Looking Glass: Meet Blaise Nkfunkoh Ndamnsah, Cameroonian Genius in the Diasporas

The Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon once declared that “sustainable development is

Blaise Nkfunkoh NDAMNSAH

the pathway to the future we want for all. It offers a framework to generate economic growth, achieve social justice, exercise environmental stewardship and strengthen governance”. Though society is such that some people create policies through speeches, other uses such speeches to effect positive changes in communities around the world. Development is a complex issue. Getting involved in security and peace initiatives that could generated a more stable world, peaceful environment and mutual co-existence is the most effective way of fighting poverty and achieving the MDGs.  Very often, we think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. But the worse part of poverty is when people have nobody who provides ideas or who could support innovative ideas that could lead to sustainable actions around the world. For sometime now, Cameroonians have been eager to knowing what the Cameroonian Diasporas could contribute towards the much talked-about Vision 2035. 

At The Eye newspaper, we are committed in bringing to you the worth of some Cameroonians in the Diasporas who could make significant contribution in nation building. One of such persons who has been and is providing remedy to this kind of poverty is Blaise Nkfunkoh Ndamnsah. He hails from Donga Mantung Division and currently living in Italy. He works as a train Cultural Mediator at the CARA Refugee Center Gorizia-Italy. He is the Vice Director to the Security and Defence Research Center in Gorizia. In conjunction with the trade union Cisl (Anolf-Gorizia) he is President and Legal Representative for the County Immigration Office.
Besides that Blaise Nkfunkoh is a public speaker and has offered lectures as Guest speaker and visiting lecturer at some European Universities( University of Padova (Italy), Ljubljana(Slovenia) on conflict analysis, Peacekeeping and Human Rights issues. He teaches English language and Geopolitics at the University of the third age in Gorizia- Italy (Università della terza età di Gorizia), As an external Collaborator with the Slovenian Defence Cluster Industry, Blaise is representing Slovenian industries to some African Defence Ministries. Currently he is a Doctoral candidate in Defence studies – at the University of Ljubljana. His research interest is “Cultural awareness training tools for Multinational Military Operations. A critical Analysis of the Multinational Land force(MLF)”.
Blaise Nkfunkoh is not a man to pigeon-hole with, whenever we make a closer look at his trappings in providing remedies to the world's most pressing issue as well as his innovative ideas at community levels. It is this art of reaching of reaching out to the world and providing remedy that is making him dissimilar from others.  

Many Cameroonians are still to crush such a feat. Not only is he the only one, who severally has been promoting the idea of peace and security in Africa, he has gone beyond that to making significant contribution in some European countries. Talk to him on this very pertinent issue and you will know you are with someone who is out to set example for others to follow. 

He is of the school of thought that holds that if there is peace and security in Africa, development will be sustainable. He has not only demonstrated this as Guest Speaker but has put all these ideas into books/publications.  The most interesting thing about this young and dynamic luminary is that he believes like Martin Luther King that “working is praying” and by so doing, his human and divine acts overrides, the human one bringing him closer to God and the communities.  

One famous philosopher once wrote that “if a man could mount to Heaven and survey the mighty universe, his admiration of its beauty would be much diminished unless he had some to share in his pleasure”. This clearly indicates that life harbors a vacuum and great people can only be identified when they interact in society. In other words, many people in society are just stage decorations while those who work hard in life stage the property to excellence. In fact what keeps the world intact is trust and society is so multifaceted that we are becoming short of role models like Blaise. Yet it is not a given to have such a role model. Blaise is one of those persons with a prolific slate. He is a man of a specific class and stands out clear in the madding crowd.

The Peace and Security Luminary

The most comfortable act on earth they say is to leave a legacy that would be remembered. From every indication Blaise has the knack to contribute enormously in improving lives around the globe and Cameroon. In one of his publications on the way such as: Cameroonian officers and commanders participating in a joint Cross National research on asymmetric warfare operations: old wars vs. new wars – the war against Boko Haram, he outlines all the necessary views and concepts.  

In fact judging from what the great and influential 18th  century writer and social critic, John Gardner said of great leaders, Blaise has “a significant role in creating the state of mind that is the society".  To Gardener, “great leaders can express the values that hold the society together. Most importantly, they can conceive and articulate goals that lift people out of their petty preoccupations carry them above the conflicts that tear a society apart, and unite them in the pursuit of objectives worthy of their best efforts”. John Gardner might have been writing about his 18th century Europe, but the issues he raised then are as urgent today as they were then. Issues of leadership, values and principles, and above all, peace, security and sustainable development are as poignant in today’s society as they were in the 18th century.

Our societies, talk less of such people in Cameroon. Yet we had to move into the wilderness to look for one of such role model. In fact a Role Model as prescribed by Aristotle in his concept. Blaise Nkfunkoh has a wide knowledge in the Protection of Asylum seekers and the role of cultural mediation in Italy. In one of his on the “CARA” refugee centre of Gradisca D’isonzo(Go)-Italy he portrays what it takes.  

As Lewis H. Lapham puts it “Leadership consist not in degrees of technique but in traits of character; it requires moral rather than athletic or intellectual effort, and it imposes on both leader and follower alike the burdens of self-restraint”. But Blaise is a man with a very rich education background. 

The Genuine Leader

It has also been about his beliefs that a better way to bring meaningful development to an area can as well be through politics. He then decided to fine-tune politics with his technological aplomb. As frontline militant of the CPDM who believes that for now, it is only the CPDM that can change the lot of his people, he decided to offer his time and experience to the building of a good image for the CPDM in Italy. His new generation militancy and his non-confrontational nature won for the CPDM many sympathizers. Interestingly, many of his lovers in the peace and security domain continued to remind him that they love him as a person but that he was riding the wrong horse. As convincing as a church priest, he could hammer a point that will guide them to understand that they should follow real power that signs for development projects. And that meaningful development only comes from government. Back home at Bih village, he is celebrated for bringing development to the doorsteps of his people. Of late, he was in the news to have lobbied the Italian couples who visited Donga Mantung Division to donate to schools, medical centres and palaces. 

 To describe Blaise as genius is give honour where it is outstanding. After a careful assessment of the potentials of those who passed round as leaders of the people in challenging times, Gardner was forced to come up with what he considered qualities of a good leader. In doing this, he had no bias or no particular individual in mind. His postulations on a good leader corresponded with what yet another greater leader of all times, Martin Luther King said. According to Martin Luther, “A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus”. Martin Luther King was simply overwhelmed by the quality of leaders around him as they fought the battle of equality between black and whites in the United States of America. Martin Luther was appalled not only by the number of quack but also kangaroo leaders that were doted in the black and white communities in the United States soon after independence. He saw in most leaders the individuals who rather than mold consensus in times of conflict went searching for consensus. He was also bothered about a leadership that was not committed and purposeful. His worries soon found expression in Dan Marino’s reflections that “Leadership, I think you must have that, particularly when a team’s on the field, they look to you. In critical situations, they look into your eyes to see if you’re there. If you’re not there, they start quitting”. Most of our leaders have fallen into this category. They quit even before the game is over, not knowing that the game does not end with the referee’s last whistle or when the crowds go home. It ends hours and years after the real match was played.

When others are singing a hymn, the level-headed Blaise Nkfunkoh Ndamnsah is singing a lullaby for the world to live in peace. When others think they have reached the end of the road, he thinks the journey is only beginning by protecting the interest of Asylum seekers and or giving out lectures to students. When others are taking only their needs into consideration, Blaise  is taking his abilities to the world. Like a true servant leader, he does not wait to be told what to do, he goes ahead and does what he thinks is for the interest of a greater majority. And there he is available to play the real match for the importance of compassion that Cameroon expects from the Diasporas  in order to guarantee peace, security and sustainable development at this point in time that the country is at war with the Islamic Sect, Boko Haram.

