Sunday 18 February 2018

Progressives versus Conservatives:

Sasse Old Boys Association on the Brink of Implosion
-Two parallel General Assemblies convened; the one by a Vice President and four branch presidents and the other by the National President, Prof Ngwafor Ephraim
-Bishop of Buea withdraws support for ‘Revival General Assembly’ saying he was fooled
By Boris Esono in Buea
The atmosphere around the Sasse Old Boys Association, SOBA, is not the best at this time. The association of former students of one of Cameroon’s most prestigious secondary schools, St. Joseph’s College Sasse, has once more come in the spotlight, but this time for the wrong reasons.
            Members of SOBA are presently engaged in a battle for control of their association, with observers saying if peace and order is not reinstated in the fold, and soon too, the association risks being dragged in the mud.
            According to news reaching The Median, two separate and parallel General Assemblies of SOBA have been convened for different dates and venues. There is the ‘Revival General Assembly’ convened for 1pm on 4th March 2018, at the St. Anthony of Padua Hall in Buea Town and another General Assembly convened for Douala on 10 March 2018. The ‘Revival General Assembly’ was convened by the national Vice President of SOBA, Prof. Molua, and the branch presidents of Buea, Tiko, Muyuka, Limbe and Bambili chapters. The RGA has  been authorized by the DO of Buea who has issued a receipt in acknowledgment.   
            For its part, the Douala GA has been convened by the SOBA national exco and announced by its National President, Prof Ngwafor Ephraim.


Why two parallel GAs?
             According to information we gathered, the revival GA has been convened to correct certain illegalities perpetrated by the SOBA national exco, which illegalities are said to not only to undermine the very essence of the otherwise prestigious association but are rocking the unity and solid foundation on which SOBA is built.
            The conveners of the RGA in a release issued on 17 January, evoked as reasons for the RGA the non-holding of a General Assembly of SOBA since the past four years; the non-presentation to the SOBA General Assembly of any financial reports of the activities of the present SOBA Exco; the holding of a Soba General Council Meeting in Douala during which the SOBA constitution was tempered with without prior consultation of the Soba GA; the non-presentation by the national exco of a comprehensive financial statement of the 75th anniversary of SOBA; the crisis rocking SOBA UK and the unilateral decision of the executive president appointing an electoral board without effective consultations among other other things.

Bishop Retracts after supporting progressives
            It should be noted that the Bishop of Buea, Mgr. Immanuel Bushu, who is the proprietor of Sasse College, had initially given his blessings to the organizers of the RGA and had even granted them authorization to use the St. Anthony of Padua Hall in Buea Town for the RGA.
            But in a disclaimer issued on 24 January, Bishop Immanuel Bushu has dissociated himself from the said RGA in Buea. He explained that initially supported the holding of the RGA in Buea because he trusted that organizers are SOBANS of integrity and because he was convinced that the conveners had consulted with the President General of SOBA and his collaborators.
            Bishop Bushu in his disclaimer, pleaded with SOBANS to adhere to the planned Douala GA on 10 March 2018, arguing that any action taken outside SOBA framework will not be to the honour and integrity of SOBA.
            It is however not immediately known if the conveners of the Buea RGA will heed the Bishop’s advice and cancel the come together. It is understood that the RGA has already been widely publicized and is said to enjoy the support of a significant population of SOBANS.

            By virtue of article 22 of the SOBA constitution, the GA is the supreme authority of the Association. It is supposed to meet in ordinary session once every two years.

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