By Haruna Mohammadou
It is widely acknowledged that quality
fetches high prices and value addition may also be achieved through greater
efficiency. However, with better logistics and a cordial atmosphere between
management and workers, there is bound to be progress. It could be by improving
and extending the reach of agricultural activities, but also more importantly
improving working and social conditions. The Cameroon Tea Estate Plantation-Ndu
is staking everything on improving the quality of its products and working
conditions at the workplace. This is so because since 2011 that a new manager
was appointed to the plantation, the sum that some workers earn in return, is
little short of a miracle. This was part of the engagement the manager of CTE
told his collaborators during Labour Day celebrations. He said that Ndu Tea
plantation will make sure that HIV/AIDS becomes a thing of the past and they
are advocating for zero stigmatization and zero HIV/AIDS.
Mohammadou Kabiru: Manager |
When George Washington Carver in
one of his theories on great people said that “when you do the common things in
life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world”,
certainly he was dreaming of the type of managers who do not only give
instructions but lead for others to follow. In fact this uncommon ways of doing
things has made the Plantation Manager of CTE Ndu, Mohammadou Kabiru the most
dogged character in present time. He has within a very short time branded
himself with the familiar circuit of great silent achievers. More sustaining
harmony, trust and above all transparency in the collective proffers have
served him as guiding principle. When he went out of the box and set the
example by making work at CTE Ndu plantation workable for all those who were
disgruntled against the past management, he entered record books.
The True Leading Manager
A manager is traditionally
perceived as someone who only gives instructions. Yet Mohammadou Kabiru is more
of a leader than just a manager. Interesting, CTE workers have testified that
Kabiru is the only manager that entertains suggestions from the workers on how
to improve their working conditions and on how they can collectively add value
to their activities to boost the company’s output. Through this approach he
gained the confident and trust of the
workers. Mohammadou Kabiru has all the
qualities of a true leader worth emulating. Naturally, he is very a kind
person. He is the only Manager who has made all the improvements for workers to
have a good life, not for his own interest but for the general interest of all,
they say. He is role model; whose devotion to instill hard work and his
constant present with workers in every value chain has changed many things
positively. He is not only a leader, but a father, husband, brother, and a
friend that many have been leaning on and would continue to lean on.
Mohammadou Kabiru leading by example at Nkambe Grandstand |
He is looked upon as modernizer
because he possesses these qualities: leadership and vision, good management
abilities, social and economic inclination, ability to provide security and to
protect the environment as well as having the skill to cultivate good relations
in communities with different cultural, racial and social backgrounds.
When Mohammadou Kabiru was appointed
in 2011, his drive, passion and commitments have been inspiring and have driven
many successful changes. His savoir-faire and managerial skills caught the
admiration of the administration which earned him a medal on May 1, 2013.
On May 1, 2014, the Njuh Dance Group of CTE
in one of their songs sang that: “Mohammadou Kabiru represents a new generation
of leaders in the Donga Mantung Division”. Usually, managers hide but not
Mr.Mohammadou Kabiru. Only dishonest ones hide but since this Manager of CTE
Ndu has proved to be an honest man and a dedicated servant who believes in
human rights and fights everyday in the defence of those very important concepts
which are often violated today, he has made himself the peoples’ manager. During
Labour Day celebrations in Nkambe, people were shocked to see him march-pass
with other workers. As one senior administrator puts: he is a mixer and that is
why CTE is growing from strength to strength”. At the end of the day, CTE left Nkambe
with two prizes. This was the first of its kind in the history of the Ndu Tea
Plantation. The elated workers chant in honour of their Manager for trailing
them into a breakthrough which is multi-dimensional. Cameroonian ace musician
Prince Afo Akom in one of his sound tracks said that “creativity is not sold in
the market” and to it, I will add, that creativity is talent of integrity. The
questions that always come to our minds when we are found in from of people
with extra abilities have always been why it is so difficult for human kind to
understand great people. The answer is that great people always live ahead of
time; they live in after, after tomorrow in their actions and thoughts. Like
the famous Nostradamus, the Man who saw Tomorrow, great people are
people who more often than not see tomorrow. And because most of those around
them are myopic, they do not understand them and tend to misinterpret them
erroneously.
The great American Statesman Abraham Lincoln
once said “I will like to be remembered that I picked the weeds and planted
flowers”. As a matter of fact, it is this very declaration that reshaped the
United America to what is popularly known today as the “American Dream”. It is
this inspirational quote that continues to inspire leaders around the world to
make a difference in what they are trusted to do. Judged to have been inspired
by this quote is also Mohammadou Kabiru’s whose inputs at the level of CTE Ndu
is creating a weave of unbelievable success story. He falls in the first category
of new breed of workaholic individuals with Cameroon Tea Estate whose dream has
been that of making the difference. This pragmatic gentle has attested further
than doubts that in picking weeds and planting flowers he will surely change
lives. His achievements have been realized through realistic perceptions,
efforts and the skills he is putting in place at CTE Ndu.
When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)
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