Profile of the Man/ Activities

Scientific Publications on the way: 

1. Author: Cameroonian officers and commanders participating in a joint Cross National research on asymmetric warfare operations: old wars vs. new wars – the war against Boko Haram. 

2. Co-author: Diversity and Cultural Issues in Multinational Military Operations. Case of the Italian-Slovenian-Hungarian Trilateral Brigade.

 3. Author: Protection of Asylum seekers and the role of cultural mediation in Italy: An analysis of the “CARA” refugee centre of Gradisca D’isonzo(Go)-Italy. SLOGA Journal-Slovenia. 

GUEST SPEAKER AT THE FOLLOWING INTERNATIONAL SEMINARS: 

 Peace & Security in Africa: A critical Analysis of the African Peace and Security Architecture. Lectures to Masters students on Human Right and Multilevel governance. University of Padova-Italy 14/12/2015; 

 Human Rights Challenges in Peacekeeping Operations: From Cooperation to confrontation. African Union, African states and the ICC. Lectures to Masters students on Human Right and Multilevel governance. University of Padova-Italy 15/12/2015; 

 Cameroonian Forces combating terrorism, case of Boku Haram, cultural and military lessons learned at the 13th Biennial conference of ERGOMAS Open University of Israel, Ra’anana, Israel (8 – 12 June 2015);

 Diversity and Cultural Issues in Multinational Operations: Case of the Italian-SlovenianHungarian Multinational Land Force (MLF) “Battle group” with Headquarters in Udine-Italy. Organised by the European Research Group on Military and Society. “Armed Forces and Operations in Asymmetric Warfare Environment” Torino (Italy) February 5th-8th, 2015; 

 Summer School on the United Nations: Youth Competencies for the Challenges of the Globalized World. “ Cultural Mediation and International Protection Systems: the Case of CARA Refugee Centre in Gradisca D'isonzo – Italy” organised by the United Nation Association of Slovenia. Ljubljana, 10 – 12 September 2014; 

 Transitions in European Security Structures and Doctrine. Towards the Adoption of Cultural Awareness Training for European Battle Group Soldiers. Critical analysis of the Italian lead battle group- SGRI 2014 conference Trento Italy. 26-28/06/2014;

  Cultural awareness in the EU’s common security and defence Policy. Third Joint PhD Symposium on South East Europe ,University college London UK 13/06/2014; 

 Cultural awareness training in the EU’s CSDP. UACES student Forum 2014 at Aston University Birmingham-UK 23-24/04/2014; 

 Cultures, ISAF and Geopolitics in Afghanistan, to undergraduate students in defense studies –University of Ljubljana-Slovenia. 06/01/2014. (Part of his PhD research curricular). 

Extra Training Received 

1. CSDP(Common Security and Defense Policy) Strategy: Problems and priorities, a workshop on 31/01/2014 organized by Maastricht university in Maastricht- Netherlands; 

2. SECURITY SECTOR REFORM course , by the European Security and Defence College(ESDC) in Brussels, 10-12/2013; 

3. UNITED NATIONS HUMANITARIAN CIVIL-MILITARY COORDINATION (UNCMcoord) Course, By the UN OCHA(Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian affairs)Geneva. It took place at Sharm El Sheik, Egypt 04/12-09/12/2011; 

4. NATO CIMIC Higher command course .By the CCOC Enschede Netherlands 03/10- 14/10/2011; 

5. COORDINATING CLUSTER ON EDUCATION AND CHILDS PROTECTION TRAINING. By Unicef N’djamena Tchad 22- 26/08/2011; 

6. NATO CIMIC LIAISON MUDULE COURSE (CLM) .By the Nato Base Motta di Livenza, at TV Italy. 20-23/06/2011; 

7. MANAGEMENT IN HUMANITARIAN EMERGENCIES. By Intersos (Humanitarian Aid Organization) at Castel Gandolfo Rome Italy . 15-17/04/2011; 

8. NATO CIMIC BASIC COURSE (NCBC), by the NATO Base Motta di livenza, at TV Italy. 6 - 17/09/2010;

9. HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE TRAINING. H.E.L.P. I (health emergencies in large - population), H.E.L.P. II (health, ethics, policies and rights). By ICRC at ECOGIA-GENEVA Switzerland, 31 May - 11 June 2010; 

10. International Humanitarian Law(IHL). By Italian Red Cross Friuli-Venezia Giulia, 10th Course DIU- at Tarcento, Italy; 

11. Training course for interpreters and cultural mediators in the Asylum field, Intervention programme at the Identification Centers. Rome 23-25 November and 7-9 December 2007 United Nations High Commission for Refugees (unhcr); 

12. Elements of legislation regarding immigration and the rights of asylum “Post-graduate course”- 54 hours. By Civiform of Cividale at Udine Italy 2006; 

13. Group project management – Post-graduate course 68 hours. By IRES FVG at IRES Udine-Italy 2006; 14. Techniques of inter-cultural entertainment - 400 hours. By Civiform of Cividale, Udine -Italy 2006; 

15. IT support for project management-Post graduate course 56 hours. By IRES FVG at IRES Udine Italy. 2006; 

16. XII International Summer School "The Empire of the New Rules and the Ethics of Social Networks”. By ISIG of Gorizia- Italy .28 August - 8 September 2006; 

17. XI International Summer School "Governance in the New Europe. Civil and Political Societies at Work. By ISIG of Gorizia Italy. 29 August - 9 September 2005; 

18. Software engineer (programming) Internship in the IT sector at SIEMENS of Karlsruhe (Germany) - 1 August – 29 November. 2002; 

Memberships

  African Standby Capacity(ASC)
 ERGOMAS (European Research Group on Military and Society)
 Co-founder and Vice-President of SDRC (Security and Defence Research Center) in Gorizia Italy website, www.sdrc-go.org 

 YPFP (Young Professionals in Foreign Policy)-Brussels. 

 ICD (Institute of Cultural Diplomacy)- Berlin, 

 UACES (University Association for Contemporary European Studies)-London. 

 CRN (Collaborative Research Network) on CSDP(Common Security and Defence Policies) Strategy.  Regional registry for cultural Mediator, FVG region in Italy.

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

Deadlock at Ndu as Disgruntled Students Write to Secondary Education Education Minister

An atmosphere of uncertainty looms at Government Secondary School Njilah, in Ndu Sub Division of the North West Region where students are stranded over the tussle between the school principal and PTA teachers. Ahead of the end of year exams, the frustrated students of GSS Njilah have expressed their anger and obnoxious act by school administration and the Parent Teacher Association as they have been abandoned to themselves.

In the lamentation "open" letter to the administration dropped at Sky One Radio Ndu, supposedly addressed to the (Minister of Secondary Education) the students decried that since March 16, 2016, the atmosphere in their school has been hopeless and frustrating as they have only two teachers (physics and biology). All the PTA teachers according what we gathered vamoosed after they were not paid. The Eye is aware that since school reopened students of GSS Njilah have been idling given the deadlock. A classified source hinted us that before the student went on vacation, PTA teachers were already aghast with the Principal who allegedly concocted report cards for the students (photocopies). One of the students (names withheld) told us that for more than a week now, the principal has not been spotted in school. He said the intention was to send their lamentations to the minister and they agreed that if the letter is deposited at anyone radio station, the information will get to the right quarters including the minister. 

