Christianity, Mushroom Churches and Struggle of Prosperity Gospel

 By HRH Fon Benchep Nfor Adamu (King of Binka Village in Donga Mantung Div.)

It had never occurred to me to address all Christians of the world, but here I am obliged to do so. The many different names, equally given to different groups of Christians worshiping God together, either in large buildings, small or lofty opened air theaters, called churches equally practice differently from each others. I have observed that in a small locality of not more than 100 people, there are not less than three to five different denominations worshipping the same God. The names vary as well for example: The Church of God, Full Gospel Church, Baptist Church, Presbyterian Church, The Mountain of Fire, The True Church of Christ, Christian Assembly of God, Synagogue House of Prayers, etc etc……. As the names differ so too are the symbols that differentiate them from others. In other words I have often heard people describing some of these churches that do not have a congregation of more than ten people as mushroom churches. Whether it is an aberration or a fact, the number of churches in Cameroon is becoming a cause for concern. Creating a church seems to be easier than setting up an educational institution. Ironically, youths of the ages below 25 years have been able to set up churches and may be God’s name is the easiest to riches. We have seen and heard of families that have created their own churches, prayers groups transformed to churches, churches divided amongst themselves, and the numerous anointed men of God who preach prosperity gospel. It is a mad, yes indeed; the mad rush for prosperity gospel the world over seems to portray a different notion of Christianity. As if to say when God came with the anointing powers, some people were asleep and those who were fortunate to be awake grasped the perspective. In this world where we all belong, the Bible, the Church and the words of God are the food that the soul needs and if the body is overdosed, it could easily lead to constipation and overfeeding.

My worry is why are they many denominations with different practices from others whereas they all serve the same God? And besides, I have also observed that each of the Christian denomination always claim to be more superior to the other thus looking to others as the underdogs. And when one of the groupings invites others for ceremonies, there is always reject in many cases. To me, such behaviors make them to fail short of the light of God. Within the month of September 2012, many exotic phenomena took place in different parts of the world. We saw the world’s water causing havoc and ravaging lives like during the time of Noah in the Bible. And in all these happenings, the church was always there to comfort victims with prayers. Yet, the world has remained black and dark in face of all these prayers. I do not know whether the great prophets of our time don’t pay enough attention to the words of God or it is the church that is. John 17:20- 23 teach us that and I quote: “I do not pray for this only, but also for those who believe in me through their words……… That they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also maybe one in us, so that the world my believe that thou hast sent me……….. The glory which thou hast given me I give to them, and that they maybe one even as we are……….. I in them, and thou in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them even as thou hast loved me”

To me, the above quotes, I have just discovered that the faculty in our brain-lobes lucidly examines the lack of unanimous practice amongst the Christians churches the world over. The numerous churches today, as per my observation have made a lot of changes in the Holy Bible as they have translated, modified, added, subtracted and published by different groups of Bible “reformers” of nowadays. All this has one goal, to suit their preaching in accordance with their practices. The alteration in certain words, phrases, statements and languages misrepresents the order and the original meaning of certain portions of the Bible. For instance in the Holy Bible, Psalms 133:3 the original Greek translation was reads as follows: “ for there the Lord has commanded the blessing, world without end”. For you to understand where I am driving to, the new edition of the same Psalms 133:3 now reads “for there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life for evermore”.  Empirical analyses have demonstrated that the translated versions of the Bible today have all lost their original etymologies. For instance the New and Old Testament RVS by WM Collins Son and Co Ltd. The Bible Society, The Good News Bible, Today’s Good News Bible, American Bible Society New York etc. in others, the statements in them remains docile and yet the Christian practice the reverse. For instance, 1 Corinthians 14:34 reads: “ The woman should keep silence in the churches, for they are more permitted to speak, but should be subordinate as even the law says”. (See verses 35-36)

In a practical perspective, today we hear of some astronauts who went to the moon and returned back to earth that while on the planet moon, they saw the earth very black whereas other two places were bright and shinning. According to Sunita Williams, through her telescope she discovered that the only two bright places on planet earth are Mecca and Medina (the Holy Ground of Islam). It therefore implies that the religious debate which we can question is a general issue, such as: does it mean that Mecca and Medina are the chosen places and the only place on Earth where the people of God live? Is it because in those areas there is only one religious grouping unlike in other areas of the world? It is now left for the Christian world to pay attention to the God they worship. As a matter of fact, the facto ipso could only be identified in the weigh of the preaching, practice, attitudes, deeds, decencies, instructions, law, prayers and beliefs. And I may likely draw a conclusion that it is obvious to learn from the little things we see and hear around us so that we can make the world a better place for all.

