Kumbo-Nkambe Stretch of the Bamenda Ring Road: A Calamity of the Biya Regime #IssueOfTheWeek

By Fai Cassian Ndi

I have heard people saying that by week end they will be traveling to Bamenda to stage a peaceful in support of President Biya's candidate for the upcoming Presidential Elections. This will perhaps be the second People's call from the North West Region. It is their democratic rights. That is the price of democracy. 

Paul Atanga Nji, Minister of Special Duties staged managed one of such a People's Call few weeks earlier. Since Northwesterners are what they are. They have planned one which will bring to Bamenda all the white collar poli(thief)cians of North West Region to sing a new chorus for the CPDM. This meeting is expected to bring to Bamenda CPDM bigwigs from all the Division including Donga Mantung and Menchum. How militants from these two Division will travel to Bamenda remains a great misery. This is so because if you have never seen where a car is tied in dust, board a car from Bamenda to Nkambe or Wum. I know some of us who have had the good fortune to leave the country to Europe, Asia or USA should be wondering what is really happening. Since I know some political gangsters who are hiding in the CPDM would say it is  forbidden to make critical judgment analysis on the neglect of the Bamenda Ring Road by the Biya regime and that making such a critical judgment is like writing  satanic verses that lead to divine sentence, i wish those from Menchum and Donga Mantung could be transported by air. But let the word go forth from this time and medium to friends and enemies of progress alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation that will talk than die in silence. That the people of Donga Mantung Division have been tempered with carelessness by the Biya government is an indisputable human rights abuse. Since 1948, the Bamenda man has reluctantly accepted the slow shame of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed to and which the nature of this country and the powers that be have imposed. In fact if a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it can never save the few who are rich. 

When government institutions were the pillars of moral value, any statement made publicly by the Head of state of this great nation Cameroon was never suspected to be an “April fool” kind of merrymaking. Any public pronouncement of the Head of State was considered by all and sundry as part of the Presidential largess that the President dishes out every time he visits any locality. Such a pronouncement was considered as a symbol of decorum because such promises were immediately followed up and realized within the shortest time possible. I remember my father once told me that President Biya once declared that he was personally going to supervise the construction of the Bamenda Ring road. Yet 24 years have come and past since he made that promise and the Bamenda Ring is still in patches like achaba tyres. Traveling from Kumbo to any part of Donga Mantung Division is not just a nightmare but demands a week of serious fasting and prayer because you never know when you will get to your destination. I do not know whether it is the influence of the Western culture that has transformed government institutions into negating its people or influence of politics that has made Head of States to forget what they say immediately it is done. However, anyone who would maladroitly sit on the fence to declare that the Bamenda Ring Road is not a necessity or a priority should be considered as being in a state of sin. Being a respecter of the institution that President Biya incarnates and the powers that he wields, the pressure suddenly became unbearable when I spent over 4 hours on the same spot along the Ndu-Nkambe stretch of the ring road. 

Even though there is a statement in the Bible which states that people should not pass round for judges on others, I believe it is often quoted out of context because the Bible still tells us that people should be judged if their acts are injurious. I am aware that this critical judgment analysis is badly needed. It is imperative because the Ring road is in tears again  and the bells of anguish are being heard signaling that Donga Mantung Division may cease to exist in the map of this country. I am also aware that this bit will offset many people but it is a fact. Even so, who is even going to twist my arm for speaking the truth? Is it not a democratic right for the people of Donga Mantung to have a good access road and even enjoy more as a border Division? 

 Calamity, calamity………… 

Notwithstanding, if anyone takes this judgment for an offense, believe me it is positive insults. And if today some of our leaders no more command the powers they use to exercise, it is because of the copious counterfeited promises they make. I recall a former Minister once asked me in Yaounde whether the Bamenda Ring road had any economic values. It pains and kills my imagination as well as the picture post-card I got from my father that they decided to unite with La Republique because of what was happening up the road. 50 years after reunification the situation of this road is more pathetic than before. When I look across the river and see the road network, I cry for my Fatherland. When I see politicians taking false oaths because they have their interest to protect and like Achidi Achu who after his appointment as Prime Minister declared that he was the Ring Road, I pity myself why I was born a Cameroonian. In fact I disagree with people who would say that it is the notion of personal aggrandizement that has pushed the Biya regime to loose sight of reality. And to me, it is some sort of a mental torture that is being exercise. 

The North West Region has had the privilege to produce two Prime Ministers but the notion that Biya appoints ministers to work for their people did not work. None of them created the unexpected like late Pefok who rejected a speech from the Yaounde cronies and doled out one from his pocket to tell President Biya what the Bamenda man thinks is like waiting for exhale. When Rt Hon. Achidi Achu was appointed Prime Minister, he told North Westerners that he was the ring road. It was a bitter pill but  we accepted and swallowed it. Yang Philemon also had the good fortune to be appointed Prime Minister and since charity begins at home and justice next door, work on the Kumbo –Nkambe Stretch of the ring road will end in Kumbo while a mini Ring Road linking Oku to Babungo, Noni and maybe Misaje will be tarred. 

 Anyone who has been on this road any of these days will agree that to travel to Donga Mantung Division, it demands serious fasting and prayers. No pregnant woman can travel on this road especially with the clouds of dust. The story of the ring road is not only that of pools of water, clouds of dust but the story that at this time of the year every small hill always make a name. It may sound ridiculous but the truth is that traveling from Bamenda to Donga Mantung or Menchum demands two sets of dresses, one for the dust and another to wear at the destination. I am sure the CPDM BIGWIGS will come along with more sets. 

The state of nature of the Bamenda Ring road has made it in such a way that it is the nature of the dust or mud that determines the transport fare. 

In case of any disaster as was the case of Lake Nyos, evacuation of victims will not just be be problem but would contribute to destroy lives that would have been saved. If we go by the popular saying that where the road passes development follows, then the people of Donga Mantung Division who rely on the Ring Road will never dream of any meaningful development. 

I wish I were eloquent to put down on paper the picture that comes to me from the restrained of anger and cough due to the dust on the ring road. I need not dwell upon the authenticated horrors of the Nazi internment camps and death chambers for Jews. That is not tragic but a kind of insane horror. It is the ring road which is tragic. The essence of tragedy is not the doing of evil by evil men but the doing of evil by good men, out of weakness, indecision, sloth, and the inability to act in accordance with what they know to be right.

The ring road, until its termination, presents the classic existential argument about the existence of God or a higher power: if he did and does exist, then the only natural choice is to become a disciple is to be in the CPDM; but if he did not, then there is no afterlife, then life is meaningless in this part of the country even if the entire region signs a People's Call for President Biya as NATURAL CANDIDATE. 

Hence, there is nothing to be done except to live every moment without a thought to the next. The state of nature of the Ring Road has made Donga Mantung an Island on land which makes them to feel and to be powerless to influence the life of society by which their own life is governed. Change can occur only by a great increase of participation and responsibility on the part of those who now are well fed and amused but are excluded from effective participation in political decisions or in the policies of the institutions and enterprises they work in. 