Parents are pointing accusing fingers at Njingti Francis, the principal for allegedly playing the game of the mastiff with PTA teachers who made up the bulk of the teachers. Some three weeks ago when we talked to the Principal on the looming strike by PTA teacher, he said some teachers have been paid part of the three months while others refused receiving partial payment. He even said that the move was masterminded by some people who want him sacked or replace by a son of Njilah. Yet the Divisional Delegate for Secondary Education for Donga Mantung has been mute over the issue. A close source in the Ministry of Secondary Education hinted that heads will roll on the issue.  

However, all attempts to get to the principal of the school ended up in vain. Notwithstanding, we are digging in the matter. 

Here below is the open Letter

A COMPLAINT
From the 18th March 2016 there have been a problem in the school between the principal and the teachers and we the students are suffering as classes are not going on.Worst of all the principal is not coming to school again.All the PTA teachers have gone and only two government teachers are left in the school teaching only physics and biology and the rest of the subjects are left. We also thank God for the discipline master who keeps coming to school everyday and he has done his best concerning teaching. 
So we beg the administration in charge and the population to look into our problem. Even the the regional mock that the students wrote has not been marked. Some teachers have marked theirs and others have negleted.
Yours faithfully
The students of GSS Njilah.

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

New Chibok Girls Video ‘Concocted’ Propaganda Tool?

The Nigerian military has branded the latest video by Boko Haram terrorists allegedly showing healthy-looking Chibok girls as propaganda by the terrorists to divert attention from the ongoing rescue operations.

The Director of Defence Information (DDI), Brig-Gen. Rabe Abubakar (rtd), while responding to injuries on Thursday, said that the military cannot authenticate the new video.

Abubakar said that it is the terrorists antics, which he vowed, will not derail the ongoing military operations and efforts to clear all parts of the North East of Boko Haram remnants.

He said: “In as much as we saw the menus, we cannot authentic the video. Listen, all these things are campaign. In as much as we saw the so called video, it has nothing to do with our own activities, even though we are sympathetic to the plight of our sisters and brothers with the ungodly group. “In as much as we have seen the video, it has not nothing to do with our operations. In this era of social media, anytime can happen. It can be concocted because in this era of social mega, anytime can happen, so people should not carried away.”

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

Looking Glass: Church Members Buy Private Jet for their Prophet as Birthday Gift (Photos)

Church members in a ministry in far away Canada have surprised their Ghanaian prophet on his birthday by buying him a private jet.

 

 

The church based in Canada presented a private jet to its Ghanaian pastor on his birthday.

 Known as the Miracle Arena For All Nations, the church which  is a multi-cultural charismatic and a fast growing church based in the heart of Toronto, Canada was founded in 2011 by Dr. Kofi and Rev. JoAnne Danso.

 

 

In February this year, the church presented the jet to Dr. Kofi Danso and his wife Rev. JoAnne Danso as a birthday present for their passion and charisma towards the work of God.

 In an interview with YEN.com.gh, Prophet Dr. Kofi Danso noted that he had prophesied into being that God was going to bless him with a jet this year on his birthday and so was not too surprised when the church bought him one as a  gift on his birthday.

 

 

Prophet Danso in his interview advised other churches to emulate the example of blessing their  pastors with  private jets if they have the means.

He noted that the jet is a necessity for the ministry and not a luxury. He added that the jet generated revenue for the church when not in use and leased out.

 

 

Prophet Kofi Danso is a Ghanaian who has lived in Amsterdam for 9 years and migrated to Canada for five years. He is happily married to JoAnne Danso and has four kids, including a set of twins.

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

Five Chibok Parents Received Threatening Calls From Missing Girls' Mobile Phones

Parents of the Chibok girls who were kidnapped by Boko Haram members have revealed their heartbreak and pain after receiving calls from the missing girls' mobile phones. 

It has been revealed that five telephone lines belonging to some of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls were used to call some of the parents.

It has been gathered that the parents received threats from the unknown callers. The unknown callers also gave conflicting information on their location with some claiming to be speaking from Ondo or from Cameroon.

According to The Nation, Mr. Hosea Tsambido, Chairman Kibaku Area Development association (KADA), an Association that represents the Chibok community in Abuja, told reporters yesterday that the chairman of the Chibok girls’ parents, Yakubu Nkeki, gave him the information.

Tsambido who spoke ahead of tomorrow’s second anniversary of the girls’ abduction, added that Nkeki was threatened by the respondents and warned never to call back if he loves his life.

He said: “The speculation that a Chibok girl phoned her father is not exactly like that. It is actually the telephone numbers of about five girls that are being used to call people but when the parents call back, different people answer, some will say they are in Ondo or in Cameroon.

”All the parents that were called missed the calls,” he said.

Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima has also expressed optimism that the 276 Chibok girls will soon be united with their families.

Shettima, spoke during a visit to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Director general Sani Sidi in Abuja.

He said: “I am an optimist, and based on information at our disposal, the Chibok girls are still alive and will be united with their families soon. We are hopeful that the girls will be recovered.

“Though security falls within the area of responsibility of the federal government, the government is doing all it can not only to rescue the girls but to care for the well-being of the generality of the people. We have started rebuilding most of the communities, we are determined to rebuild all.

“The military has been doing so much in the past week which led to the influx of IDPs to our camps. Because of the successes by the military, we have over 75,000 IDPs in Zifar, 28,000 in Bama, 38,000 in Banki, 27,000 in Polka. Right now, there is an inflow of 2,300 people to Gusa today, which necessitated the visit to NEMA to solicit for the usual assistance

“As a state government, we are doing our best but NEMA has been our partner in taking care of the IDPs for the past one to two years. Within the Maiduguri metropolis alone apart from the IDPs in the camps we have 1.7million people within the host communities. Even in the best of times our people were the poorest of the poor and Boko Haram has further compounded the problem."

Borno is free now, though there are hiccups here and there but not like before again. I am not saying they are completely liberated. Peace is gradually returning to the state. By the end of the year, the people will return to their homes.

The NEMA DG assured the governor of NEMA’s assistance at all times and promised to assist in the influx of IDPs in the state. British High Commissioner to Nigeria Paul Arkwright, said yesterday that his country will never abandon the Chibok girls.

Arkwright said his government will ensure that the Chibok girls and thousands of Nigerians held hostage by Boko Haramý in the North East are rescued.

The High Commissioner spoke when he received members of the #BringBackOurGirls (#BBOG) advocacyý. The visit was part of their global week of action.

He said: ”The United Kingdom, the British government has not abandoned the Chibok girls, we have never abandoned the Chibok girls. We are doing everything we possibly can, including in the area of intelligence to support the Nigerian government in their efforts to find the girls, what we are doing and will continue to do is to work with the Nigerian government to help locate the girls and do what we can to help release them. What I can say is that we have not forgotten the girls, I will go back to London with the very strong message that you have given to me that you are looking to London for assistance, this suffering has gone on for too long, I am concious of the fact that there are other hostages taken by Boko Haram, not just the Chibok girls, we will see what we can do for all of them and to help across all of the Northeast to see what we can do."

Former Minister of Education and leader of #BBOG, Oby Ezekwesilli urged the UK governmentý to assist in identifying the exact location of the girls.

“We want to understand the responsibility on the part of the global community as well as our own government, the United Kingdom was one of the countries that showed up when we first began to call global attention to the abduction of our girls,” she said.

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

Chad in Need of Cameroon Experience Ahead Election, Special Envoy at Unity Palace

The Head of State, Thursday afternoon, 7 April 2016, granted audience to a Special Envoy of President Idriss DEBY ITNO, in the person of Mr. Mahamat Allamine BOURMA-TREYE, Chadian Minister of Finance and Budget.

