mt. Fako, and the water falls of Menchum.
Cameroon’s federal flag with two stars at the center that pointed to the
sovereignty of each of the states in the union was demolished out of existence
and replaced with the current one star flag, and that Star represents LRC not a
united Republic of Cameroon. We had our seat of gov’t in Buea, but it was
stealthily carried to Yaoundé again in the name of national integration and
national unity.
Njie Clinton, Choupo absent from Broos Nations Cup Qualifier Squad
Njie Clinton and Eric Maxim Choupo Moting
are the big absentees in Broos pre-selected 30-man squad to play the Africa Cup
of Nations qualifiers against Morocco on June 10 in Yaounde.
Njie was part of the group that lifted the
2017 Nations Cup trophy in Gabon though spent most of the time warming the
bench as substitute.
It
would be right to conclude that Broos is not getting the satisfaction he wanted
from Njie and has decided to bring in fresh strikers to test upfront.
Choupo
Moting though absent from the Nations Cup made a comeback but has not equally
been selected.
Cameroon
coach Hugo Broos in the meantime has handed first caps to new players he hopes
to include in his squad for the Nations Cup qualifiers, the friendly against Columbia
and the Confederations Cup in June.
Cameroon is set to play Morocco on June 10
counting for the first day of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, Cameroon 2019.
Three days later the African Champions take on Columbia on June 13 in Spain as
preps for the Confederations Cup.
Handed
their first selection in Broos’ 30-man squad to reinforce the defence are
Castelleto Jean Charles, defender who plays for Red Stars in France and Lucien
Owona, centre back for Alcorcon in Spain.
In
the midfield Boumal Petrus CSKA SOFIA with his mobility and displacement in the
field caught the Broos’ attention.
Two new strikers, Boumal Olivier of
Panathiniakos is gifted with his left leg and Nsame Jean Pierre Servette FC in
Geneva who score 17 goals in 18 appearances in 2016.
Apart
from the curiosity with the unknown faces, there are also comebacks as the list
reveals the return of goalkeeper Andre Onana who has been in top form, extended
his contract with Ajax Amsterdam and set to play the Europa League finals with
club on May 24.
Onana forms a good pair with Fabrice Ondoa
and there would be a health competition for the first goalkeeper.
Onana extends Ajax contract till 2021
Cameroon international, Andre Onana has
extended his contract with Ajax FC of Amsterdam until June 30, 2018.
Signed
last Tuesday May 16, goalkeeper Onana has been credited for having qualified
his team for the 2017 Europa League finals against Manchester United.
Born
on April 2, 1996 in Nkol Ngok , in Cameroon, Onana made his debut on August 20,
2016 with the first team in the match, Ajax – Willem II (1-2). He has played 44
official matches for Ajax FC.
Fabrice Fosso tops MTN elite one goal chart
 |
Fabrice Fosso
|
Fabrice Raymond Fosso, Eding FC striker is
currently the highest top scorer of the Cameroon Professional League One
Football League.
After
the 14th day of play, former striker of Apejes of Mfou, Fabrice Fosso, went top
of the goal thanks to his two goals scored in his team 4-0 win over New Stars
of Douala.
Sunday, 14 May 2017
Order pass power:
Gendarmes & Police to ‘invigilate’ 2017
GCE
- Minister dictates “impossible” conditions
on doubting GCE Registrar
-Also reassures candidates, parents of
security measures
-Special accommodation centers created to
harbor unregistered candidates
By Njodzefe Nestor in Bamenda
 |
| Secondary Education minister on visit to SW and NW |
The practical part of the 2017 GCE exams
will begin today, Monday, 15 May 2017 throughout the country and there is still
hope that students who are yet to register for the examinations especially in
the North West and South West regions will also sit the exams. The Minister of
Secondary Education, Jean Ernest Massena NgalleBibehe has instructed the
Registrar of the Cameroon General Certificate of Education Board, GCE, Humphrey
EkemaMomono to create special accommodation centers that shall receive these unregistered
but interested candidates.