Today, thinking and feeling are more and more separated from each other, and this separation leads either to an almost schizophrenic intellectualism or to a neurotic, irrational emotionalism-THE PEOPLE'S CALL. Only if emotions and reason are brought together can man function in a way which makes life interesting and hence creates the possibility of a productive life. To put it briefly, what Donga Mantung people need is not speeches but a road that can make life more meaningful and bring back humanity from the wilderness closer to the people. 

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

Nigerian Professor Set to Receive America's Highest Honor for Scientists

A Nigerian genius professor has broken very much into the world of science and is now set to receive the U.S government's highest award for scientists.

 

Professor Deji Akinwande

 

Highly acclaimed professor, Deji Akinwande has been selected to receive a '2016 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE)' by President Barrack Obama, the United States government’s highest honor for scientists and engineers in the early stages of research.

 

Prof. Akinwande is an associate professor in electrical and computer engineering and the Jack Kilby/Texas Instruments Endowed Faculty Fellow in Computer Engineering in the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin.

 

He is among 106 recipients announced by the White House on Thursday. The winners, who will be honored at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., this spring, were selected for having research that is both innovative and beneficial to society. Prof. Akinwande is one of two PECASE recipients from The University of Texas at Austin. The other recipient is Prof. Keji Lai from the Department of Physics.

 

Now in its 20th year, the Presidential Early Career Awards are coordinated through the President’s Office of Science and Technology Policy, which selects winners “for their pursuit of innovative research at the frontiers of science and technology and their commitment to community service as demonstrated through scientific leadership, public education, or community outreach.”

 

Prof. Akinwande is known for his groundbreaking research on nanomaterials, sensors, devices and flexible technology. He is considered one of the top researchers in the world in the areas of graphene, silicon electronics and 2-D nanomaterials for use in flexible electronics. In 2015, Akinwande created the first transistor out of silicene, the world’s thinnest silicon material, and he is continuing to advance the capabilities of computer chips and other electronics.

 

Prof. Akinwande has been the recipient of several prestigious awards, including the Inaugural IEEE NANO “Geim and Novoselov Graphene Prize,” an IEEE Early Career Award in Nanotechnology, a National Science Foundation Career Award, an Army Research Office Young Investigator award, and a Young Investigator award from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency.

 

Previously, Texas ECE professor Mattan Erez received the PECASE award in 2014 and Prof. Seth Bank received the PECASE award in 2009.

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

I Won't Devalue Naira - President Buhari Yet Again Rejects Devaluation of the Nation's Currency

President Muhammadu Buhari has reiterated that his position not to approve further devaluation of the Naira, saying that Nigeria, which is not an exporting nation, would be worst hit if the Naira was devalued.

President Buhari with President of Sudan, H.E. Omar Al-Bashir and Prime Minister of Ethiopia, H.E. Hailemariam Desalegn at the Opening Panel- Presidential Roundtable of Business for Africa, Egypt and the World in Sharm El-Sheikh Egypt on 20th Feb 2016 

 

While contributing to a Presidential Panel Roundtable on Investment and Growth Opportunities at the opening session of the Africa 2016: Business for Africa, Egypt and the World at Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, President Muhammadu Buhari has again ruled out the possibility of his government devaluing the naira.

 The president said on Saturday that the priority of his administration was to ensure national food security before export of food products, adding that Nigeria being a mono-economy dependent on oil, and with a teeming unemployed youth population, the way out of the current slump in the global oil market, is for the administration to focus on agriculture and solid minerals development.

 "The land is there and we need machinery inputs, fertilizer and insecticides," he said.

 Reiterating his opposition to the devaluation of the naira, President Buhari said Nigeria cannot compete with developed countries which produce to compete among themselves, and can afford to devalue their local currencies.

 "Developed countries are competing among themselves and when they devalue they compete better and manufacture and export more. But we are not competing and exporting but importing everything including toothpicks. So, why should we devalue our currency?" the president asked.

 "We want to be more productive and self-sufficient in food and other basic things such as clothing. For our government, we like to encourage local production and efficiency."

 He added that those who have developed taste for foreign luxury goods should continue to pay for them rather pressure government to devalue the naira.

 President Buhari, who expressed optimism that Nigeria would get out of its current economic downturn, noted that another major problem militating against economic revival is the huge resources deployed towards fighting insurgency and international terrorism.

 He, however, commended the support being received from the international community in the administration’s fight against terrorism as well as cooperation in tracing looted funds stashed away in foreign countries.

 Responding to a question on his performance since he assumed office, the president said that his administration had been quite focused on three fundamental issues of securing the country, reviving the economy and stamping out corruption.

“The message on corruption has been driven home vividly and Nigerians are very acceptable to the message,” he said, adding that those accused of stealing public funds are cooperating by voluntarily providing useful information while investigations and prosecutions are ongoing.

Before departing Egypt, President Buhari and his Egyptian host, had a bilateral discussion on security, military cooperation, agriculture and solid minerals development.

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

We are Disorganised-President Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has finally admitted that Nigeria is in a state of disorganization and pressure as a result of falsely relying on mono-economic product. 

President Muhammadu Buhari

 

President Muhammadu Buhari has finally admitted that Nigeria is in a state of disorganization because of the rapid drop in oil price after his government had relied on mono-economic product. He made the disclosure on Tuesday.

According to a statement credited to his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, the President spoke while receiving a team of British members of Parliament led by Nigerian-born Hon. Chi Onwurah at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Buhari lamented the countries misfortune as the price of oil continues to drop and the sudden drop in the value of naira. He begged that all Nigerians home and abroad to join hands in rebuilding Nigeria.

“We are disorganised because we relied on mono-economic product for too long, and now that oil price is down, we have to go back to agriculture and solid minerals. Tin, columbite, cocoa, groundnut, and others, used to be the basis of our economy, but then, oil came, and everybody began to look for cheap money. Now, we need to start all over again,” the President reportedly told his guests.

Onwurah, who is the MP for Newcastle, said the team was in the country “to promote positive engagement between Nigeria and the UK, since we are stronger when we build on ties of the past.”

She gave the president the assurance that her team are in Nigerian to help support in anyway possible. She placed emphasis on promotion of trade and diversification of the economy. Onwurah came in the company of the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Paul Arkwright.

 

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

Senatorial Micro project: Donga Mantung Councils Want Own Share

By Shey Lontum in Nkambe

The Union of Cities and Councils of Cameroon, UCCC Donga Mantung Bureau has cried foul on the disbursement of the Senatorial Micro-Project grants for Donga Mantung. Discussing the issue at an end of year evaluation meeting in Nkambe last January 2016, the Mayors of Donga Mantung lamented the fact that since the death of their lone elected Senator, Yerima Jikong Stephen two years back, Donga Mantung has been deprived of the Micro-Project grants emanating from the Upper House.

The UCCC Bureau for Donga Mantung insists that the grants be directed to all the five Municipalities of Donga Mantung, Ako, Misaje, Nwa, Ndu and Nkambe to manage on behalf of the people. After all, they insinuated, it was thanks to these councils that Senator Jikong was elected after all. They hold that each Senator is granted fifteen million francs (15million) annually, and so for the past three years, they are demanding forty five million francs (45million), plus the one for 2016.