Speaking to the press at the end of the audience, the N'Djamena Envoy said he was carrying a message related to the strengthening of good relations between the two Heads of State and the two countries.

Mr. BOURMA-TREYE noted that Cameroon and Chad, that are the two powerhouses of integration in Central Africa and that have been facing with Boko Haram terrorism for some time now, are committed to completely eradicating the sect within the sub-region.

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

What Brought French Minister of Finance to Cameroon

The Head of State His Excellency Paul BIYA granted audience on Friday 8 April 2016 to Michel SAPIN, the French Minister of Finance and Public Accounts who is in Cameroon to attend the meeting of Finance Ministers of the Franc zone. The audience that lasted over one hour was an occasion for President Paul BIYA and his guest to review cooperation ties between Paris and Yaoundé.

Speaking to the press shortly afterwards, Michel SAPIN praised Cameroon, on behalf of President François HOLLANDE, for the major role played in the fight against terrorism. He also declared that he was bearer of a message of “greater cooperation” between France and Cameroon. This cooperation was evident in the signing of a new debt cancellation contract of 600 million Euros.

Responding to questions on the future of the Franc zone, the French Minister of Finance and Public Accounts said the zone was in Africa, for Africans and that it future depended on the wishes of the African Nations. He said France was a partner to guarantee its convertibility and the decision was purely that of Africans.

Michel SAPIN was raised by the Head of State to the dignity of Officer of the Order of Valour. There was also an exchange of gifts between the two personalities.

The French Minister was accompanied to Unity Palace by the French Ambassador to Cameroon Christine ROBICHON and the Director General of the French Treasury.

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

How Boko Haram is Turning Girls into Weapons - CNN Reveals in Emotional Special Report

'They came to us to pick us. They would ask, Who wants to be a suicide bomber? The girls would shout, me, me, me!...a victim has revealed the agony and rape encountered at Boko Haram camp on CNN. 

Speaking with CNN in a special report in Cameroun, a 16-year-old girl identified as Fati, who regained freedom after spending two years in Boko Haram’s captivity, has detailed how teenage girls volunteer to go on suicide missions in order to escape molestation and other forms of hardship under the sect.

The teenage victim whose name was changed to protect her identity, said young girls fight to strap on a bomb, not because they were brainwashed by their captors but because the relentless hunger and sexual abuse became too much to bear.

"They came to us to pick us. They would ask, 'Who wants to be a suicide bomber?' The girls would shout, ‘me, me, me.’ They were fighting to do the suicide bombings.

"It was just because they want to run away from Boko Haram. If they give them a suicide bomb, then maybe they would meet soldiers, tell them, ‘I have a bomb on me’ and they could remove the bomb. They can run away," Fati told CNN.

There was no escape for Fati when fighters from Boko Haram descended on her village, which was not named in the report, in 2014. Her future husband was carrying a gun, and Fati’s parents had already spent a precious N8,000 to smuggle her two older brothers to safety.

Fati shared her experience when she entered the camp newly. "We said, ‘No, we are too small; we don’t want to get married, so they married us by force," she said, explaining that after he raped her for the first time, her abuser gave her a wedding present – a purple and brown dress with a matching headscarf that she would wear for the next two years.

While under his control, she was whisked from hideout to hideout in order to evade security forces. She recalled that she met girls even younger than her in Sambisa Forest, some of whom were the abducted Chibok schoolgirls.

"There were so many kidnapped girls there, I couldn’t count. There were always bombs and bullets coming from the sky. All of the girls were so frightened. All of them, they always cried and the men raped us. There is no food, nothing. The children, you can count their ribs because of the hunger," Fati said

She said the bombing runs over the Sambisa killed many of the captives, including some of the Chibok girls. But the raids over the past year have also freed hundreds of women and girls, including Fati, who was picked up by the Cameroonian army after her captors defected and tried to flee across the border.

Fati is now in Minawao refugee camp in Cameroon and on the last day of March, she managed to get in touch with her mother by phone after she found a refugee from her same village in camp. It took two days for her mother to get to Minawao.

"I had to collect money from people in the village so she could afford to make it here. Now that I have escaped, I thank God, and I am always praying to God that I was able to escape. It is terrible what Boko Haram is doing,"she concluded.

Fati said many girls are still in Sambisa, some volunteering to die so that they can perhaps live.

 

Click here to read the full article on CNN Africa.

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

UNICEF Report Reveals Number of Children Used as Suicide Bombers by Boko Haram in 2015

UNICEF report released on April 12, 2016 has shown that over 75% of children used by Boko Haram as suicide bombers in Cameroon were girls. The number of children involved in "suicide attacks" in Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger has increased sharply during the past year, from 4 in 2014 to 44 in 2015, indicates the report of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

Published two years after the kidnapping of over 200 schoolgirls Chibok, the report, entitled Beyond Chibok (Beyond Chibok), highlights the alarming trends in the four countries where Boko Haram has been active over the last two years. The report further indicates that from January 2014 and February 2015, Cameroon has recorded the largest number of suicide attacks involving children (21), followed by Nigeria (17) and Chad (2). " Last year, children were used in attacks and in Cameroon 2 of 1 Cameroon, 1 of 8 in Chad, and 1 of 7 in Nigeria ".

 The frequency of all suicide attacks increased from 32 in 2014 to 151 last year. In 2015, 89 of these attacks occurred in Nigeria, 39 in Cameroon, 16 in Chad 16  and 7 in Niger, according to the UNICEF report.

Beyond Chibok analyzes the effects of conflict on children in the four countries where Boko Haram is active. The report notes that: Nearly 1.3 million children have been displaced; 1800 schools are closed - either damaged or looted or burned or used by displaced people for shelter; More than 5,000 children are reported as unaccompanied or separated from their parents. UNICEF works in Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger with the communities and the families to fight stigmatization of victims who survived sexual violence and to build a protective environment for children who have been abducted.

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

Huge Rise in Child Boko Haram bombers

Boko Haram’s use of child bombers has increased over the last year with one in five suicide attacks now done by children, the UN’s child agency says. Girls, who are often drugged, were behind three-quarters of such attacks committed by the militant Islamist group in Cameroon, Nigeria and Chad. It is an 11-fold increase with four attacks in 2014 compared to 44 the next year, including January 2016. The change in tactics reflects the loss of territory in Nigeria by the group. The seven-year insurgency, which has mainly affected north-eastern Nigeria as well as its neighbours around Lake Chad, has left some 17,000 people dead. Unicef says up to 1.3 million children have been forced from their homes across four countries: Cameroon, Chad, Nigeria and Niger. The UN report has been released as Nigeria approaches the second anniversary of the kidnapping by Boko Haram of more than 200 girls from their boarding school in the Nigerian town of Chibok. Their abduction sparked the global campaign Bring Back Our Girls, but none of the girls have yet been found. The report, Beyond Chibok, says that boys abducted and recruited into Boko Haram’s ranks are forced to attack their own families to demonstrate their loyalty. Girls are exposed to severe abuse including sexual violence and forced marriage to fighters. A 17-year-old girl who was abducted and is living with her baby in a camp in the Nigerian city of Maiduguri told Unicef that she refused to marry despite death threats. “Then they came for me at night. They kept me locked in a house for over a month and told me: ‘Whether you like it or not, we have already married you.'” She says she has often been ostracised since her escape by other women who accuse her of being a “Boko Haram wife”. The girls who are used by Boko Haram for bombings are often drugged and then explosives are strapped to their bodies. According to the report, Cameroon has the highest number of child suicide attacks, involving children who are as young as eight. “As ‘suicide’ attacks involving children become commonplace, some communities are starting to see children as threats to their safety,” Unicef’s Manuel Fontaine said in a statement. “This suspicion towards children can have destructive consequences; how can a community rebuild itself when it is casting out its own sisters, daughters and mothers?” Boko Haram, which means “Western education is forbidden”, has often targeted schools during its insurgency.