NgalleBibehe
gave the orders on 10 May, during an outing to the North West region to assess
the level of preparedness of some GCE accommodation centres ahead of the end of
course examinations. He also gave assurances of security measures taken by
government to ensure that the exams are written hitch-free. The written part of
the exams will begin on 12 June 2017.
The
Minister upheld a suggestion by the principal of GBHS Kimbo, Marceline Mbinglo,
who during a working session at the regional delegation for secondary
education, suggested that students who had not yet registered should be given
the opportunity to also register and write.
Kneeling in supplication:
Nico Halle begs Biya to pardon Anglophone
activists
-Says he fervently believes that by so
doing the President will restore peace and the good humor of the people of NW
and SW regions, who have been agitating for close to eight months now.
By Ojong Steven Ayukogem in Yaounde
 |
| NtumforNico Halle, Int’l peace crusader |
“Your Excellency, here I am on my knees
once again making a tearful plea for you to consider granting those your
children from the Anglophone regions, who are languishing in jail in Kondengui
Prison, a general amnesty so that they can regain their freedom once again.
Father of the nation and guarantor of the peace that reigns in our beautiful
and united country, I am making this supplication with tears in my eyes because
I know you can do it, as you have always done in the past.”
This
is literally the long and short of what the International Peace Crusader and
President of the General Assembly of the Cameroon Bar Association, Ntumfor
Barrister Nico Halle, said to this reporter, when I caught up with him on the
phone, on Saturday, to talk about the prevailing situation in the NW and SW and
his suggestions for a way forward.
In
a rather laconic response, Ntumfor, as the iconic legal guru is fondly called
by his contemporaries and admirers here, retorted that “I have said it before
and will continue to pray that the Head of State, President Paul Biya gives a
serious thought to my sustained supplication for him to use the powers vested
in him not only by virtue of the high and exalted office which is his, but also
by the Constitution of our country, and grant general amnesty to all those that
have been arrested and jailed in connection to the ongoing crisis in North West
and South West.”
Continuing,
NtumforNico Halle, who incidentally was also recently appointed by President
Biya as one of the 15 members of the National Commission on Bilingualism and
Multiculturalism NCBM, suggested the head of state could extend such
“conditional amnesty” to also concern those activists that escaped into exile
or have since gone underground since the start of the crisis.
Expressing
the hope that President Biya, whom he described as “Father of the Nation and
Prince of Peace”, would give a listening ear to his “endless and sustained
plea”, Ntumfor suggested that the President can do it by instructing the
Minister of Justice (the Attorney-General of the State) to in turn order the
Commissioner of Government (investigating magistrate) of the Military Tribunal
where the activists are being tried, to enter a NolleProsequi (we will not
prosecute), praying the trial judge to discontinue all court proceedings on the
matter.
“I
am very convinced that should President Biya do this, and should he thereafter,
rekindle genuine, frank, sincere and honest dialogue in the country, then he
would have taken a permanent date with history; he will have engraved his name
in Gold in the history books of this great nation as the man who restored peace
and brought his children of the NW and SW back to the fold, when they threatened
to break away,” NtumforNico Halle prayed, using the opportunity to also hail
and thank President Biya for his exemplary goodwill, his quintessential
paternalist disposition and very salutary measures he has already taken towards
finding a lasting solution to the rather “stubborn crisis”.
As GCE Exams kick-off Monday:
Mission Schools have accepted to open their
gates
-Says GCE Board
authorities
 |
| Registrar of GCE Board, Humphrey EkemaMonono |
The Board Chair of the Cameroon GCE Board,
prof. Peter Abety has said proprietors of confessional schools have accepted to
open their doors to candidates seating the 2017 sessions of examinations
organized by the board. He was speaking at the end of an in-camera council
meeting held in Buea
During
the council meeting, two items featured on the agenda: to examine the
administrative and management account for the year 2016 and to assess the level
of preparedness for the 2017 session of examination with the decision from
MINESEC readjusting the examination Calender.
According
to the Registrar of the GCE Board, Humphrey Monono, the practical examinations
will begin on Monday 15 May 2017 while the written part starts on 12 June 2017.
