Macdonald Niba:

Solution to Cameroon’s defensive woes

Macdonald Niba

If you watched Macdonald NgwaNiba at FC Nitra, no one would have projected that he would later become one of the most potent players in the Slovak Fortuna Liga and the solution to Cameroon defensive woes.

                The absence of AmbroiseOyongoBitolo who has been sidelined for close to eight months with an injury, put the defensive compartment of the Indomitable Lions in shambles during the FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia.

                Fortunately, 23-year-old Cameroonian-Canadian, Niba has proven his worth since moving to Europe from Canada as the solution to Cameroon’s defensive woes.

                He is the defensive powerhouse in FC Nitra’s success. In four games played already this season, FC Nitra is in the second position with 10 points and is yet to concede a goal.

                Niba has been voted Man of the Match in three occasions, Player Of The Week once and has appeared in all teams of the week since the new season started.

                His performances this season has seen his club turning down a number of offers for the young Cameroonian defender who is yet to get a cap for his country.

                He is so gifted with tremendous pace and stamina which allowed him to race up and down the pitch, and a rare blend of natural attacking instinct and defending discipline.

                The defender plays as a centre-back and left-back and is renowned for his technical ability, athleticism, sliding tackles, stamina, composure and fast energetic forward runs when he is used as a left-back.

2019 CAN:

Caf postpones inspection mission to Cameroon

Cameroon needs to prove it can host 24 teams instead of 16 in the newly expanded Africa Cup of Nations in 2019

An inspection mission to the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations hosts Cameroon has been postponed by the Confederation of African Football (Caf).

The Caf team was scheduled to begin the eight-day inspection on Sunday 20 August.

                Caf confirmed the visit would now begin on a later date following the last minute withdrawal of the independent audit firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC).

                No reason was given for PWC's withdrawal. But sources say they evoked security concerns.

                Fecafoot president, Tombi A RokoSidiki, was notified by Caf.

                Tombi in an earkier letter to CAF had debunked rumours about security concerns for visiting inspectors.

Front page

Cameroon-France Trade Relations:

Brighter horizons for Cameroon Cocoa sector

A delegation of French industrialists is in Cameroon to carry out prospection in the Cocoa sector. Trade Minister, Luc MagloireMbargaAtangana on Monday 14 August 2017, received the French delegation in audience, just after the French men ended a working session with stakeholders in the Cameroon Cocoa and Coffee sector.

By Our Economy Correspondent

Meeting in the conference hall of the ministry of trade, Yaounde, The French industrialists of the chocolate sector during the working session with their Cameroonian counterparts pledged their total determination and readiness to help Cameroon to produce the best quality cocoa possible. They reiterated the pledge during their audience with the trade minister, Luc MagloireAtanganaMbarga.

                The meetings in Yaounde were held not before the French delegation had visited some cooperatives and the Excellence Centres for the Treatment of Harvested Cocoa set up by the Inter-professional Council of Cocoa and Coffee-CICC, of the National Cocoa and Coffee Board-ONCC.

                Visibly impressed by what they saw on the field, the French industrialists in the domain of Cocoa and Coffee did not conceal their enthusiasm to federate forces with their Cameroonian counterparts.

                They expressed satisfaction with the good practices observed on the field. Their satisfaction was all the more when they discovered the “good fermented” cocoa churned out by the cooperatives and excellence centres and which is in high demand by chocolate producing companies.

                “What you see on the field is thanks to our insistence and follow-up for the professionalization of the sector. Here, we insist on good practices that permit for the production of «well fermented» Cocoa.  This professionalization policy is sustained by yearly campaigns for “well fermented” Cocoa, instituted by the CICC,” Minister MbargaAtangana told the visitors, recalled that the 2017/2018 cocoa season was launched only weeks ago.

                He noted also that thanks to the excellence centres set up by the CICC, producers and stakeholders in the cocoa/coffee sector have been able to master the quality production chain.

                The two three-day working visit (from 13 to 15 August) of the French Master Chocolate Producers was therefore aimed to lay down the groundwork towards a more fruitful collaboration with Cameroonian producers.

                Apart from boosting production and exportation of high-grade cocoa, the collaboration also envisages the setting up of artisanal units for transformation of cocoa into chocolate, the transformation and exportation of semi-finished cocoa and the promotion of Cameroon Cocoa on the world market.

                «This visit of the French Cocoa and Chocolate industrialists marks a turning point in Cameroon-France trade relations in the domain of cocoa and coffee. It is a capital stage in the collaboration between Cameroonian inter-professional organizations and the Confederation of French Chocolate producers represented here by Ms. Daniel Mercier and AlaxandreBellion,” remarked Minister MbargaAtangana, who informed that the two parties will in the days ahead sign a memorandum of understanding and draw a calendar of activities to be carried out jointly with the Cameroon government.