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. Minute by Minute Report on Cameroon and Africa

Collapse of Africa Democracy Emitted as Mo Ibrahim Prize for Good Governance Finds No Winner

 No Winner for There is no winner this year for the world's most valuable individual prize - the Mo Ibrahim prize for good governance in Africa Mo Ibrahim sources say. Pundits are of the opinion that this is a serious signal and challenge for African leaders. It is also an indicator that the so called democracy in Africa is a cacophony of the first order.
The $5m (£3.2m) worth prize is supposed to be awarded each year to a democratically elected leader who governed well, raised living standards and then voluntarily left office. From all indication, that specie of leader is becoming a rare commodity in Africa.  The panel said no candidate had met all of the criteria - as in 2009 and 2010. For three years now, no such leader has been found on the African continent.  The last of such a species of leader was  Cape Verde President Pedro Verona Pires who won the prize. He led the fight against Portuguese colonialism, introduced multi-party politics and was praised raising for living standards.
The $5m prize is spread over 10 years and is followed by $200,000 a year for life.
'No compromise'
Announcing the decision, Mar Ibrahim said: "You make your bed, you have to lie on it. If we said we're going to have a prize for exceptional leadership, we have to stick to that. We are not going to compromise."
"We are not just in the business of positive messages - we would lose our credibility," the AFP news agency quotes him as saying. "The prize committee reviewed a number of candidates but none met all of the criteria needed to win the prize," said committee member Salim Ahmed Salim.
The two other winners in the six years since the prize was launched were Botswana's President Festus Mogae and Mozambique's Joaquim Chissano.
Earlier this month, Mr Ibrahim's foundation announced a special $1m award to Archbishop Desmond Tutu for "speaking truth to power".
The London-based body called the cleric "one of Africa's great voices for justice, freedom, democracy and responsible, responsive government".
Sudan-born telecoms entrepreneur Mr Ibrahim says the good governance prize is needed because many leaders of sub-Saharan African countries come from poor backgrounds and are tempted to hang on to power for fear that poverty awaits them when they leave office.

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. Minute by Minute Report on Cameroon and Africa

Fonkam Azu’u on Crusade to Sensitize NW on Biometric Registration

 By FC Ndi

Fonkam Au'u

The Board Chairman of Elections Cameroon has kick-started a Regional tour that will enable him to meet stakeholders to give ample information on the ongoing biometric recompilation of voters register using the biometric system. Talking to the Press in Bamenda a fortnight ago, Dr. Fonkam Azu’u ELECAM Boss said after the official launching in Yaounde, his team will tour the seven divisions of the Northwest Region to meet stakeholders in the process. He told the press that in the process, the identity card and thumb prints must be presented before registration. When quiz by journalists whether the system also made provisions for people without fingers or the blind, he responded that all necessary measures have been put in place to make sure that everyone is included in the process. On double registration, Dr. Fonkam Azu’u warned that anyone want caught trying to register more than once will be dealt with accordingly in conformity with the law.  On whether measures have been put in place to ensure that localities without electricity will not pay the price of not being relegated, he told media men and women that special generators were acquired to ensure a smooth registration everywhere. When also asked why registration could start at the same time, day and date nationwide, he replied that the kits were not sufficient enough for all the 360 councils. On the out cry on the violation of the electoral law especially section 74 (2) he said, ELECAM had seek the opinion of political leaders, civil society and others before taking such a decision, yet further explained that voters registration could begin on January as indicated by the law because of the lack of financial means. According to Fonkam Azu’u ELECAM could not respect the law which states that registration begins in January and ends in August every year but he however failed woefully to demonstrate which laws were used in that effect. Meaning, the electoral laws were being violated with the complicity of the civil society and political leaders.on the single ballot paper, he said it is complicated and disadvantageous in Cameroon where there are more than 200 political parties. For example, what this reporter observed was that during the SDF Convention counting was tedious, and consumed time alot. 