Candidates’ lists are already available at the various centers and we are
encouraging them to consult the lists for possible corrections, he said.
It
should be noted that some few changes have been made by the Board to see to it
that security of candidates is guaranteed. All afternoon papers will begin at 1
pm and no longer at 2pm for security purposes.
To better serve the public:
NCC to create branches in regions &
divisions
By Doh Bertrand Nua in Kumba
 |
| Peter Esoka, NCC president |
The president of the National Communication
Council, Peter Esoka, has revealed that the NCC which is charge with the
responsibility of regulating media organs in the country will extend its
activities in the various regions and divisions. This according to the Peter
Esoka will help ensure that all the media organs operating even in the
hinterlands will help promote professionalism in the media landscape in the
country. To him this will make journalists and media organs in the regions and
divisions know their work is immediately monitored by NCC officials and will
help curb unorthodox practice amongst media practitioners.
Peter
Esoka, NCC president was speaking in Kumba on Friday May 5, 2017 in Kumba in a
seminar organized by the NCC at the Macklordds’ Hotel as part of commemoration
of World Press Freedom Day to school journalist on the importance of
responsible journalism practice in the face of a crisis and other professional
and ethical practice tips.
While
awaiting the decentralization of the NCC services to the regions and divisions,
NCC president, Peter Esoka challenged all media practitioners in Kumba to be an
eye and ear of the NCC in the division and urged them to all report to the NCC
any chase of unethical practice notice in their area of work. To him this will
help other colleagues to be professional and ethical in the exercise of their
duties.
SDF’s boycott of May 20 and Anglophone Crisis:
What if Biya summoned FruNdi for a
tete-a-tete?
 |
| Fru Ndi |
Ahead of the Senatorial election in 2013,
FruNdi announced that the SDF will not field candidates for the election
because the ground was not level for such an important political consultation.
The SDF Chairman said he had also ordered his followers to start sharpening
their machetes to wage a war on Yaounde authorities if ever they tried to go
ahead with the election without the SDF participating. It took a brief meeting
of the Director of Cabinet at the Presidency, Martin BelingaEboutou and John
FruNdi, at the latter’s Yaounde residence, for FruNdi to change his mind and
accept to run SDF candidates in the election. Fru also personally ran in the
election, though he lost.
Intriguingly,
though FruNdi announced the SDF’s participation in the election, he did not say
what had changed in the electoral law as to motivate him to now allow his party
to participate in the election, not to talk of him, FruNdi, also being a
candidate.
It
should be recalled that Fru after the very brief in camera meeting with
Belinga, in Yaounde, changed his mind and unilaterally decided that the SDF
will field candidates in the election and that he would be one of the SDF
candidates for the Northwest senatorial constituency. He did not summon a
meeting of NEC to examine the possibilities as many had expected, but only made
the announcement by way of a message broadcasted on state-owned
radio/television, Crtv.
Observers
wasted no time to question what FruNdi and Belinga had discussed that pushed
the Chairman to so suddenly turn around the original position of his party
vis-a-vis the said election.
Though
it was understood that compromises had been made and political concessions
granted, many believed that FruNdi might have been ‘seduced’ by the President
to allow his party to run in the election this, so as to project Cameroon as a
multi-party democracy in the eye of the international community.
Minister disagrees with leaders of Doctors’ syndicate, collective punishment served patients!
Today is a very dark day for every
Cameroonian! The decade long belief of Cameroonians that the minister of Public
Health is least concerned about their health concerns and most concerned about
politics has been clearly illustrated in one of the most disastrous and hateful
decisions that any minister has ever signed. This decision can be qualified as
a hate crime; a crime against the medical corps, against the citizens and
against the humanity. In all sincerity, this is a very unpatriotic act and can
be likened to the killings of persons by terrorists’ organizations such as Boko
Haram and ISIS.
Through
this decision, Mama Fouda has qualified himself as a weapon of mass destruction
as opposed to the minister of public health:
1. You just transferred the lone
Neurologist from the Bamenda Regional Hospital who serves a population of more
than 2.000.000 persons in the North West to a Somalomo subdivision with a
population of less than 10.000.
