Abdou Borno Kamfon Declares Candidature for 2012 Parliamentary

Alhadj Abdou Borno: Looking to the Sky as the limit

The President of the Youth Wing of the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement for Donga Mantung I cum Islamic Education Secretary for Northwest Region, Alhaj Abdou Borno Kamfon has declared his candidature for the 2012 Parliamentary Elections.  In a letter to the CPDM Section in Ndu, he declared his intentions. Talking to this reporter in Bamenda he declared that "We have in our hands the power and obligation - never given to any other generation at any other time in human history - to aspire for elective positions inorder to make our contributions toward nation building”.

Accordingly, Ahadj Abdou Borno Kamfon said he is politically mature enough to take up leadership positions to makes his contribution towards nation building. Notwithstanding his youthfulness, he says he is of the school of Hon. Tamfu Simon Ngeh, Shey Jones, Ngafeeson Emmanuel which has jam-packed him with a lot of knowledge and experiences practice clean and development politics. As a youth “I am saying that our own tomorrow is now” he told this reporter. To Alhadj Abdou Borno Kamfom those who were elected to represent Ndu in the council and Parliament have shown a very bad example because they have never represented the interest of the people. Alhadj is quite optimistic that this generation has the ability and the qualities to change Donga Mantung Division and contribute towards nation building. “As a youth I am telling other youths that politics is not reserve for a particular group of people because in the past people use to think that politics is reserved for old people. But things have changed and now it is time for our generation to enter into productive politics. A brand that enlaces lobbying skills and development initiatives” he added.

On his candidature for the upcoming Parliamentary elections, he said that it is his legitimate right to aspire and compete for any position.  “I also think I am mature enough to make my contribution towards nation building and that it is my legitimate right to aspire”. Harping on why he has decided to declare his candidature, Ahadj Borno observed that “Our present MPs have shown their limits in lobbying for development projects and I am telling the people of Ndu that we have gone past the era that a sub division like Ndu would be developed with a bundle of zinc and few bags of cement. We need people who can lobby for development projects, open doors in Yaounde and act as catalysts of development”.

On his political ability and maturity, Alhadj Borno said he submitted a letter informing his party his political intentions. It should be noted that Alhadj Borno started his political career as President Biya Youth branch President in Tabenken village and his successes catapulted him to the position of Section Secretary for Donga Mantung I CPDM-Nkambe. After spending over 16 years in politics which makes him mature enough to handle any elective position, his success in politics could be stressed as far as the days he organized a football competitions in Tabenken. Bringing youths together has been one of the secrets behind his rise to stardom in the field of politics as he later moved his mobilizing spirit to Nkambe where he sponsored football competitions from his meager salary of a teacher and then Ndu where he recently donated a football trophy to the tune of 500.000 FCFA. He also sponsored the Youth Forum in Ndu which brought together over 3000 youths and during that occasion; he supported 80 orphans through his small foundation in order to eradicate idleness which he said could easily lead to delinquency. An action which those in position of leadership in Ndu  have refused to do because they want youths to remind idle so that they could easily manipulate them with few bank notes to vote them. Accordingly, he said all his life, he has been working for the interest of the youths reasons why he sees himself as mature enough to serve the population. However, he also observed that Member of Parliaments should be people who could lobby for development projects for the poor. “I have seen that our MPs are not up to the task of carrying out such a duty because they wait of micro project money which is very insignificant”.

 “I am just telling them to give way for the youths to build this nation for future generations because they have all off-lifted their usefulness in Donga Mantung Division because if you are old and cannot do any thing, you should retire” he hammered home to the old politicians who have clinked to power making it very difficult for youths to excel. What however makes Borno different from other politicians is that he is down to earth, available and a development luminary which contrast with the practices of the elitist politicians who always place their interest ahead of general interest. From all indications, Ahadj Borno would likely be good pair with Ngala Gerard who youths have declared their choice for Parliament. These two are likely to defeat the notion that even a dog dressed in the SDF outfit and presented to the public as Parliamentary aspirant would win any elections in the Nkambe /Ndu constituency. Things have changed and the population seemingly has come to understand that politics is about development and not political parties but the ability choose the right persons who can  do better things that could better-off the lives of the population. As Alhadj Borno puts it “Time has come for people to invest their votes where they can benefit from development projects” and not where after elections the elected official pass time fighting among themselves.