The Mayors regret that they have to be abandoned and forgotten so soon, coupled with the fact that they had lost their father, Chief Jikong. As orphans, they want their rightful dues and no more, no less. They recalled that when an MP of the lower House dies, the Micro-Project Grants for that area is given to the area through a process that is well managed. The Mayors took the case of late Hon. Chemo of Ako/Misaje who died in 2006 yet, his Micro-Project grants for that year was directed to the area through his party’s Group Leader. Why will the case of the Senator be different, they quizzed.

It should be recalled that Senator Jikong Stephen was elected by Councilors of Donga Mantung in February 2013 and NOT appointed by President Biya. He died in 2004, after barely functioning for a year. He had made a tour of four of the five Municipalities, except Ndu to thank the people and dish out some goodies. The Senators of North West had also paid a courtesy visit to Donga Mantung last 2015 and granted a meager 400,000 worth of bikes each to the five councils making a total of two million francs! If this is considered as part of the Micro Grant, then the UCCC Donga Mantung expects the balance of 43 million plus the pending one for 2016~

UCCC Donga Mantung has been holding regular meetings to discuss on issues harping on the welfare of the councils in the division. It is composed of Mr. Ngabir Paul Bantar, Mayor Nkambe as President; Martin Fon Yembe , 1st Deputy Mayor Ndu as Secretary General, Mr. Mgbata Mayor of Misaje who is the Treasurer, while Mayor Akio Augustin of Ako, Dr. Gomfe of Nwa and Bunyui of Ndu as members. The Bureau was elected in 2014, and it was installed into office in Nkambe by the SDO Donga Mantung, Ndone Ndodemessape Bernard.

 

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

Categorizing the SDF Militants (Part VI) SDF and SCNC Factor

At the launch of the SDF on May 26, 1990, lots of polemics and insinuations were raised. There was talk of the singing of the Nigerian National Anthem at the University of Yaoundé; there was talk of Biafran’s having joined in the queue in Yaoundé; there was talk of the chief launcher, Ni Ebibi having fled to neighboring Nigeria. Then there were diatribes being heaved on the adherents as they were tagged “Les ennemis dans la Maison”! and told to “ va aillleurs”! When the SDF program of Federalism was put forward, the regime’s cohorts termed it secessionist! Given that lots of Bamilikes identified with the philosophy and ideologies of the SDF, the CPDM regime rebaptized it an Anglo-Bami party!
It is a given that the SDF was created by an entire Anglophone corps, given the background traced right to the 1985 CNU/CPDM Congress in Bamenda where the New Social Order was blocked from being forwarded as a proposal for the peaceful coexistence of the “failing union”! Semengue himself had favored that proposal which was frustrated by a certain Pa Muna, we are reliably informed by Fon Gorji Dinka. This was all in an attempt to rescue a collapsing situation that was imminent, especially given the return to the pre-independence/reunification appellation of La Republique du Cameroun!
Who will deny the fact that the massive endorsement of an Anglophone candidate, Ni John Fru Ndi, as Cameroon’s President at the October 11 1992 polls frightened France and her allies in Yaoundé? The story has been written that the French President at the time had declared that “No Anglophone can be President in La Republique du Cameroun”!-
We all know that before the 1992 Presidential elections, there was no talk of an independent Southern Cameroons. In fact, there was just the Cameroon Anglophone Movement and the Free West Cameroon Movement by 1988. At the November 1991 Tripartite, the silhouette of a more formidable bloc was emerging that culminated in the All Anglophone Conference. Elad, Munzu, Itoe and Anyangwe were to seek ways of addressing the Anglophone problems in La Republique du Cameroun. Recall that SDF walked out of the Yaoundé talks and tension rose . So, all the while it was about how to neutralize the rising tension caused by the SDF!
The Emergence of SCNC: Befuddled SDF Militants
At Presidential polls of October 11, 1992, the SDF candidate won overwhelmingly in the South West and North West, as well as the West and Littoral…plus Yaoundé in the Centre. His victory, history has it, was stolen because he was a Southern Cameroonian. So, at AAC 1 in April of 1993, this issue was as well put on the table and the result was the Buea Peace Initiative. This was a peaceful translation of their frustration with the manner these Republicains were treating the Anglo-Saxons. No one paid heed and by 1994, the Bamenda Proclamation warned of an imminent shift of position radically if by a given time, their demands had not been addressed. As if to add pepper to injury, the regime, through the Ownon Commission slammed a hard one on Anglophones when it instead went ahead solo to come up with a Republican Constitution in 1996, throwing the proposals from AAC 1&2 to the dogs.
That is when the AAC was transformed into the SCNC and its new structures swept away most of the top SDF cadres and personalities like Nfor Ngala Nfor, Carlson Anyangwe, Ndoki Mukete etc. Behind the scene, hundreds of thousands became so frustrated, compounded by their failure to grasp seats in the 1996 Municipal elections or the 1997 Parliamentary elections! The SCNC became a safe haven for those who were seeking psychological sanctuary. Many kept swimming towards the independence bid and thus away from the main stream SDF. The SCNC leadership intoned a new song called Boycott of La Republique Elections! This led to a huge rise to political apathy in the Anglophone Regions, and so CPDm regained lost territory in especially Manyu, Bui, Donga Mantung, Menchum, Fako, and Ngoketunjia.
We know of top notches like Dr. Gumne Kevin Ngwang, Dr. Nfor Susungi; Dr. Luma Ngeka Martin Dr. Nfor Nfor; Barrister Sendze; Justice Nyo’ Wakai; and above all the great Albert Wumah Mukong who were all top NEC members who either slowed down their activities in the SDF or simply picked up more radical positions in the SCNC. Imagine how many militants followed them along!
We recall that each time the SDF Chieftain makes a positive statement in favor of Anglophones, the SDF graph rises, and this is the same thing when a top NEC member like Joshua Osih , Mbah Ndam Joseph and Awudu Mbya are heard openly making statements in defense of Anglophones!
Can SDF Still Exploit these SCNC-ed SDF Militants?
These pre-1993 SDF militants are still there, silently waiting for Godot and hoping! They are being told by Android Activists that Heaven is at hand and any participation in elections organized by La Republique du Cameroun tantamount to treachery, perfidy and therefore treason. They have been made to see their fellow combatants against a diabolic Yaoundé mimbo regime as “accomplices”! They have suddenly forgotten that it was the SDF that pulled down the wall of Jericho for the AAC1 and 2 to see the light of day! They have been intoxicated to forget so quickly that the BPI of AAC1 had called for a return to the Two State Federation.
With all these cacophonies and mystifications, these hundreds of thousands of SDF militants hardly register; rarely put on any SDF regalia and seldom attend SDF rallies, except the agenda has something to do with their Anglophone Problem. We recall that in 2004, when an Anglophone top journalist, Dr. Bob Forbin of The Herald newspaper came up with the idea of a Justice and Development Party to articulate the Anglophone problem openly and publicly, many SDF militants supported him (including this analyst and Christian Cardinal Tumi; Arch-Bishop Verdzekof etc), but when he declared he was gunning for La Republique’s Etoudi Palace, he was deserted like a plague! He has never recovered since then.
While blaming the SCNC for this organized disorder, we must also accuse some overzealous SDF officials who had made insinuations that gave the impression that the SDF is on the same side like the RDPC colonial cult group. How can one explain why an SDF MP of Momo, Batibo had to go on the air and tag the SCNC a secessionist group trying to destabilize the Republque? We recall that a one time Provincial Chairmaan of SDF for SW, Joshua Osih Nambangi had convened a Provincial meeting in Kumba on September 30, 2011 where he condemned the SCNC tagging them secessionist. He is quoted to have said that though the SDF recognizes the marginalization of the English speaking part of Cameroon, the party does not align with the secession of Anglophones. He ended up comparing the situation of marginalization of Anglophones with that of the East!
The point is that until SCNC adherents understand that it is only an SDF-led government that can soften the soil for the cultivation of the desired crops of freedom, the situation will keep growing bleaker. Someone has to be courageous enough to regalvanize these SCNC-ed SDF militants to rally forces with the people and knock down the wall of Jericho. They must start accepting the adage that the enemy of your enemy is your friend…even if just temporary! Because the biggest slap to your enemy is your success! We must not behave as if we do not know our enemy, for if you know your enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the results of a hundred battles…and the outcome will be certain.
*Martin-Luther Fon Yembe ( Shey Lontum) is a writer and he is working to publish these articles in a book soon. The views expressed here s his personal analyses.
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When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