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. Minute by Minute Report on Cameroon and Africa

Two American Companies to Setup Oil/Gas Refinery in Cameroon

 

Courtesy of Richard Finlayson, International Editor for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)
The Cameroon government has signed a memorandum of understanding with International Refinery Consultants (IRC) (Spring, Texas) for the construction of an oil and gas refinery in the coastal town of Kiribi in the south region of the country. The agreement was signed last week
between the Minister of Energy and Water Resources, Dr. Basile Antangana Kouna, and the President and CEO of IRC, Michael Eppler.
The agreement permits the U.S. company to perform extensive studies for the construction of a modern, high-capacity oil refinery with the draft code name "Cameroon Atlantic Refinery Project." Stakeholders in the project said that the refinery will initially process at least 200,000 barrels per day (BBL/d). This capacity will be followed by negotiations for a second train that will provide for a total capacity of 350,000 BBL/d.
A project profile estimates that 5,000 jobs will be generated in the construction phase, and 1,400 for the initial operational phase and this number will increase as the project progresses. The project will
be financed by IRC in collaboration with a second Texas company Refinery Technology Incorporated (Houston, Texas), with the companies' financial partners under a build, own, operate and transfer (BOOT) agreement. The overall investment required was not disclosed as studies are currently in progress.
The refinery project also will provide for housing estates, a hospital, a school, an orphanage, recreational facilities, and a training center for local engineers and technical personnel and other
staff.
Minister Kouna said at the signing that although Cameroon has the Sonara (Societe Nationale de Raffinage) Limbe refinery, built in 1981, which currently processes 2.2 million tons of oil annually and has plans to increase annual capacity to 3.5 million tons, having another refinery will reinforce Cameroons's independence as far as petroleum product and gas is concerned, reported the Cameroon Tribune.
"We find ourselves in a position where we have to import petroleum products sometime from very far in Europe with all the consequences of supply, financial and quality constraints," said the minister.
"Although this refinery will be essentially export oriented, it will be obliged to satisfy our internal supply at anytime the need arises."
IRC said that the project can be fully executed and operational in 30 months from the signing of the BOOT agreement, the allocation of approximately 500 hectares of land from the government and the issuing of pertinent permit and authorizations. The project has been designed for immediate implementation, and the site does not necessarily require any initial local infrastructure

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. Minute by Minute Report on Cameroon and Africa

At 28 Quarterly Workshop of ADB Sponsored Projects, GP DERUDEP Applauded

 

GP DERUDEP

The 28^th quarterly workshop grouping all African Development Bank-ADB sponsored projects in Cameroon took place in Bamenda a fortnight ago. Welcoming participants, the Director General of MIDENO, John B Ndeh for providing such a forum for actors to share ideas, knowledge and field experiences. On a positive note, he also expressed the desire of the population of the Northwest region who are anxiously waiting for the second phase of the Grassfeild Participatory and Decentralized Rural Development Project-GP DERUDEP. He said GP DERUDEP was voted as the best project a year ago by the consortium of stakeholders in the process which is an indicator that the project created a lot of impact on the livelihood of beneficiaries. He also revealed that a study on the production basins of the region has been conducted and is just waiting validation. This study he concluded portrays the development plan of the Northwest Region.

On his part, the Representative of the ADB in Cameroon, Hassan Kan said that ADB funding in Cameroon has been divided into various sectors. The country representative also revealed that the only project which the Bank decided to suspend its funding was only Chantier Naval.

On the other hand, North West Governor Lele Lafrique Adolph, in his capacity as the Chairman of the Steering Committee of GP DERUDEP said that the project during it 1^st Phase generated a lot of positive impact in changing the standard of living of the population reasons why the second phase is a necessity for the region.

It should however be recalled that GP DERUDEP is the only development project in the region that also received a positive note from SDF National chairman Ni John Fru Ndi. The project whose legacies continue to sustain development efforts was designed out of the dire need to eradicate poverty in the North West Region by 10%.  In order to create the necessary impact and promote participatory at all levels, GP DERUDEP operated in the field in the following components,

Support to Rural Infrastructure

Under this component the project activities were geared towards improving on the agricultural infrastructure and enhancing agricultural marketing systems. In order to provide adaptable marketing avenues, markets were constructed in some localities in the region while slaughter houses were also built. The disenclavement of production basins was also tackled with the construction of farms to market roads such as the road Ngie-Bongom-Lasin, the Gom- Nwa road and many others. Classrooms were constructed for Schools to provide a conducive environment for learning as well as culverts and bridges. In the same line, health centers were constructed and equipped with the basic materials to improve on the access to health facilities in rural areas giving that a health population is also a productive one. Under this component 21 bridges and culverts were constructed. And 15 Community Halls were built as 12 health centres and out of the 12, 5 were rehabilitated and 4 equipped. A total of 104 classrooms have been constructed in the North West Region of Cameroon, within the framework of GP-DERUDEP. While 47 Water Supply Schemes in all Divisions of the North West Region.

