Multitudes Mourn Hon. Esther Ntala Ngala Former SDF MP for Nkambe Central Laid to Rest in Bamenda

The Muteff Factor (formerly The Colbert Factor)

BAMENDA, North West Region — A wave of grief swept across the North West and beyond last Saturday as family, political leaders, traditional authorities, and hundreds of mourners gathered in Nkwen, Bamenda III Subdivision, to bid a final farewell to Hon. Esther Ntala Ngala, former Member of Parliament for Nkambe Central. The late parliamentarian, who served under the banner of the Social Democratic Front (SDF) for two terms, was laid to rest at her Nkwen St Paul residence following a funeral service at the Nkwen Baptist Church that was filled to capacity.

Officiating the service, Rev. Dr. Jini Edward likened the late MP to the biblical Anna Luke 2:36-38), widowed early yet devoted to a lifelong path of faith and service. He noted that, like Anna—widowed after seven years of marriage and remaining faithful into advanced age—Esther Ngala lost her husband after only eight years of marriage but remained steadfast in raising her children and grandchildren in Christian devotion and responsibility. 

Beyond her parliamentary service, Hon. Ngala was widely praised as founder of Njuh-Women, considered the largest and most enduring Mbum women’s solidarity group in Bamenda. Through cooperative savings and empowerment initiatives, the group lifted many women out of poverty. Tributes also highlighted her role in mobilising community support at the inception of the Cameroon General Certificate of Education Board (GCE Board), helping to raise funds for the hosting and early activities of the Board in Bamenda.

Among dignitaries present were SDF National Chairman Joshua Osih, SDF Secretary General and Vice Chair of the Presidential Plan for the Reconstruction of the North West and South West Regions Njong Danatus, former SDF Senator Honore Ngam, CPDM MP for Tubah/Bafut Agho Oliver, former SDF MPs Fusi Nhamukong and Wum Boy, Bamenda III Mayor Fongu Cletus, North West Regional Public Independent Councillor Simon Tamfu, and Mary Awudu, widow of the late Hon. Awudu Mbaya.

Following the strictly private family burial, a lavish reception was held at the Mile 3 Blue Pearl esplanade in Bamenda. Compered by Ta-Shey Njillah Jato Richard, the gathering blended solemn remembrance with celebration, reflecting what many described as Hon. Ngala’s unmatched hospitality — a woman who never allowed a visitor to leave her home hungry.

In emotional tributes, her daughters — Yahje Ngala Kume, Bongkar Ngala Okurakpo, and Victorine Ngala Obenson (“Queen”) — alongside her seven grandchildren, extolled her as mother, father, first teacher, provider, mentor, disciplinarian, and unwavering pillar of strength. They described her as a veritable role model not only to her children but to the extended family and community. Her passing, they said, had created a void in their hearts that would be difficult to fill. Despite the grief, they expressed gratitude to God for her long, impactful life and for the blessings bestowed upon the family. Members of her late husband’s family joined her siblings in thanking God for the life and legacy of Hon. Esther Ngala.

As mourners dispersed, tributes continued to emphasise a life defined by faith, education, women’s empowerment, political service, and maternal devotion. For many across Donga Mantung and Bamenda, Hon. Esther Ntala Ngala’s legacy endures in the institutions she strengthened, the women she empowered, and the family she nurtured — an enduring testament to resilience, service, and unwavering commitment to God and community.

Biographical Note

Honorable Esther Ntala Ngala, fondly called Mama, was born on October 1, 1944, in Mpipgo, Ndu Subdivision in the Donga Mantung Division of the then North West Province of Cameroon. The first child and daughter of Pa Audi Gibip and Mami Lydia Munshep, both of blessed memory, Esther’s formative years were shaped by warmth, humility, and a spirit of perseverance.

She began her primary education in CBC School Mpipgo and later moved to CBC Ndu, within walking distance from Mpipgo. When she completed Standard Six in 1959, she taught as a pupil-teacher (PTA) in CBC Ndu for one year before gaining admission into the Women Teachers’ Training College (WTTC), a Basel Mission institution. She later continued at WTTC Bafut and Atuakum-Bamenda, where she obtained her Teachers’ Grade III Certificate. Before her husband, Nfor Ngala’s tragic death in 1974, she had already enrolled in Government Teachers’ Training College (GTTC) Kumba, where she successfully graduated in 1975 with a Teacher Grade II Certificate.

After teaching for some time and thirsting for more knowledge, she returned to GTTC Kumba in 1984, obtaining further certification the same year and pursuing correspondence teacher-training courses with ACP/LCP London College of Preceptors, University of London, where she was awarded certification in Psychology in 1984.

With her long teaching experience, duty consciousness, and devotion, Mams Esther Ngala was appointed Provincial Pedagogic Inspector for the North West Province in 1998, a post she held until 2000.

She is survived by her three daughters — Yahje Ngala Kume, Bongkar Ngala Okurakpo, and Victorine Ngala Obenson (Queen) — seven grandchildren, her siblings, and an extended family who mourn her passing.

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