President Biya's Message to the Youth at 50th Edition of National Youth Day

My dear young compatriots,

The celebration of the National Youth Day always affords me a singular opportunity to address you.

This year, we are celebrating the fiftieth edition of the Youth Day, which is proof that the entire nation has been paying constant attention to youths for half a century now.

It cannot be an overstatement to say that our youths constitute a major asset for the nation’s future. They are numerous and full of potential, dynamic and ambitious, conquering and creative.

In this regard, I wish to hail our young compatriots who have distinguished themselves lately through major innovations which are acknowledged by all. They took bold initiatives in the highly competitive domain of new information technologies and in many other domains such as agriculture.

They were not afraid. They were daring. Such has always been my recommendation to you. They were able to weather the deficiencies in our country which is still in the building process, and they have achieved the excellent results which we can all be proud of.

They are exemplars of personal patriotic commitment for our society. They deserve everyone’s support. May they serve as a source of inspiration for those who are still hesitating or dragging their feet!

My dear young compatriots,

Patriotism is a virtue that some people might wrongly consider outdated. Even today, it remains a mark of responsible and nobly asserted citizenship for the nation.

Regardless of your role in society, you should be patriotic to deserve well of the nation: the farmer on his farm, the pupil or student in their studies, the workman on his work site, the teacher in the classroom, the doctor or nurse at the hospital, the researcher in his laboratory, the civil servant in his office, the trader in his shop, the mechanic in his garage, the sweeper at his workplace, the transporter driving his vehicle.

We should each ply our trade with patriotic love. Only then will we become forces of progress for our country.

In this regard, take the example of our youths who are engaged at the war front. For the past two years, they have been protecting our country from the terrorist threat. They are sustained and driven by patriotic love, often to the point of sacrificing their lives.

Their behaviour is unlike that of some other youths who do everything possible to get recruited into the public service and then desert their duty stations while continuing to receive their salaries. They represent examples of what should not be done.

Some youths join the public service just to obtain a service number, as they are fond of saying. These do not deserve well of the nation.

The unbridled quest for easy profit and wealth is a road to perdition that should be shunned by the youths.

It is proper for our youths to be imbued with republican and civic values. These should form the basis of a genuine commitment on every front, be it security, economic, cultural or socio-political.

My dear young compatriots,

I am fully aware of the difficulties you are facing. I know your doubts and worries. I know especially that you have difficulty getting a job.

Our capacity to create decent jobs is constrained by external factors related to the global economic environment, coupled with some domestic red tape. Nevertheless, we are not giving up. Our efforts over the past few years are starting to pay off.

The imminent commissioning of major infrastructures and the ongoing Three-Year Emergency Plan should consolidate such gains.

In the medium term, the launching of the extensive industrialization programme which I outlined on 31 December last year should create many job opportunities.

The development of our agricultural sector will be accorded a prime place. In this regard, I urge you to truly revolutionize your mindset. The soil has never betrayed anyone. Do not be afraid to take the plunge and become the agricultural entrepreneurs that Cameroon needs. It is a noble and rewarding trade in the so-called real economy.

I therefore I urge the elders to shoulder their responsibility: it is proper to urge the youths to work the land and it is unwise to dissuade them from doing so.

It is equally important to set a good example for them: urban workers should also undertake activities in rural areas. Through their actions and those of the Government, we should make our villages more youth-friendly.

It is not a matter of waiting to amass substantial resources. It is, first and foremost, a matter of determination and commitment. In agriculture, a little often goes a long way.

There are many Government programmes designed to support rural development. Obtain information on such programmes. You should be able to make the most of them.

In addition, there is another domain which I know you of the so-called "Android" generation hold most dear, namely the development of the digital economy.

To each generation, its historic challenges for the nation’s future! I can say that one of the major challenges for our youths is to manage to keep abreast of the astounding phenomenon of the digital economy.

I urge the entire nation to resolutely mobilize and support the numerous initiatives undertaken by our youths in this area:

- The Government should systematically and effectively continue setting up appropriate infrastructure, but also cleaning up and properly regulating this key sector in the interest of the national economy and the development of youth employment.

- Public or private training institutions are called upon to fully play their role. They must identify the new trades and tailor their syllabuses accordingly.

- Large enterprises and other public and private entities should set the example by progressively carrying out their own digital switchover.

- Financial institutions definitely stand to benefit by developing specific programmes to support youth-initiated projects in this new economy.

It is through such collective commitment that we will be able to rise to the challenge of digital transition.

These two sectors, namely agriculture and digital economy, require us to continue with and step up the professionalization of our secondary education.

In higher education, the various stakeholders have been mobilized to progressively provide the job market with human resources that meet the new requirements.

Enterprises are not seeking out for just graduates, but a labour force that is well trained in specific trades and that is constantly adapted to global trends.

To meet this expectation, I am pleased to note that the Government has opened three Pilot Centres of Excellence in Douala, Limbe and Sangmelima, at the cost of about 21 billion, to provide retraining and skills upgrading for senior technicians and other skilled workers.

The economic integration of youths is thus a constant concern. Our actions will continue with greater momentum to enable our youths to make the most of the numerous programmes and projects that are underway or in the pipeline.

To that end, I have just given instructions for the launch of a three-year "Special Youth" plan worth CFAF 102 billion in total.

This plan should facilitate and accelerate the economic integration of our youths. We should all take a keen interest in it. In so doing, I believe, you will be demonstrating your “economic patriotism”.

Furthermore, I believe that you could reap much benefit from the good citizenship education programmes offered by the Civic Service Agency for Participation in Development.

This very timely initiative has already set up hundreds of local committees countrywide. You should sign on and enjoy its benefits.

My dear young compatriots,

I gave you a hint about it. The sky is gradually clearing up. The clouds are dispersing progressively.

I am aware that you, more than the other population segments, are affected by unemployment. I, however, urge you to look to the future with more confidence. Of course, we have not yet reached our goal, but we are making progress against all the odds.