Alhadj Abdou Borno won the admiration of youths in Ndu to support President not just through speeches and promises but through the ABARAKAT Foundation where he is the Chief Executive Officer. “There is nothing remarkable about politics if it is not for the welfare of the people”. Even though at a certain point in time people do make mistakes and every period of history, what is unusual about today’s CPDM in Ndu and Nkambe is that youths have understood the meaning of politics from what is happening around them. In any other party and in any other area, an individual may occasionally rise to the top in spite of being an ignoramus. In today’s Ndu and Nkambe Alhadj Borno says ‘in spite of’ is not the phrase needed.

Man of Results

Until a politician is committed to development, there is uncertainty for the future of man, he observed. Concerning all acts of initiatives, there is one elementary truth that ignorance and poor lobbying skills kill countless ideas and infinite plans. Alhadj Borno has been preaching and sensitizing youths that definite commitments occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred.

He started developing the preliminary symptoms as a political marshal in 2003 when he sponsored a football trophy in Tabenken worth 100.000 FCFA. In 2004, he donated another football trophy in Nkambe to the tune of 100.000 FCFA. In 2005, he also organized a draft competition and disbursed 50.000 FCFA to the finalists. And in 2010, he donated a football trophy in Ndu to the tune of 500.000 FCFA. He later organized a marathon in Ndu to prepare athletes of Donga Mantung Division for the Mount Cameroon “Race of Hope”. He was so impressed by the performance by the athletes to the point that he decided to carryout a fundraising that generated over 300.000 FCFA. The results were encouraging because Donga Mantung athletes triumph at the race.   

These results marked the beginning of a contract of engagement between the youths of Donga Mantung Division, President Biya, the CPDM and Alhadj Abdou Borno Kamfon. Besides, Abdou Borno also supported Nkambe FC with over 150.000 FCFA to participate in the Mini Interpol in Bamenda. When he donated a trophy in Ndu, during the tournament, he distributed sets of jerseys to football teams in almost all villages. The ABARAKAT Foundation had sponsored the Ndu Youth Forum. During the forum underprivileged youths received support to set up self-employment workshops.

Who is Alhadj Abdou Borno Kamfon

He is Islamic Education Secretary for the Northwest Region, a position he was elected to head since 2003.  He is being celebrated in the Northwest for producing very convincing results because he created and regularized 90 Islamic Primary Schools and 06 secondary schools. As a pragmatic administrator, Alhdj Borno also ensured that he moved the Islamic Education from mediocrity to standard. Furthermore he received and paid out regularly over 900 million FCFA of state subvention to school. He lobbied and got an additional 141 million FCFA subvention from government that enabled him to pay salary arrears to over 400 teachers.

On infrastructure development, he has succeeded in constructing 20 classrooms in the Northwest Region with funds from HIPC. He also lobbied and obtained the construction of 02 classrooms from the United Nations and 02 classrooms with funding from the European Union. He also sort out support from local NGOs, and this partnership resulted to the construction of 04 classrooms by Plan Cameroon and 18 classrooms by SHUMAS through it Schools for Africa Program. In his capacity as Islamic Secretary, he has been in constant touch with the Islamic community; this could be seen through the free distribution of Qurans to schools, mosques and groups in the region. As a dynamic leader, he introduced with the assistance of the Catholic Relief Service, a program known as FACT II which was geared towards the fight against corruption in schools. He is married and a father of six children.

Considering the achievements he has made there is no doubt that he is likely to be a very competent MP if voted into Parliament.