2. You have also transferred the lone
Radiologist from the Bamenda Regional Hospital who serves a population of over
2.000.000 persons to Baleosubdivisional hospital which has not even an x-ray
machine.
3. You have also transferred one of the
few Gynecologists from the busiest maternity center in the NW Region, “PMI
Nkwen”, with over 150 deliveries per month to Alou subdivisional hospital that
probably conducts less than 10 deliveries per month.
4. You have also transferred a Neuro-Surgeon
to a hospital center that has not even an operating theater….
It
might be necessary to remind you of the numerous deaths from stroke which
require the collective efforts of radiologists and neurologists alongside other
staff for the best care. If you cared about the lives of these masses who look
up to you as the minister of health, to champion the cause of improving access
to affordable and quality care, you wouldn’t have deprived them of the services
of hard to come by specialists physicians in Cameroon. If you had transferred
them to areas where they have even the basic tools and a proportionate
population to serve, your decision might have had some grounds. Sadly, you have
posted them to areas where you are so sure that they will never be able to
exercise because of lack of basic materials that highlights your evil
intentions.
Punishment for leading strikes?
Mama Fouda transfers leaders of Doctors’
Syndicate to enclave zones
 |
| Minister of Public Health Andre Mama Fouda |
The Minister of Public Health Andre Mama
Fouda has become the target of scathing attacks from some personnel of the
medical corps, following his recent transfer of some specialist medical doctors
from urban hospitals to enclave, less equipped hospitals in far-fetched
localities.
The
doctors transferred are mostly leaders of the Doctors’ Syndicate, who have for
some time now being instigating sit-down strikes in hospitals in the country.
Also, most of the victims of Mama Fouda’s “punitive transfer decision” are
doctors working in hospitals and hospital centers in the Northwest region,
according to an open letter addressed to the Minister by one of the doctors,
DR. Richard Moses.
As calls multiply for boycott:
Emilia Lifaka mobilizes Buea CPDM for 20th
May
 |
| Fako Political leader, Hon. Emilia MonjowaLifaka |
CPDM Militants in Fako III have been urged
to come out massively and celebrate the 45th National Day celebration and also
get people registered on the electoral roll as the 2018 elections are fast
approaching.
The
call was made by the Vice President of the National Assembly, who doubles as
leader of the CPDM central committee permanent delegation to Fako, Hon. Emilia
MonjowaLifaka. She was speaking as she presided over a preparatory meeting for
the national day on Wednesday 10 May 2017 in Buea.
"We
CPDM Militants should not hate people simply because they have a different
political opinion to ours. We should instead make them see reason in our own
opinion. Winning is not an individual’s effort, but a collective effort. We can
only win over the forces of evil if we work together as citizens and residents
of this region. The peace in this region cannot be undermined; peace is what
holds the region together," Monjowa said.
She
made a fervent plea for parents to send their children back to school
especially at this time when unknown individuals are calling for "ghost
town”.
Tarring of K’ba-Mamfe road shortens Buea-B’da travel
By Johnson Batuo
The ongoing construction of Kumba – Mamfre
road is gradually altering travel and trade between the Southwest, NW and
Douala, the Economic capital of Cameroon.
Before
the construction of this road, people from the SW travelling to Bamenda in the
Northwest region had to pass through two regions – Littoral and West to get to
their destination.
Also,
travelers bound for Manyu division for example had to pass through three
regions - Littoral, West and Northwest regions before getting to Mamfe. Most
often, passengers to Mamfe had to pass the night in one of the travelling
agencies in Bamenda before continuing their journeys.
But
the ongoing tarring of the Kumba-Mamfe road has not only shortened the distance
but has also reduced the inconveniences and reduced the exorbitant transport
fare passengers had to pay criss-crossing these three regions.
Shumas takes water to Upper Munjong Community
By Njodzefe Nestor in Bamenda
In fulfillment of one of its objectives to
provide portable water and reduce the frequency of water borne diseases in
rural and semi urban communities, SHUMAS and her partner Building Schools for
Africa assisted to the People of Upper Munjong in Ndop Sub division,
Ngoketunjia Division of the North West region to realize a modern water scheme.