More effort is definitely required from us to achieve stronger, more stable and more sustainable growth. We will undoubtedly continue to encounter obstacles along the way; however, it behoves us to overcome them resolutely and bravely with everyone’s participation.

I have just outlined all the benefits you can reap from working the land, from our new-found industrialization and also from the digital economy.

Thus, through your active participation, you are expected to inevitably and progressively take the nation’s future into your own hands, under the benevolent mentorship of the elders, in a properly organized blending of generations.

To that end, you should have faith in the future, despite the challenges.

Rest assured that I will spare no effort to support you in your determination to succeed.

Happy Youth Day to each and every one of you!

Long live Cameroon’s youths!

Long live Cameroon!

Yaounde, 10 February 2016


When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

congratulations Ngie Didimus Tantoh

Nelson Mandela once said that " A good head and good heart are always a formidable combination. But when you add to that a literate tongue or pen, then you have something very special.”  This is perphaps one of the most inspirational quotes to sauce the success story of Ngie Didimus Tantoh who just graduated in flying colours with a Master Arts in International relations at the Eastern Mediterranean University in Turkey. Bravo Mon Frere. But nothing could capture this great achievement more than the lenses of Rudyard Kipling which could spice this. To Rudyard “if you can keep your head when all around you are losing theirs and if you can meet with triumph and disaster and treat the two the same, yours is earth and everything that is in it”.  There is no doubt that Kipling had in mind the success story of brilliant young boys who have stood the taste of time to accomplish their dreams like Ngie. Rudyard Kipling surely had this inspiration from the fact that education demands alot of sacrifices given that majority would tumble on the way and never get up. The few who succeed have to be encouraged.
If you are looking for someone who has been able to draw his knees up and had passed comfortable nights in the blanket far away from home to add a literate tongue and pen to his head, I know one. His name is Ngie Didimus Tantoh. His graduation on February 9, 2015 is a historical object. I feel he is going to be the most trusted expert. After spending years without pulling or hauling off his feet the blanket of books, Ngi Tantoh entered into records yesterday as he graduates with a Master Degree from one of the most prestigous educational institutions in Turkey. In fact nothing defines a workaholic than his dedication to accomplish something. After obtaining a degree at the Buea University in 2013, he has always admired Ph.D holders and he is now just a step to be one.  That he graduated in flying colours is not surprising to those who know of what stuff he is made. What is important about this young and talented young graduate is that his brain is a relic which makes him a webster. If we go by Albert Einstein's desctiption of a genius which is 1/10 inspiration and 9/10 perspiration, Ngie Didimus Tantoh is a genius. In this light, Didi stans out tall from th madding crowd for his story, if not the story of graduates who this generation could look up to as role models will remain incomplete. What inescapably catches your attention when you first meet this young lavender from Mbum land in Donga Mantung is his strive to always look back home. Being a youth emancipator of this generation, he knows too well what is good, attractive and inspiring. And truely it takes years of hard-work to smile. Take it for overconfidence and you are wrong. Bravo and Congratulations brother.



When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

North West Fons Set to Elect New President in Nkambe

The elective General assembly of the North Fons Union will hold on February 20, 2016 in Nkambe. The decision to hand over power to Donga Mantung was reached at during an enlarge executive meeting that took place in Bamenda this weekend. Sources say the executive also endorsed the candidature of HRH Fon Ibrahim Japbfu Nfor, ruler of Nkambe as lone candidate for the position of General President. It should be recalled that HRH Fon Ibrahim Jabpfu Nfor has served NOWEFU in various capacities since creation. He served as Treasurer, Vice President and has also served as Divisional Coordinator for Donga Mantung. He is a former memebr of the House of Chiefs and is jampacked with experience in associative life and group dynamics.Given his experience and the wisdom, he was also endorsed by the Donga Mantung Fons Union as their lone candidate.
Classified sources hinted this reporter that the Nkambe Elective General Assembly will begin with an eceumical service and ends with the election of the President, Secretary General and Treasurer. The President General will be empowered to coopt a 50 man executive that will pilot the affairs of the union.








When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

CAMWATER GM Sacked

The General Manager of CAMWATER William Sollo was fired today February 8, 2016 during an extraordianry board meeting. He was immediately replaced by Ondoua Akoa Alphonse Roger. It is not yet clear whether the sacked GM had committed management errors as is the case with several companies in the country.  Classified sources say what happened to Zacheuse Forjindam is likely to happen to William Sollo as he was immediately whisked off. It is alleged that he maybe heading to Kondengui.


When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

US Classifies Cameroon as Second Most Dangerous Country (See Reasons)

A report of the Council on Foreign Relations of the US State Department has prohibited US citizens from traveling to Cameroon. This report which was posted on their website on December 22, 2015 places Cameroon as the second country to avoid worldwide.

After South Sudan, the report which has gone viral on the social media places Cameroon as the second most dangerous country in the world. This is the result of the report issued by the Council on Foreign Relations of the US State Department. The fact on which the assertion of this report was issued allegedly is based on the insecurity in the northern region of Cameroon. In the report the US State Department formally outlawed the movement of its citizens in the North and East of the country. This is because of attacks and kidnappings orchestrated by the terrorist sect Boko Haram. As for the eastern region, the reason is based on Central African, Seleka rebels. US indicate that 21 foreigners have been kidnapped since 2003. And since July 2015, Boko Haram has operated at least 14 suicide attacks in the North and the Far North, including Maroua. So Cameroon would be more dangerous than Nigeria and the Central African Republic that have respectively been ranked at the 30th and 20th positions. The report also indicates that the political capital Yaounde and the economic capital Douala enjoying great crime rate. It also observed a high rate of unemployment and under-equipped police. Yet it goes further to stress that the influx of refugees to Cameroon negatively impact the country's economy which has resulted to further consequences of exodus to urban areas. While a black picture painted by the country of Barack Obama, to show how dangerous it is to end up in Cameroon. The report was posted on December 22 on the website of the US State Department.

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

Anyone Saying Chibok Girls will Return is a Big Liar - Obasanjo

Former president Obasanjo has blamed the immediate past president, Goodluck Jonathan for trivializing the distress call to rescue the girls on the day they were abducted.

Speaking at an event organized by the Staff Club of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria's former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, on Friday, doubted the ability of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s Federal Government to rescue the abducted Chibok girls alive, adding that anyone saying the girls would return was simply lying.

Obasanjo’s reaction follows several promises by the current administration that it would rescue the abducted Chobok girls alive. The ex president, however blamed the immediate past President, Goodluck Jonathan, for trivializing the distress call to rescue the girls on the day they were abducted.

He said, "The former president heard about the kidnap 8am in the morning of the abduction but failed to act until 72 hours later and by then it was too late.

Anyone saying the Chibok girls will return is telling lies, maybe some of them will return to tell their story."

He stated that the failure of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2015 presidential election is a blessing to Nigeria. "We tried, but with Jonathan, it was best that PDP should fail to save Nigeria," Obasanjo said.

According to Obasanjo, the Jonathan’s administration trivalised issues of importance as politics, particularly that of Boko Haram.

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

Dramas as Man of 'God' Impregnates Seven Church Members, Two Married Women

A spiritual leader in the christian faith has been accused of using diabolical means to lure his female church members to bed.  