 Source: BBC - See more at: http://citifmonline.com/2016/04/13/huge-rise-child-boko-haram-bombers/#sthash.e4Lrf37c.IusxEjSu.dpuf


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

Mayor of Bamenda II, Balick Awah Fidelis Visits Italian Council, Emits Hopes of Twining

Mayor of Bda II and Mayor of Certaldo

The Mayor of Bamenda II Sub Divisional Council is on an exchange visit in Italy. Balick Awah Fidelis, the development luminary visited the Certaldo council on April 8, 2016 where he had several working session with the mayor of that municipality as well as some of his specialized staff. Expectations are high at that he will engage the process to twin his council with the Certaldo council in Italy. Balick Awah who was once described by the Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralization as a true council manager has been crowned by several media organs as the Best Mayor of the Year due to his trappings at the helm of the Bamenda II Council. To Ndeh Samuel, their mayor is the people's hunter and has proven his worth severally reasons that he is capable of taking the municipality to a more prosperous level why when news filtered that he was out of the country, the euphoria was total in the municipality. The Bamenda II council which covers Mankon, Mbatu, Nsongwa and Chomba is one of the largest municipalities in Mezam. Councilors of the Bamenda II Council, adopted the sum of FCFA 1 002 000 000 (one billion and 2 million) as budget for 2016. The councilors during the session prioritize the acquisition of a (caterpillar) road grader as one of the top projects for 2016. The ambitious budget of the Bamenda II council was described by many as a trump card given the the municipality harbors the largest portion of Bamenda city in terms of land and population. During that the session, Balick Awah Fidelis, said the budget is just a plan of how the council will spend the money that is available. In a retrospective of the year 2015, Balick Awah Fidelis, the Bamenda II Council listed the number of projects that were carried out. 

The "Small Money Big Change", a programme initiated by the Bamenda II council in 2014 was applauded for registering the highest gains in communities. The Eye is aware that "Small Money, Big Change" has been prescribed by the National Community Driven Programme PNDP to several councils in the region. The second phase which kickstarted in January 2016 was greeted with a lot of enthusiasm by the councilors and population. Councilors. 

The Man: Balick Awah Fidelis

One of the major challenges nationwide has been the capability of some elected officials to tackle development process in their sphere of influence. In 2014, the Bamenda II Council entered into record when the Minister of Territorial Administration personally inaugurated a magnificent edifice constructed by the mayor. To grease this landmark achievement, the mayor of Bamenda II Council, Balick Awah Fidelis was honoured by The Guardian Post Newspaper, The Eye, World Echoes, Lifetime as Best Mayor of The Year. This is so because Balick Awah has been able to delineate that politics is development and that alleviating poverty and miseries in rural areas is precedence of priority that makes politics and development bedmates. 

Life, they say is a combination of trials and tribulations but great people look beyond trials and tribulations. They look beyond the horizon that appears to be the end of the world and see other opportunities that nobody imagines can exist. And their interested act of dreaming, acting and realizing the dreams have positive multiplier effect on society. This is because they are born with talent and to make things happen, they combine talent with hard work and determination. The very essence of rural development is that you need to have vision since you can’t blow an uncertain trumpet. Nevertheless, innovation distinguishes between a great politician and a charlatan. 

Balick Awah Fidelis has proven beyond reasonable doubts to be a great developer. While at the helm of the Bamenda II Council he has taken development to the doorsteps of his people with the “Small Money Big Project Initiative” with councilors. But unlike ordinary visionaries who see far and remain on their original position, Mayor Balick does not wait on the spot for things to happen for his municipality. As a great lobbyist, he lobbied and obtained financial support from FEICOM, PNDP, GP DERUDEP and other partners in development to achieve his vision. The most interesting thing about this innovative mayor voted by readers of The Guardian Post as Best Mayor of the year is found in the knack that he has rumbles of serious innovative ideas that have kept afloat all development initiatives. For these reasons, Mayor Balick is succeeding where others have fumbled, stumbled and tumbled over. 

Rudyard Kipling, one of the finest English writers once said that “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”. This is a straightforward reality and in fact there is no doubt that Rudyard Kipling had this inspiration from the obstacles and barriers we often crush to get to prominence. In our contemporary society this statement could only be referred to one person, Mayor Balick. 

What is important about this award winning mayor is that he is innovative, down to earth and fertile in expedients. He falls within the ranks of the new breed of politicians born with extra abilities to surmount all sorts of barrier to emerge successful. If we go by Albert Einstein who declared that genius is 1/10 inspiration and 9/10 perspiration, Balick is a genius. This means that for somebody to be termed a genius that person must be a workaholic. In this light, Balick Awah merits to be mentioned first among development luminaries if not the story of North West politicians will remain unfinished. What is so interesting about this pragmatic mayor is that he has done extraordinary things in a very common way. 

If has become a celebrity it is because he is doing extraordinary things and he is entering history books in great names: Meet him for a discussion then you will discover you have met an honest intellectual. The courage and the frankness he expresses tell you that he was naturally born a workaholic. It is this frankness, hard work and determination that have made him the most admired man of all men in action.

The Great Politician

John Quincy Adams says that if your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. Balick is a politician with exceptional leadership qualities. He has served the Social Democratic Front in various capacities. He is being remembered as one of the most vibrant District Chairman the SDF ever produced in Bamenda II. He planted the SDF in almost all the homes. Being a great support of Ni John Fru Ndi and the SDF, Balick has distinguished self as a developer and career politician. In Mankon, they say he is the litmus test of what a politician ought to be. And since the final test of a politician is that he/she leads the young as their role model, Balick is actually youth emancipator who doesn’t talk about development politics in speeches but puts them into practice. In getting to where he is today and especially excelling in local politics, he toiled laboriously to transform vision into concrete reality. That is why today he is building common frontiers for all segments of society. In doing this, he followed the principle outlined by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow that ‘heights by great “men” reached and kept were not obtained by sudden flight but, while their companies slept, they were toiling upward in the night’.

The Result-oriented Mayor

Those who have had the pains to visit the Bamenda II Council chamber would agree, Balick Awah is an exemplary man. The newly constructed edifice which was commissioned by the Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralization is the best in the region. Even FEICOM Director was flattered the day of the inauguration to the point that he described Mayor Balick as a true manager in council activities. Minister Rene Sadi even advised other mayors to learn from Balick’s dynamism and workaholic nature. A major challenge in Cameroon is accountability and transparency. But Balick Awah on the contrary is hailed for being accountable, transparent and result oriented at the helm of Bamenda II Council. From Mankon to Mbatu down to Nsongwa, and Chomba, every community in the municipal has something to be proud of. For being a mark of difference in the fight against poverty, Balick’s legacies are many ranging from the provision of potable water to construction of classrooms, market sheds, slaughter houses, community halls, health centers, farms to market roads, etc.
In fact The Guardian Post was absolutely right to have given him that distinction given that he has proven exceptionally that his being there at the helm of the Bamenda II Council was by merit and not a favour. He established a program aimed at supporting local initiatives and projects that are geared towards sustainable development. From all practical demonstrations, he is going into history books in big names: the development luminary, promoter of sustainable development, Best Mayor etc…Ever since he became mayor, the administrative account of the council has registered sanity and has also risen.

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

Nigerian Actor Mercy Johnson Returns to Movie, Flaunts Hot Boobs on Set #PhotoNews

Rumours have it that Mercy Johnson is currently in Nigeria where she is shooting an epic movie.