Improvement of Agricultural Production

This component of the project addressed key issues such as:

·         Increase Production and Productivity.          ●   Facilitate Marketing of Agric. Products.

·         Training of Producers.                                   ●   Ensuring Environmental Protection.

·         Facilitate Farmer/Grazer Integration.             ●   Establishment of Reference Studies.

The production of basic planting and seed material for farmers in the region characterized the main activities of this component. Maize, irish potato, rice, beans seeds and irrigation systems carried out to sustain farming activities. With the collaboration of specialized structures like IRAD, UNVDA and the Ministry of Agriculture, these actions were carried geared towards producing and distributing improved planting materials to farmers at affordable prices. More so, livestock farmers were also supported with improved piglets, chicks and diary animals to improve their family exploitations.

STRENGTHENING CAPACITIES OF STAKEHOLDERS, AND SUPPORT TO SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOOD

·        Strengthening Capacities of Stakeholders

·        Improvement of Adult Literacy Rates.

·        Support for Income-Generating Activities.

According to statistics, 2,046 community leaders were trained in various themes. The illiteracy program according to what we gathered produced the highest impact. Some of the programs tailored to suit the population included training on cloth dialling, soap production and many others. Besides, the project also empowered presidents of 50 village banks in the North West Region receive documentation support and registration certificates

  COORDINATION

A team of experts headed by Muluh Gregory Nguh was incharge of coordinating the activities of the project in the field while MIDENO also played the role of the overseer. Besides, the Steering Committee of the project headed by Governor of the North West Region also ensured that all the actions of the project were implemented accordingly. If the impact of the project is tremendous, it is due to its uniqueness and the proficiency of the management organs of the project as the participatory approach adopted at the beginning. 

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. Minute by Minute Report on Cameroon and Africa

Civil Society Decries Violation of Consumers Rights by MTN Cameroon

 By Ron Muchop

The Cameroon National Federation of Trade and Services Trade Unions-FESCOSCAM, The National Movement for Reorganization of Economic and Productive Sector in Cameroon-NAMOREPS,  have decried the “ non respect of sovereignty  and judiciary, violation of consumers rights” by MTN Cameroon.

In a briefing on October 8, 2012 in Bamenda, the Coordinator of FESCOSCAM Boris Bonifce Mbah revealed that as from October 15, 2012 the civil society will stage series of actions to decry the nonchalant attitude of MTN Cameroon in relation to the non-respect of the fundamental rights of Cameroonians.   He said for sometimes now Cameroonians who use MTN services are subjected to “voiceless, soundless call) because when you call or pick a call, you cannot get the voice on the other end whereas it consumes credit”. He said the phenomenon of “allo! Allo sans response” which MTN Cameroon careless about is an abuse of consumers rights”.  As such, FESCOSCAM and others are of the opinion that Cameroonians need to have access to good services. Boris Boniface Mbah further explained that the civil society had submitted to MTNC seven claims in which they outlined the rights for consumers to have access to the essential needs and services of MTN, the right to guarantee in the goods and services provided to them, the right to information, the right to information, right to free choice, right to legal suits, right to education and others.  To them, as far as the above rights are not respected, they will carryout series of actions to compel MTN to do so. He said MTNC always think that Cameroon laws are negotiable and that even the communication tariff doesn’t reflect what transpires in other countries.

In his briefing Boris Boniface Mbah also made mention of the treatment melted on some Cameroonians. He cited the case of one of their members (Edison Fru Ndi) who took MTNC to court for a breach contract and was awarded 1.756.275.400 FCFA by the Court of Arbitration but since then the Multinational has never cared to compile to the court decision. He added that on the contrary, MTN officials have resorted to trying to impose what they think and not what was decided by the court. This he said is also another violation because when Edison Fru Ndi he said rejected the proposal of 850million FCFA, the latter said he should therefore be ready to spend the next three years in court. “Disrespecting GICAM” is what we are talking about, Boris told the press. He however, observed that the advocacy campaign code named “bark MTN reveal it action plan in the days ahead but cautioned that MTNC has 21 days to compile or receive the shouting voices of Cameroonians.  

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. Minute by Minute Report on Cameroon and Africa