A randy man of God identified as Dukes (surname withheld) in Umunede, Delta State who has been accused of sleeping with his church members in the past two years, has allegedly impregnated seven of his single female church members and two married women.
While trouble is currently brewing over the act, it was reliably gathered that the self-acclaimed man of God had also allegedly seduced several young girls in neighbouring communities: Ute-Ukpu, Otolokpo under the guise of providing them with suitors before he moved into Umunede after his cover was blown.
He was said to have been arrested and detained at Agbor Police Station by aggrieved parents of his victims for two days before granted bail.

A member of his church “Light Of God Ministries” Josephine Ogor said, “The self acclaimed reverend uses preaching, choirs and organised youth fellowship to get young girls.”
“That was what he did in Ute-Okpu, Otolokpo neighbouring communities before he moved into Umunede and he was driven away by the elders of the communities, he likes girls of 15, 16 and 17 years he sleeps with,” she added.
Investigation revealed that until some married women started carrying their marital problems to him, the self-acclaimed man of God allegedly known for magical powers, specialises in mind-blowing prophecies for unsuspecting members of his church including some highly placed politicians and businessmen across the state.
His victims, some who claimed they were hoodwinked into sexual intercourse with him via magical powers, Awele John, Marble Ogoan and Rosemary Iwendi said: “Please Mr. Pressman don’t use our pictures.”
“The man is fake, he uses magical powers to woo young girls he sleeps with, that was how we fell into his net, and our eyes were opened”.
Another victim, a married woman who did not want her name in the print said she had gone to the reverend’s house to seek advice on constant quarrels between her and the husband for possible solution when Dukes allegedly gave her anointed oil for her to rub and take from it but this was not to be, when she found herself in love making with the reverend during the night.
She said: “I saw myself having sexual intercourse with the Reverend in my sleep and I was shocked before I made it known to my husband”.
Further investigation revealed that his modus operandi is to give out olive oil bottles to unsuspecting female miracle seekers, young girls looking for suitors, a situation that keep them glued to him before taking them to bed. The accused has denied all the allegations with the police currently undertaking investigations to ascertain the truth.

 

Source: Punch

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

P. Diddy Allegedly Hired Hitmen to kill Tupac Shakur

 A former LAPD police officer has sensationally revealed how the legendary rapper, Tupac Shakur was murdered by an assassin hired by P Diddy over a fued.

Rap star P Diddy (centre) hired hitmen to kill Tupac Shakur (left), a former LAPD police officer has sensationally claimed

 Shakur, 25, was murdered in a drive-by shooting in 1996 in the middle of a feud between rival rap groups from the East and West Coasts of US. Now retired, Detective Greg Kading has said the entire hit was set-up by Sean ‘P Diddy’ Combs, who was then known as Puff Daddy.

 Kading also claims that the murder of Combs’ best friend Christopher ‘Biggie Smalls’ Wallace six months later was in revenge for the murder of Shakur.

 Kading’s claims appear in a new documentary that suggests Combs hired Crips gang member Duane Keith 'Keffe D' Davis to kill Shakur for $1million. Davis was also allegedly hired to kill Shakur’s manager Marion 'Suge' Knight. Instead Kading said Keffe passed the hit onto nephew Orlando 'Baby Lane' Anderson.

 It was therefore Anderson who shot Skakur dead after he left a Mike Tyson fight on September 7, 1996, Kading claims. The documentary, Murder Rap, includes a 2008 interview with Keffe where he claims to have heard Diddy issue a call for Tupac’s murder.

 He declared to a room full of Crips gang members that he'd “give anything for Pac and Suge Knight's heads”, the Huffington Post reports.

 He goes on to say in the police interview that the rapper had later approached him and offered him $1million to kill the pair.

In the documentary, Kading says he “trapped” Keffe into revealing details of Shakur's murder in order to avoid a longer sentence for another crime.

 

Tupac is pictured with his manager Marion 'Suge' Knight  (Photo:Getty)

Kading says that in retaliation to Tupac's murder, his manager Knight ordered the killing of Combs’ long-time friend Biggie Smalls.

 He allegedly hired rival Blood gang member Wardell 'Poochie' Fouse to carry out the killing for just $13,000.

 

Source: The Sun UK

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

The Problem With Goodluck Jonathan - by Niran Adedokun

Amid the heaping of blames for Nigeria's economic woes on Goodluck Jonathan by Nigerians, Niran Adedokun explains what the faults of the former president were.

I am not one of those who think former President Goodluck Jonathan is the worst thing that happened to Nigeria after God made Satan like a lot of Nigerians think currently.

 Nigerians have an unusual capacity to take in the dramatic. We are drawn in by the eloquence of men and when such fluency is combined with some elements of drama, we mostly lose the tendency for soundness. I try to detach myself from that mob reasoning whose motivation is most often discovered not more than some tempest in a teapot.

The level of unreasonableness and rapidity of presumptions have even now worsened with the capacity of the social media to sell falsehood and untested information. Like the downpour that lumps the chicken and pigeon together, social media has conjoined folly and wisdom in a marriage of perpetual discomfort.

 I recently saw a Facebook post, which got me wondering what a lot of us Nigerians make of the reality of life and living. The post sought to know why the Supreme Being ever allowed a man like Jonathan to rule Nigeria. And when I saw it, I felt that the error therein define Nigerians’ perception of the necessary ingredients for the development of their country. Expectedly, that post gained some traction but I disagree with it on two fronts.

 For starters, does God decide who becomes President in any country? Do we realise that the choices that we make ultimately determine what happens.

 For example, would President Muhammadu Buhari be in office if Christians prayed round the clock and Muslims sat on their mats without casting their votes on March 28, 2015? Wouldn’t Buhari be back in Daura tending his cattle without the interventions of mortals?

 Reminds me of a story I read in The Believer’s Authority, one of the classic offerings of the late American Pentecostal preacher, Kenneth Hagin. He told of how Jesus Christ appeared in a vision to teach him about the authority that a believer has. In the course of their discussion, an evil spirit appeared, making a lot of noise and causing a cloud which made it impossible for him to see Jesus. Hagin waited for Jesus to do something but he didn’t. The preacher said he later came to himself, rebuked the spirit, saw it hit the floor like a bag of salt and then the cloud cleared and he could see Jesus again. Thereafter, Jesus explained that if Hagin did nothing about the situation, there was nothing he, Jesus, could do as he already completed his own job years back! This is one fact that Nigerians, especially Christians, must wrap their heads around. There are things that God cannot do for us!

 Secondly, I think it is totally unfair to judge Jonathan only on the basis of current alarming revelations of sleaze. Here, I should be clear, corruption is horrible and everyone found culpable by our courts should be made to pay for their misdeeds but we need to put these issues in perspective.

 One understands that Nigerians are angry with Jonathan on the assumption that the current vulnerable state of the economy is a direct effect of the volume of monies allegedly stolen under his watch but that is not exactly so. Nigeria’s economy is at its prostrate state because successive leaders failed to put action behind the rhetoric about diversifying the economy.

 In spite of all the instances of theft and pilfering that have recently been revealed, Nigeria will not be at this state of affairs if crude oil still sold for say $100 per barrel. The situation with the price of crude oil has left many economies globally in dire straits. Russia, Saudi Arabia. Canada and Venezuela are currently on differing levels of struggles due to this crunch.