Mercy Jonhson on set

  Mercy Johnson is not yet done with the industry as the hot actress who gave birth to her third child in December 2015 has returned with a new movie.

 She was pictured on a movie location assumed to be in the eastern part of Nigeria. She rocked a native attire that showcased their banging body.

  

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

Prophet T.B Joshua Responds to Allegations that He Owns a Company in Panama #PanamaPapers

Popular Nigerian pastor, T.B Joshua has reacted to all the allegations that he is one of the Nigerians who own off shore companies.

 

TB Joshua

 

T.B Joshua has denied media reports that the recently released Panama reports indicted him as one of the few Nigerians that operate a company in Panama. 

 It will be recalled that yesterday, it was reported that Joshua and his wife, Evelyn, owned Chillon Consultancy Limited, a company incorporated on June 20, 2006 at the British Virgin Island.

 In a post on his Facebook wall, Joshua denied the claims.

 Below is his statement on the issue:

 

I HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE PANAMA PAPERS – TB JOSHUA

 This is an official statement from Prophet T.B. Joshua:

 “I was shocked to find a report written in Premium Times claiming that the Panama Papers revealed a shell company called Chillon Consultancy Limited in the British Virgin Islands, allegedly owned by me. Whoever is involved in this malicious write-up and propaganda with an obvious intent to defame my person and the ministry, remember what the Bible says in Luke 2:34 – “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many… and to be a sign that will be spoken against.”

 “I am not a businessman and have no business whatsoever. What God has given me is more than enough. I have nothing to do with the Panama Papers. As for me and my family, we shall remain in the vineyard of God.

 “Premium Times – do not allow your company to be used. Do not allow your company to stand against God. This is a lie! Take note – this news was written by the same journalist who alleged that I bribed him during the building incident and went to different channels – both local and international – to propagate these fabrications. Since the building incident, there have been a series of threats towards the ministry and my person by this same journalist, Nicholas Ibekwe, who represents a gang of people.

“After everything that has been done in an attempt to destroy this ministry, this is what he has resorted to. Even the picture used in the write-up is taken from the Mexico Crusade I recently held. It was a crusade I went for, nothing more.

 “Do not use the Panama Papers to attack those you have been looking for an opportunity to victimise. This is to show that not everybody alleged in the media to be involved in the Panama Papers is truly involved. My own case is a good example.

“Beware of those using the Panama Papers for fraudulent purposes! This is a very big mistake the fraudsters have made. Those who read this report – take time to do your findings. It is malicious.”

 

"Note – people are misusing the data in the Panama Papers for fraud to attack innocent people."

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

#PanamaPapers Reveal Prophet T.B Joshua's Shell Company in Offshore Tax Haven

Popular Lagos influential preacher and founder of the Synagogue Church of All Nations, has been fingered in the ongoing investigation of offshore fraud which also involved other Nigerian personalities.

 

Temitope Joshua is arguably the most influential preacher in Africa. The founder of the Synagogue Church of All Nation (SCOAN) attracts huge numbers of people from across Africa and beyond, many of them seeking faith healing from ailments and exorcism from demonic possession.

 On September 12, 2014, a guesthouse within his church collapsed, killing 116 people, most of them South Africans, who travelled to the Lagos headquarters of the church for pilgrimage.

 The cleric has also endeared his Christian ministry to many political leaders on the African continent who throng his church, with some of them openly testifying that he correctly predicted the outcomes of the elections that brought them to power.

 One of the African leaders who believed in Mr. Joshua’s prophesy was former Ghanaian president, John Atta-Mills. After his inauguration in 2009, the first visit made by Mr. Atta-Mills, a Professor of Law, was to the Synagogue, as Mr. Joshua’s church is commonly called.

 Mr. Atta-Mills died in office on July 24, 2012. It remained unclear whether Pastor Joshua saw his death coming.

 The pastor’s television station, Emmanuel TV, is believed to be one of the most viewed in the continent.

 Apart from evangelism, Mr. Joshua is not known to be involved in any other business.

 However, files obtained by Premium Times from the massive leaked data of a Panamanian law firm, Mossack Fonseca, has now shown that Mr. Joshua and his wife, Evelyn, own Chillon Consultancy Limited, a company incorporated on June 20, 2006 at the British Virgin Island (BVI).

 Both owners own one ordinary share each, although the company, with registration number 1033675, is authorized to issue a maximum “50,000 no par value Shares of a single class.”

 It remains unclear what businesses Mr. Joshua transacted with the shell company which has no physical presence in Tortola, the largest and most inhabited island at the British Virgin Island.

 Chillon Consultancy Limited uses the office address of its registered agent, Mossack Fonseca (Akara Bldg., 24 De Castro Street, Wickhams Cay 1, Road Town, Tortola) as its contact information in the British Virgin Island.

Mr. Joshua is the second Nigerian mega preacher shown to set up offshore companies in tax havens.

 An April 2013 investigation by Premium Times had exposed Chris Oyakhilome, founder and leader of Christ Embassy, as incorporating Gmobile Nigeria Limited, an offshore firm in 2007, at the British Virgin Island.

 Although other individuals were listed as shareholders and directors, that investigation was able to determine that the pastor’s teenage daughters – Sharon and Charlyn – were the real beneficial owners of the company.

 Like many mega preachers in the country, Mr Joshua is reported to live in opulence. Last September, online news website, Sahara Reporters, claimed the televangelist bought a Gulfstream G550 aircraft in April 2015.

 According to Sahara Reporters, the jet, registered as “Synagogue Of Nations,” was purchased using the Bank Of Utah trustee as front.

A Gulfstream G550 is sold for as much a $45 million and could take up to $3 million dollars in yearly maintenance cost.

 Mr. Joshua did not respond to this newspaper’s multiple request for comments. A person who picked his phone when he was called last week said the he was not available to take calls. He requested our reporter to send an email.

 But an email sent to his church’s official email address was also not responded to.

 

Source: Premium Times

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

Nigeria: Communication Minister Debunks Allegations that Boko Haram is Demanding $50m Ransom to Release Chibok Girls

Minister of information and Culture has denied reports that the deadly Boko Haram terrorist group is demanding $50 million from the President Buhari-led federal government as ransom before releasing abducted Chibok schoolgirls.

Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed

 Speaking during an interview with the Voice of America (VoA), Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the Minister of Information, has denied reports making rounds online that Boko Haram is demanding $50 million from the federal government as ransom before releasing the over 200 abducted Chibok schoolgirls. 

 "It appears we have several versions of this report. The one that we heard was from a source that (Boko Haram) wants to release 10 of these girls for 1 million euros. But the most important thing is that we’ve gone through this route before, and until and when we establish the credibility of this source and the truth behind it, the government will not be in a hurry to make a statement. However, government is using its own channels to authenticate the credibility of this source," he said.

 The minister described as 'unfair' the accusations that the Buhari administration is not doing enough to secure the release of the abducted girls.

"No day passes without the issue of the kidnapped girls not being at the front burner. But these are highly security and intelligence issues, which cannot always be discussed openly. But I can assure you that for this government, the return of these girls is what is going to bring the final closure on the Boko Haram terrorism and we are working very hard, daily on it.

"Those who say that are being very unfair to us. We inherited a very bad situation where the trail had gone cold, despite that every day we send out reports, we receive [information] some of them are phony some of them are just there to excoriate government. 

"But the truth of the matter is that it’s not a matter that the government is taking lightly. Those who want a daily report on what we are doing, of course in security that does not happen. But we have channels of information in which we make available on a need to know basis,"  he said.