The
scheme which has been described by the Divisional Officer for Ndop Central and
the Mayor of Ndop Council as a stitch in time to help the community from
persistent water crisis falls under the SHUMAS’ Water and Sanitation Project.
SHUMAS
and her partner with the participation if the population rehabilitated the
community’s old water catchment constructed another new water catchment with
one with one stand tap and a pipeline of 1500 meters. They also made provisions
for the catchments to be protected.
While
receiving the project, the Chairman of the Upper Munjong Community Water
Project, MohMetoh Joseph, said the project has come to “free them from water
born diseases such as diarrhea, dysentery and cholera” and that they are now
“free from distance search of dirty water in the name of clean water during the
dry and rainy season.
Epileptic water supply in Molyko, BUEA
By Boris Esono in Buea
 |
| Population of Molyko, Buea suffer to get drinkable water |
Water has become a scarce commodity in some
areas in the Buea municipality with Molyko and Great Soppo being the most
affected. Persons in these areas have turned to rationing water in order to
cope with the arising situation.
With the rapidly growing population in
Molyko and other parts of Buea, water scarcity has been a major problem to
persons in general and students in particular living in student hostels
(mini-cites).
A
final year student of the department of Sociology and Anthropology at UB,
Komando Grace, who talked to this reporter, said crowd aloud about the
epileptic water supply in her mini-cite.
“At
times we go for two days without water. When the water comes the pressure is so
low and it would not flow for long enough to permit us to fill containers. Yet,
we pay very high water bills. This affects our studies as at times one cannot
bathe on time for classes or wash their clothes,” she lamented.
For
her part, IjangNgute says the water crisis disturbs her from doing her laundry,
cooking food and taking her bath. She usually has water after a day and goes
four days without water.
Boy who beheaded his mother escapes death in K’ba
By Doh Bertrand Nua in Kumba
 |
| EbangoRexon, Boy Who Beheaded his Mother in Kumba |
A young man, EbangoRexon, aged 32, has
survived mob justice from the population of Fiango, Kumba in Meme Division
after beheading his mother. Ebango Esther. The young man, a native of Bakossi
on Tuesday May 9, 2017 had the head of his mother, Ebango Esther, chopped off
with a matchete because of a quarrel over food.
According
to what The Median gathered from the central police commissioner, the incident
was as result of food. He revealed that after investigations, it emerged that
the young man was given food and while eating he demanded for additional soup.
When the soup was added, he noticed that it had no meat in it. But when he
asked his mother why there was no meat in the added soup she resorted to
insulting him.
An
eyewitness to the incident told this reporter that the mother in the course of
the quarrel asked the young man to leave her house if he would not stop
disturbing her.
Least
expecting that the son could attack her, the mother, relaxed on the chair, had
her head cut-off by the angry young man.
After he was bullied by SDO:
K’ba Gov’t Delegate begins cleaning abandoned grandstand
By Doh Bertrand Nua in Kumba
 |
| NgohNKelle Victor, Government Delegate Kumba city council |
The government delegate to the Kumba city
council, Victor NgohNkelle has embarked on renovation works at the dilapidated
Kumba grandstand as national day celebration on May 20 approaches. The
renovation works which started on Thursday May 11 constitute mainly of clearing
the surroundings, especially the entrance into the edifice, of mud and filth.
The
renovations works were started barely days after the SDO shouted on the city
boss over the dirty streets which have made Kumba look more of a garbage hip
than a modern city.
While on a brief stop at the grandstand on
the sidelines of the 2016 session to examine the administrative and management
accounts of the city council, the SDO, Chamberlin Ntou’ouNdong expressed
dissatisfaction on the garbage hip created by the city council beside the grand
stand. Visibly disappointed and not able to withstand the smell and pungent
odor emanating from the dirt deposited at the grandstand, the SDO grumbled
publicly while calling for more to be done in order to give the grandstand the
importance it deserves.
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