 Unfortunately, we do not seem to have learnt much from this situation. This administration is in the main; seems to concentrate diversification efforts on commodities and the extractive industries rather than exploring manufacturing, the enormous human resources as well as the creative and tourism potential of the country. Even then, budgetary allocation for Agriculture in the 2016 budget does not reflect the urgency with which Nigeria needs to diversify.

 Then, if we did not have a Jonathan who was not desperate to remain in office, could the 2015 elections have gone so smoothly? Some argue that then chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, would not have allowed any manipulation but a president whose eyes were set on a second term would not have appointed a Jega in the first place!

 Again, Jonathan did more than this. I do not remember any administration doing as much as Jonathan did to revamp and modernise agriculture. The YouWin Enterprise initiative, even if tokenistic, was an innovative employment generation programme which encouraged entrepreneurship and empowered hundreds of Nigerian youths. YouWIN was the first time I saw people benefiting from a national scheme without recommendations from some highly placed individuals. Modest attempts were made under Jonathan to rebuild a few institutions while the capacity of our security forces to respond to crimes cannot be said to be the same as in 2010. Not too long ago, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, was quoted as acknowledging that Jonathan built more roads than any previous government in Nigeria while the strides made in the reform of power, provided a pedestal for this administration to build on. The Jonathan administration also attempted to save by setting up a Sovereign Wealth Fund.

 In spite of whatever strides he made however, some character flaws would deny him the crown for good governance.

 One is his deficit in courage. Jonathan came across as a man who could take a stand in power. Someone who listens to every opinion without committing to anything. The inability of Jonathan to curb many of those who worked with him from the mindless plundering of the nation is a case in point. Reference can also be made to the excesses of his wife, Patience and Chief Edwin Clark who has now done a Judas on him.

A corollary to this is the penchant of the former President to speak out of turn. While in government, Jonathan hardly said anything right at the appropriate time. When he spoke, he did with a lot of slips some of which accounts for the whittling down of his popularity. Till date, Nigerians remember sound bites, like “I don’t give a damn about asset declaration”, “stealing is not corruption” and many other faux pas.

 Even now, the former president has yet to see the memo. At this time when his closest aides are answering corruption charges, Jonathan should be courageous enough to step out and explain the circumstances around the allegations against his administration. He is not the one on trial at the moment and he should be bold enough to take on this government which is determined to rubbish his administration or savour the dignity of silence until he is called upon to account.

 But as this administration and Nigerians continue to probe the past, not paying attention to the weakness of our national institutions will make it all futile.

 The inefficiency of our bureaucracy, the hypocrisy of our political elite, the betrayal of public trust by the National Assembly, a unique body meant to check the excesses of other arms of government and protect the people must be addressed without let.

 If all the stories of fleece under Jonathan are true, how does the National Assembly exculpate itself from this grand conspiracy against the people? How can Nigeria continue with anti-corruption agencies which wait on executive prompting before getting to work, one which summarily appropriates the roles of courts? How do we reform a Central Bank that flouts its own process on the altar of political convenience ruining thereby the monetary policy of the state and destroying the national economy?

 The problem with our leaders, to my mind, is not as much a question of their personal idiosyncrasies as it is the failure of democratic institutions to perform their constitutional roles. Even President Buhari is on this path now unless something gives and everyone holds the ball firmly. For, do not less us deceive ourselves, there are no good men in public office, only institutions can restrain leaders from executive waywardness.

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

Scam Alert! Do Not Open This Message on Your Iphone

 Apple users have been given a serious warning to be alert after a new scam tactics internet fraudsters are using to hack personal information of apple product users was revealed.

Apple users are being warned not to open a scam text, that's apparently sent by company, which tricks people into sharing their personal details, reports The Sun.

 The fraudulent message tries to scam users by telling them their account has been frozen and they should validate their iTunes account to avoid suspension.

 The latest scam was announced ahead of Apple's upcoming press event where the technology company are expected to unveil the new iPhone and iPad.

 The web address is disguised using a link shortener, a tool that cuts down the URL into smaller format, so it appears to say 'iTunes'.

 Iapple users have been warned to be on the safe side by not opening the link if they get the message. They have been warned  to simple delete the message to avoid anything that might lead them into divulging useful information or account hack.

 

 

Apple has previously sent out virus email and text warnings from con artists who claim to be the popular digital media store.

 A statement on the company's website explains the dangers of the malicious messages.

 It claims: "The iTunes Store will never ask you to provide personal information or sensitive account information (such as passwords or credit card numbers) via email.

 "Email messages that contain attachments or links to non-Apple websites are from sources other than Apple, although they may appear to be from the iTunes Store.

"Most often, these attachments are malicious and should not be opened.

"You should never enter your Apple account information on any non-Apple website."

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

#WorldCancerDay: All You Need to Know About Early Warning Signs of Cancer

 It is world cancer day! Here are tips to keep you safe that could very much save your life in the future if you read and follow accordingly.

 

What are signs and symptoms?

 

Signs and symptoms are both signals of injury, illness, disease – signals that something is not right in the body.

A sign is a signal that can be seen by someone else – maybe a loved one, or a doctor, nurse, or other health care professional. For example, fever, fast breathing, and abnormal lung sounds heard through a stethoscope may be signs of pneumonia.

A symptom is a signal that’s felt or noticed by the person who has it, but may not be easily seen by anyone else. For example, weakness, aching, and feeling short of breath may be symptoms of pneumonia.

Having one sign or symptom may not be enough to figure out what’s causing it. For example, a rash in a child could be a sign of a number of things, such as poison ivy, measles, a skin infection, or a food allergy. But if the child has the rash along with other signs and symptoms like a high fever, chills, achiness, and a sore throat, then a doctor can get a better picture of the illness. Sometimes, a patient’s signs and symptoms still don’t give the doctor enough clues to be sure what’s causing the illness. Then medical tests, such as x-rays, blood tests, or a biopsy may be needed.

 

How does cancer cause signs and symptoms?

Cancer is a group of diseases that can cause almost any sign or symptom. The signs and symptoms will depend on where the cancer is, how big it is, and how much it affects the organs or tissues. If a cancer has spread (metastasized), signs or symptoms may appear in different parts of the body.

As a cancer grows, it can begin to push on nearby organs, blood vessels, and nerves. This pressure causes some of the signs and symptoms of cancer. If the cancer is in a critical area, such as certain parts of the brain, even the smallest tumor can cause symptoms.

But sometimes cancer starts in places where it won’t cause any signs or symptoms until it has grown quite large. Cancers of the pancreas, for example, usually don’t cause symptoms until they grow large enough to press on nearby nerves or organs (this causes back or belly pain). Others may grow around the bile duct and block the flow of bile. This causes the eyes and skin to look yellow (jaundice). By the time a pancreatic cancer causes signs or symptoms like these, it’s usually in an advanced stage. This means it has grown and spread beyond the place it started – the pancreas.

A cancer may also cause symptoms like fever, extreme tiredness (fatigue), or weight loss. This may be because cancer cells use up much of the body’s energy supply, or they may release substances that change the way the body makes energy from food. Cancer can also cause the immune system to react in ways that produce these signs and symptoms.