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

One of the Missing Chibok Schoolgirls Calls Her Father After Two Years...See Shocking Details

Reports have it that one of the abducted Chibok school girls tried contacting her father repeatedly as she is being held captive. 

When Dauda Yama retrieved his mobile phone from a neighbour's house in January this year, he noticed a missed call from his daughter Saratu who had been missing for almost two years.

The last time he spoke with Saratu was on April 14, 2014, when she rang to say men from the Islamist group Boko Haram had loaded her and her classmates from the Government Girls' Secondary School in Chibok in northeast Nigeria onto trucks.

Attempts to reach her again failed and two years on, 219 girls abducted that night remain missing, despite a global campaign #bringbackourgirls involving celebrities and U.S. first lady Michelle Obama calling for them to be found.

The students are among an estimated 2,000 girls and boys abducted by the Boko Haram since the start of 2014, with many of those abducted used as sex slaves, fighters and even suicide bombers, according to an Amnesty International report.

But when Yama returned the missed call that evening, a man answered. Yama hung up and rushed to the home of Yakubu Nkeki, chairman of the Association of Parents of the Abducted Girls from Chibok.

"He asked me what he should do," Nkeki, 58, a schoolteacher, whose 17-year-old adopted daughter Maimuna Yakubu Usman is among those missing, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Nkeki took the phone and redialled the number that was again answered by a man who said the phone belonged to his wife.

Reporting the matter to any of the armed personnel around Chibok was out of the question so instead they informed a campaigner with the Bring Back Our Girls group, which advocates the return of the missing girls "now and alive".

"We don't know who to trust," said Nkeki who has received physical threats for his efforts to keep the abduction of the Chibok girls in the headlines and the government's sights with the abduction becoming a political issue for Nigerian leaders.

TOOK THE LEAD

Providing counsel to parents of the missing Chibok girls is part of Nkeki's role as chairman of the association. He also checks up on the parents to see if they need help at all.

"I check if they have food items or if someone is seriously sick," he said. "If there is any issue, I call the committee members."

Some months ago, for example, the association received a donation of 128 bags of corn from a missionary group. The association decided to give three bags to one parent to sell and raise money for medicine for his son who was bitten by a snake.

Nkeki said he had not intended to become a leader for the parents but was catapulted into the role when he tried to rally families into action after the abduction.

Under his lead, and frustrated by a lack of official action, the parents formed a team to search the Sambisa forest for missing girls the day after the abduction, finding scarves and other items along a trail until heavy rain forced them back.

Nkeki then organised a meeting of parents in his village of Mbalala, calling for a peaceful demonstration and seeking media coverage to get the word out, with his initiatives prompting the parents to appoint him as their leader. 

It was Nkeki's efforts that ascertained exactly how many girls were missing after the school said the Boko Haram had razed all records. He cycled from village to village for two weeks with pen and paper to build a register.

"I got the names of the girls, their pictures. I asked for proof. They showed me their daughters' books so that I could get the exact name the girl used in the secondary school," he said.

His census revealed the number of girls abducted was 276 but 57 were able to escape as the trucks took off and came home.

NOT WELCOME

But the attempts to rally parents were not always welcome.

Nkeki said some parents refused to have anything to do with the parents association and he has been harassed and arrested by armed forces personnel, displeased with his media appearances and efforts to keep the missing Chibok girls in the news.

Former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan was criticised for his slow reaction to the Chibok kidnappings, which was seen by some as indicative of his response to Boko Haram, which at its strongest held large swathes of northeastern Nigeria.

President Muhammadu Buhari, who defeated Jonathan in an election last year, ordered a new investigation into the abductions in January. 

"My family is afraid for me. Even my uncle's wife whose daughter was abducted, the one I adopted, said to me that she does not want to lose her daughter and then also lose me," said Nkeki.

But despite Nkeki's efforts, his daughter and the other girls are still missing, with the parents desperate for any leads that could help locate their daughters.

Hopes were raised earlier this month when a suspected female suicide bomber who claimed to be one of the missing Chibok girls was arrested in northern Cameroon.

But official investigations revealed the 12-year-old girl was not from Chibok but abducted from Bama in northeastern Nigeria by Boko Haram a year ago.

Nkeki and Yama dialled Saratu's number a few more times after the initial success but the line repeatedly went dead. However, Nkeki says it rang when Yama tried again in February.

"The man warned him never to call his wife's number again. He said if he is not careful, he will lose his life," he said.

Source: Reuters Africa

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

Monique Koumakele Sweeps Away Director of Laquintini, Public Health Minister to Go?

The Director of Laquintini Hospital has been dismissed. Dr. Jean Dissongo was sacked today after the scandal that rocked Laquintini hospital following the untimely demise of Monique Koumatele. As the Monique's family is preparing that the body of Monique Alvine Koumatéke and her twins will leave the morgue of the hospital Laquintinie in Douala on Friday, April 29, the Director was fired during the 1pm today. He was immediately replaced by Prof. Richard Njock formerly the Director of Edea hospital. Yet public opinion wants the Minister of Public Health to follow Dr. Jean Dissongo. Minister Mama Fouda popular opinion holds lied to Cameroonians on the demise of Monique and her unborn twins. 

Public Health Minister Andre MAMA FOUDA had made a public statements to the point that he even argued that the staff of the hospital behaved 'professionally' and was not to blame for the tragedy. Tongues are now waging as to why the Director of the hospital has been "scape-goated" if the staff behaved professionally. Hon. Awudu Mbaya even told Mama Fouda in his face during a question and answer session at the National Assembly that he (Mama Fouda) lied to Cameroonians. By this act, and the fact that Laquintini hospital has been found guilty, Public Health Minister another school of thought holds should be dismissed as well. (Picture above shows how Monique's sister in a desperate attempt to rescue the twins carries out surgery on the demised on the veranda of the hospital without the help of medics)...

(a suivre)


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

Beyond the CPDM Regalia: The Business Wing

By Martin-Luther Fon Yembe
When the Social Democratic Front emerged in the Cameroonian political scene, CPDM maharishis were quick to warn that it is better to deal with the devil you know than the angel you do not know. This message

was, of course, being directed at the business community and the administrators in Cameroon. It was like telling them that “yes, Biya  and the CPDM are devils, but, you are what you are today because of

the prevailing situation…”!

This message calls to mind an aspect of the Zurich axiom which states that “ if a caterpillar wants to become a butterfly, it must dare to crawl out of the shrubs and expose itself to the sunshine. The risk is

that it can be eaten up by birds, but if it remains in the dark shrubs, it will forever remain an ugly crawling creature, and never a flying butterfly with beautiful colours!”!! Thus, without risk, no business can grow. But the CPDM gurus were quick to tell businessmen in Cameroon to shy away from the SDF because “it was an angel they know nothing about”! The business community, especially in big business centres reasoned as business minds, took the risk and flooded along with the SDF. They adhered to calls for Ghost Towns and

boycotts. They voted for SDF at the 1992 Presidential elections, and the 1996 Municipal elections, reason why the SDF was in control of all the economic centres like Douala, Victoria, Bamenda, Bafoussam, Kumba, Kumbo, and even Yaounde, though the CPDM resisted handing Yaoundé

over.

These wonderful conquests terrified the CPDM regime and they resorted to one of the devil’s schemes, coercion, intimidation, threats and state terrorism to oblige business people succumb and submit

themselves to the agenda of the CPDM. Taxes were slammed on their businesses; planned robberies and even fire disasters were multiplied and some even closed down by force. Business gurus like the Kadjis who

had openly adhered in the SDF were cowed into capitulating and yielding to the diabolic CPDM agenda. The Fotsos, the Siyam Siwes, the Powos( Pa Guarantees), etc were obliged to start singing some

gibberish political songs in favor of the number one businessman, Paul Biya…else, they will be “taught a bitter lesson”.