Fallouts of Anglophone Crisis:

Yaounde takes over control of GCE

-Students troop to Nigeria to sit JAMB, as GCE loses credibility

-Minister publishes partial results of 2017 GCE, as Board Registrar plays second fiddle

-Statistics reveal a telltale drop in number of both registered and successful candidates

He who pays the piper calls the tune: GCE Board Registrar, Humphrey EkemaMonono, literally shoved aside by education minister

Results of the ‘highly controversial’ General Certificate of Education (GCE), June 2017 session, have finally been released. But intriguingly, the release of the results has not ushered in the usual wave of uphoria and popular excitement and scenes of jubilation that was attendant with the release of results of previous exams. 

                A look at the official statistics of the partial results ( ‘A’ levels only) published by the Minister of Secondary Education, reveal an unusual drop both in terms of candidates registered and sat the exams, as well as successful candidates. From 66.52% in 2016 the percentage passed at ‘A’ levels dropped to 35.52% in 2017.

                 For the first time since the creation of the Buea-based GCE Board, it was the Minister of Secondary Education who announced the results of successful candidates and the statistics. Commentators say this is supposed to be the prerogative of the Registrar of the GCE board, by virtue of the law creating the Board, which states unequivocally that “The GCE Board Registrar organizes the GCE Exams…. and publishes the results.”

                Intrigued by the Minister’s action, many observers have hurried to question: “since when did the Minister become the publisher of GCE results; where is the GCE Registrar, Humphrey Monono?”

                Moreover, Radio Buea that has over the years had a privilege of proclaming the results was denied the opportunity this time, as it was the national station that handled the information on the results perhaps for purposes of damage control.

                After listening to the statistics of the results, a teacher who marked some of the scripts wondered whether the results were the true outcome of what he observed at the marking centres.

                “The scripts were horrible. Sometimes out of 100 points, a student would score just 5 points. I have never seen this kind of GCE in my life,” the marker confessed, speculating that the government might have doctored the official statistics perhaps as a desperate fire-fighting measure to douse the tension in Anglophone Cameroon.

Discovery of weapons of war:

MBENGWI, the military

headquarters of Ambazonia?

By Francis EkongangNzante in Bamenda

Were leaders of the Southern Cameroon struggle planning to make Mbengwi their military headquarters? This is what commentators here are speculating, following the recent discovery there of a well packaged and carefully hidden consignment of weapons of war and other military paraphernalia.

The spokesman of the Cameroon government announced the discovery during a press outing on 9 August 2017 in Yaounde. IssaTchiroma said a certain Dasi Alfred Nghah alias ‘Sniper’, who claimed to have procured the weapons from abroad and transferred them to Mbengwi via a neighbouring country, said he was the commander of the military wing of the Ambazonia struggle and that he personally acquired the weapons and ensured their safe transportation into Mbengwi for the purpose of the struggle.

                “On 2nd and 3rd August 2017, the services of the North-West Regional Delegation for National Security arrested five individuals during their inspection operations in the town of Mbengwi, Momo Division, of the North-West Region. They included DASI Alfred NGYAH alias "Sniper"; MBA-ABE Edwin DASI; TEFEH Collins TEGHE; FUH Luther CHE; NGWA Louis MONYONGA and Martha FORMENYAM,” IssaTchiroma edified, noting that “the first exploitation of the detainees permitted the authorities to carry out a raid at the residence of Mr DASI Alfred NGYAH, prominently the head of the gang, where the police discovered several military items carefully arranged and concealed in a bunker by him.”

                The items found included semi-automatic firearms, night vision devices with a telemeter laser, shooting goggles, a firing episcope equipped with amour plating, bipods and tripods for precision weapons, gun chargers for snipers, containers equipped with explosive charges, chemicals as explosive charges, detonator cords, explosive device switches, timers and other devices for the manufacturing of improvised explosive devices and firearms, Tchiroma informed, noting further that upon exploitation of a laptop which was also seized at the scene it revealed the presence of electronic files containing information on the manufacturing of improvised explosive devices and a map unveiling the hidden units of the Southern Cameroon Liberation Movement.

Tracts circulating in K’ba warning against schools resumption

It was business as usual in Buea Road, Kumba, after the release of GCE results Friday

Tension is brewing in Kumba, economic capital of the South West region, as back-to-school gets closer. This is coming in the wake of the crisis in NW and SW regions that has entered the 10th month and with no solution yet in sight.

                While the government has embarked on a massive media campaign to get classes resume on September 4, tracts are flying all over the city of Kumba threatening both parents and teachers not to dare send children to school.

                Some school proprietors confirmed to this newspaper that they have recieved threats from anonymous persons urging them to end all activities linked with preparation for schools resumption.

                But that notwithstanding, catch-up holiday classes are continuing in several schools here in preparation for the new school year.

                While the authorities of some schools are going ahead with registration, some proprietors of private schools who spoke to this reporter off the record said they are not ready to risk their lives and that of their pupils and students or even their properties all because of school resumption.

                In the meantime, registration of students and pupils in anticipation of the new academic year in all of Southern Cameroons has remained very slow. Many schools proprietors said they haven’t registered any students for the new academic year.