 

Sometimes, cancer cells release substances into the bloodstream that cause symptoms that are not usually linked to cancer. For example, some cancers of the pancreas can release substances that cause blood clots in veins of the legs. Some lung cancers make hormone-like substances that raise blood calcium levels. This affects nerves and muscles, making the person feel weak and dizzy.

 

How are signs and symptoms helpful?

 

Treatment works best when cancer is found early – while it’s still small and is less likely to have spread to other parts of the body. This often means a better chance for a cure, especially if the cancer can be removed with surgery.

A good example of the importance of finding cancer early is melanoma skin cancer. It can be easy to remove if it has not grown deep into the skin. The 5-year survival rate (percentage of people who live at least 5 years after diagnosis) at this early stage is around 98%. Once melanoma has spread to other parts of the body, the 5-year survival rate drops to about 16%.

Sometimes people ignore symptoms. Maybe they don’t know that the symptoms could mean something is wrong. Or they might be frightened by what the symptoms could mean and don’t want to get medical help. Maybe they just can’t afford to get medical care.

Some symptoms, such as tiredness or coughing, are more likely caused by something other than cancer. Symptoms can seem unimportant, especially if there’s a clear cause or the problem only lasts a short time. In the same way, a person may reason that a symptom like a breast lump is probably a cyst that will go away by itself. But no symptom should be ignored or overlooked, especially if it has lasted a long time or is getting worse.

Most likely, symptoms are not caused by cancer, but it’s important to have them checked out, just in case. If cancer is not the cause, a doctor can help figure out what the cause is and treat it, if needed.

Sometimes, it’s possible to find cancer before having symptoms. The American Cancer Society and other health groups recommend cancer-related check-ups and certain tests for people even though they have no symptoms. This helps find certain cancers early, before symptoms start. For more information on early detection tests, see our document called American Cancer Society Guidelines for the Early Detection of Cancer. But keep in mind, even if you have these recommended tests, it’s still important to see a doctor if you have any symptoms.

 

What are some general signs and symptoms of cancer?

You should know some of the general signs and symptoms of cancer. But remember, having any of these does not mean that you have cancer – many other things cause these signs and symptoms, too. If you have any of these symptoms and they last for a long time or get worse, please see a doctor to find out what’s going on.

 

Unexplained weight loss

 

Most people with cancer will lose weight at some point. When you lose weight for no known reason, it’s called an unexplained weight loss. An unexplained weight loss of 10 pounds or more may be the first sign of cancer. This happens most often with cancers of the pancreas, stomach, esophagus (swallowing tube), or lung.

 

Fever

 

Fever is very common with cancer, but it more often happens after cancer has spread from where it started. Almost all people with cancer will have fever at some time, especially if the cancer or its treatment affects the immune system. (This can make it harder for the body to fight infection.) Less often, fever may be an early sign of cancer, such as blood cancers like leukemia or lymphoma.

 

Fatigue

 

Fatigue is extreme tiredness that doesn’t get better with rest. It may be an important symptom as cancer grows. But it may happen early in some cancers, like leukemia. Some colon or stomach cancers can cause blood loss that’s not obvious. This is another way cancer can cause fatigue.

 

Pain

 

Pain may be an early symptom with some cancers like bone cancers or testicular cancer. A headache that does not go away or get better with treatment may be a symptom of a brain tumor. Back pain can be a symptom of cancer of the colon, rectum, or ovary. Most often, pain due to cancer means it has already spread (metastasized) from where it started.

 

Skin changes

 

Along with skin cancers, some other cancers can cause skin changes that can be seen. These signs and symptoms include:

• Darker looking skin (hyperpigmentation)
• Yellowish skin and eyes (jaundice)
• Reddened skin (erythema)
• Itching (pruritis)
• Excessive hair growth
• Signs and symptoms of certain cancers

Along with the general symptoms, you should watch for certain other common signs and symptoms that could suggest cancer. Again, there may be other causes for each of these, but it’s important to see a doctor about them as soon as possible – especially if there’s no other cause you can identify, the problem lasts a long time, or it gets worse over time.

 

Change in bowel habits or bladder function

 

Long-term constipation, diarrhea, or a change in the size of the stool may be a sign of colon cancer. Pain when passing urine, blood in the urine, or a change in bladder function (such as needing to pass urine more or less often than usual) could be related to bladder or prostate cancer. Report any changes in bladder or bowel function to a doctor.

 

Sores that do not heal

 

Skin cancers may bleed and look like sores that don’t heal. A long-lasting sore in the mouth could be an oral cancer. This should be dealt with right away, especially in people who smoke, chew tobacco, or often drink alcohol. Sores on the penis or vagina may either be signs of infection or an early cancer, and should be seen by a health professional.

 

White patches inside the mouth or white spots on the tongue

 

White patches inside the mouth and white spots on the tongue may be leukoplakia. Leukoplakia is a pre-cancerous area that’s caused by frequent irritation. It’s often caused by smoking or other tobacco use. People who smoke pipes or use oral or spit tobacco are at high risk for leukoplakia. If it’s not treated, leukoplakia can become mouth cancer. Any long-lasting mouth changes should be checked by a doctor or dentist right away.

 

Unusual bleeding or discharge

 

Unusual bleeding can happen in early or advanced cancer. Coughing up blood may be a sign of lung cancer. Blood in the stool (which can look like very dark or black stool) could be a sign of colon or rectal cancer. Cancer of the cervix or the endometrium (lining of the uterus) can cause abnormal vaginal bleeding. Blood in the urine may be a sign of bladder or kidney cancer. A bloody discharge from the nipple may be a sign of breast cancer.

 

Thickening or lump in the breast or other parts of the body

 

Many cancers can be felt through the skin. These cancers occur mostly in the breast, testicle, lymph nodes (glands), and the soft tissues of the body. A lump or thickening may be an early or late sign of cancer and should be reported to a doctor, especially if you’ve just found it or notice it has grown in size. Keep in mind that some breast cancers show up as red or thickened skin rather than a lump.

Indigestion or trouble swallowing

 

Indigestion or swallowing problems that don’t go away may be signs of cancer of the esophagus (the swallowing tube that goes to the stomach), stomach, or pharynx (throat). But like most symptoms on this list, they are most often caused by something other than cancer.

 

Recent change in a wart or mole or any new skin change

 

Any wart, mole, or freckle that changes color, size, or shape, or that loses its sharp border should be seen by a doctor right away. Any other skin changes should be reported, too. A skin change may be a melanoma which, if found early, can be treated successfully. See pictures of skin cancers and other skin conditions in our Skin Cancer Image Gallery.

 

Nagging cough or hoarseness

A cough that does not go away may be a sign of lung cancer. Hoarseness can be a sign of cancer of the larynx (voice box) or thyroid gland.

 

Other symptoms

The signs and symptoms listed above are the more common ones seen with cancer, but there are many others that are not listed here. If you notice any major changes in the way your body works or the way you feel – especially if it lasts for a long time or gets worse – let a doctor know. If it has nothing to do with cancer, the doctor can find out more about what’s going on and, if needed, treat it. If it is cancer, you’ll give yourself the chance to have it treated early, when treatment works best.

 

Source: cancer.org

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