Today, when the CPDM is organizing any event, the first persons, militants they address appeal letters to are these businessmen. Those who give below their targets or nothing at all are quickly reminded that they are in Biya’s country and his political cult called the CPDM dictates the tone of profit or losses. And they cave in and begin singing the chorus.

The quirk of fate here is that all these business militants end up being swallowed by the lion they were taming. Where is Yves Michel Fotso; Siywm Siwe, Pa Guarantee etc. They are either in hell here on earth or in the land beyond where their consciences will be battling with eternity . It is a very multifarious issue when one imagines what will become of these business militants when the CPDM cult collapses in 2018 as previewed by the diabolic pact of 1968.!!!

scene, CPDM maharishis were quick to warn that it is better to deal with the devil you know than the angel you do not know. This message was, of course, being directed at the business community and the administrators in Cameroon. It was like telling them that “yes, Biya and the CPDM are devils, but, you are what you are today because of the prevailing situation…”!

This message calls to mind an aspect of the Zurich axiom which states that “ if a caterpillar wants to become a butterfly, it must dare to crawl out of the shrubs and expose itself to the sunshine. The risk is that it can be eaten up by birds, but if it remains in the dark shrubs, it will forever remain an ugly crawling creature, and never a flying butterfly with beautiful colours!”!! Thus, without risk, no business can grow. But the CPDM gurus were quick to tell businessmen in Cameroon to shy away from the SDF because “it was an angel they

know nothing about”! The business community, especially in big business centres reasoned as business minds, took the risk and flooded along with the SDF. They adhered to calls for Ghost Towns and boycotts. They voted for SDF at the 1992 Presidential elections, and the 1996 Municipal elections, reason why the SDF was in control of all the economic centres like Douala, Victoria, Bamenda, Bafoussam, Kumba, Kumbo, and even Yaounde, though the CPDM resisted handing Yaoundé over.

These wonderful conquests terrified the CPDM regime and they resorted to one of the devil’s schemes, coercion, intimidation, threats and state terrorism to oblige business people succumb and submit themselves to the agenda of the CPDM. Taxes were slammed on their businesses; planned robberies and even fire disasters were multiplied and some even closed down by force. Business gurus like the Kadjis who had openly adhered in the SDF were cowed into capitulating and yielding to the diabolic CPDM agenda. The Fotsos, the Siyam Siwes, the Powos( Pa Guarantees), etc were obliged to start singing some gibberish political songs in favor of the number one businessman, Paul Biya…else, they will be “taught a bitter lesson”.

Today, when the CPDM is organizing any event, the first persons, militants they address appeal letters to are these businessmen. Those who give below their targets or nothing at all are quickly reminded that they are in Biya’s country and his political cult called the CPDM  dictates the tone of profit or losses. And they cave in and begin singing the chorus.

The quirk of fate here is that all these business militants end up being swallowed by the lion they were taming. Where is Yves Michel Fotso; Siywm Siwe, Pa Guarantee etc. They are either in hell here on earth or in the land beyond where their consciences will be battling with eternity . It is a very multifarious issue when one imagines what will become of these business militants when the CPDM cult collapses in 2018 as previewed by the diabolic pact of 1968.!!!

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

#Panama Papers: More Trouble as Interpol Plots to Go After High Profile Nigerians

This maybe the most difficult part of Saraki's political career as the INTERPOL is set to take action following his indictment in the Panama Papers leak including other prominent Nigerians.

Bukola Saraki 

 

The Federal Government has opened a file on all Nigerians whose names have been mentioned in the Panama Papers as operating offshore accounts in notorious tax havens, according to the Punch.

Some of the individuals listed in the papers so far are the current Senate President, Bukola Saraki; and his predecessor, David Mark.

Others listed include Africa’s richest man, Mr. Aliko Dangote; his cousin, Saayu Dantata, and a former Minister of Defence, Lt.Gen Theophilus Danjuma (retd.)

It was learnt that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had been gathering reports from local and international media as well as the responses being given by those named.

It was also learnt that the EFCC would then carry out its independent investigation and involve INTERPOL if necessary.

German newspaper, Süddeutsche Zeitung, had last Sunday released the Panama Papers, the biggest leak in the history of data journalism, publishing online 11.5 million documents from Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca, which showed how some prominent people across the world criminally hid money using anonymous shell corporations across the world.

The Panamanian law firm, regarded as one of the world’s most secretive companies, according to the documents, has helped clients launder money, dodge sanctions and evade tax.

Already, the Nigerians involved have all denied complicity.

In an exclusive report by online medium, Premium Times, it was alleged that about four assets belonging to the Saraki family, which included Girol Properties Ltd., Sandon Development Limited, and Landfield International Developments Ltd., were tucked away in secret offshore territories.

For instance, the report stated that Girol Properties was registered on behalf of Toyin by Fonsecca on August 25, 2004, in the British Virgin Island, a year after her husband became the Governor of Kwara State. But the assets were allegedly not part of the ones declared by the Senate President or Toyin when Saraki became governor and after he was sworn in as the nation’s number three citizen.

Similarly, at least eight offshore companies in the British Virgin Island have been linked to Senator Mark which he allegedly operated while holding public office, a criminal offence according to Nigerian laws.

An impeccable source told a correspondent that the Federal Government was studying the body language of the international community and looking at how other countries were handling investigations.

The source, who pleaded anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said, “We are studying the matter closely. In fact, we have opened a file and all reports are being gathered.

“We want all the names to be released first before launching full investigations. The issue is a tricky one. After preliminary investigations, we will seek advice from the Office of the Attorney General because investigations of such nature will need foreign collaboration.”

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

WADECA Enjoins Community Spirit, Says Cameroon will Emerge from Wat Village

The National President of Wat Development and Cultural Association-WADECA has applauded sons,

Kwande Marcel Nfor (in suit)

daughters and wives of Wat village in Donga Mantung Division at home, its national branches and the Diasporas for their development consciousness. In a Press Release issued at weekend, the National President Kwande Marcel Nfor equally expressed gratitude to all those who supported the funds raising in Bafoussam and Bamenda towards the construction the of biggest bridge in WAT (the Mamnki bridge). Harping on the importance of community development spirit, Kwande Marcel Nfor in the Release also announced that construction work on Mamnki bridge was completed on April 10, 2016. He expressed special gratitude to HRH the Fon of Wat, the Douala WADECA branch, and more importantly Rogers Ngala and Nforgwei Jackson for their laudable efforts in fostering development efforts at home. 

Kwande Marcel also insinuated and reminded the public in the Release that his prescribed mission as the national President is to disenclave Wat Zone and that during his current mandate he coordinated several projects ranging from the medical equipment donated to the Wanti Maternity ward by the Yaounde WADECA branch, the rehabilitation and furnishing of the VIP Section of the Wat Fons palace by Buea Wadeca branch, the construction of Mbabi and Ntermbang bridges by WADECA Douala branch, the construction of the Mamnki bridge by Bamenda and Bafoussam branches etc.

On future projects, he also echoed that the construction of the bridge linking Wanti and Mbanka (mamba) bridge must be realized before the end of 2016 while prospects are high at that the mighty Douala WADECA branch is gearing up to complete the Maroh bridge on the Wanti-Mbabi- Lassin road. In his release WADECA President concluded by are calling on Wat people at home and the Diasporas as well as politicians and development luminaries to support the emergence of Wat village. The emergence of Cameroon he added will begin from Wat village.

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