Fire for Fire at the University of Buea as Students Go on Rampage Again

 

The University of Buea-UB is in a state of confusion as six persons are reported injured as students stage another demonstration. Reports also indicate that the injured persons are mainly security guards. It is alleged that during the confrontation between students and security gurads more than three vehicles were destroyed.  It is aired that the students are aghast that their colleagues were detained and more so want the charges against some 12 students dropped. It is also alleged that the Vice Chancellor was held hostage by the striking students in February and she was only rescued thanks to the timely intervention of the security. However, all attempts to get to the Vice Chancellor by this reporter were all fruitless. Sources linked to UB hinted that the students before taking to the streets have tried to reach a compromise with the administration but all attempts flopped. An atmosphere of uncertainty and fear now reins in Buea ahead of the May 20, celebration. Yet, it is also feared that the strike may hinder the upcoming 50^th Anniversary celebration of reunification slated for Buea, Regional capital of the South West Region. A well-placed hinted that security in the University of Buea has been stepped up but determined students say they would prefer to be detained along their colleagues.

Dr Nalova, VC of the University of Buea is quoted to have been mute over the issue a source hinted. Besides, it is alleged that if care is not taken, UB could be transformed into a sinkhole for character assignation. Dr. Nalova who reportedly was spotted in Yaounde at the solemn ceremony of the validation of pioneer senators, was surely taken aback when news reached her that UB was on fire.  

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

Hon. Awudu Mbaya Rubbishes Dr. Nick Ngwanyam, Says Dr. Nick's Constituency Begins and Ends at St. Louis

 By Fai Cassian N

The Member of Parliament for Nkambe, Hon. Awudu Mbaya has described Dr. Nick Ngwanyam as a political deceit whose constituency begins and ends at St. Louis Institute in Bamenda. Hon. Awudu Mbaya Cyprian lashes that CPDM bigwigs in Donga Mantung Division are blatant lies tellers given that they take credit for development projects that have been carried out by the SDF or influenced directly by his party.

According to Hon. Awudu Mbaya the declaration by Dr Nick Ngwanyam that the portion of road from Mbot to Tabenken was constructed by Gerald Ngala, CPDM elite is a blatant lie. Harping on Dr. Nick’s verbal diarrhea Hon. Awudu Mbaya said that Dr. Nick Ngwanyam who claims to be a development luminary has no residence in the village and not to talk of having knowledge of development projects in Donga Mantung Division.

To Awudu Mbaya, Dr Nick Ngwanyam “displayed intellectual dishonesty when he claimed that Gerald Ngala constructed the said stretch of road”.Awudu went ahead to challenge Dr Nick Ngwanyam to state what he has done for Donga Mantung apart from “a few scholarships” that he has offered to the division. “I remember Dr. Ngwanyam opened a branch of St. Louis in Nkambe, infact he should tell us what happened to the school at the point that he was talking of having the knack to create 5000 jobs”. Besides stating that he (Awudu Mbaya) has offered far more scholarships that Dr Ngwanyam “whose constituency ends only at his St Louis Clinic” in Bamenda, the stretch of road under contest was constructed with fcfa 75 million from the state and not from somebody’s pocket as Dr. Ngwanyam claimed. The said amount, Awudu reiterated was lobbied by him in his capacity as the chairman of the regional committee of the follow up committee for the public investment budget. Awudu lamented “it’s shocking that for a man who claims to know everything, Dr Nick Ngwanyam does not even know that government can’t allow an individual to construct even a kilometre of public road. He is telling lies simply because he is in a hurry to see me out of parliament”.  Awudu further challenged Dr Nick to go and read the signboard on the contested stretch of road which reads “public investment budget 2012-mandated to the North West Regional Delegation of Public Works and to last three months eventhough Ngwanyam claims that Ngala constructed the road in four months”.

Besides stating that his going back to parliament is not a do or die affair, Awudu said he has been in parliament since 1997 and even before that was a wealthy businessman in Douala. The MP noted that he constructed his first house in Nkambe in 1978 and another in Njap village in 1980.On some of his achievements in parliament, Honourable Awudu Mbaya listed the provision of electricity to several villages including Njap ,Ngi,Mbot,Kungi,Chup,Wat right down Mbah and Mbuwar Government school ,Wowo village,Njilah ,and soon there will soon be electricity in Kup,Wanti and Mba’a palaces .Last year the former SDO for Donga Mantung,Nzeki Theophile and SDF chieftain Ni John Fru Ndi were in Tabenken to inaugurate two bridges worth fcfa 16 million constructed by the MP. Awudu also counted the roofing of schools in Taku,  Mbirbo and schools in Tabenken as well as churches in the area and youth halls. The most recent being the two youth halls at Mbabi-Wat.

On the recently ended senatorial elections Honourable Awudu Mbaya lashed out at Dr Nick Nick Ngwanyam for accusing the SDF for not spending enough money on its councilors to win the elections. Hear him ”Dr Nick Ngwanyam spends time talking about chairman Fru Ndi whom he claims did not share money to councilors .Ngwanyam was the first person who declared his candidature for the senate and I used to encourage him and even call him senator. But from the look of things, I believe in his queer method of doing things that prevented his list from going through. He was unable to constitute a list and was unable to be selected from within his CPDM party but does not talk about that. Dr Nick Ngwanyam should tell us how many bridges he has contributed for their construction in his village.He should tell us the contribution he has made to his Ntundip village of origin as far as development projects concerned .He should not only be quick to criticize others. All that he has done is for himself is that he has constructed his St Louis Clinic and of course people should know that the regime Dr Ngwanyam is today supporting chased him from Bertoua when he gave a true autopsy report about someone who was murdered.The name Louis which he has named the clinic after is the boy who was killed in Bertoua”.

Honourable Awudu went ahead to state that though he has all along supported Shey Jones Yembe including working to make him member of government, “but if he thinks all he can do is to empty his accounts to get me out of parliament, then they should wear their boots because I would not like to see them moving around with bare feet simply because they want me out of parliament”.

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

CPJ Condemns Closure of Foundation Radio in B'da

 Committee for the Protection of Journalists

New York, May 13, 2013--The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the closure of an independent radio station on April 22 in retaliation for its broadcast of an interview that authorities said incited secessionism.

Local officials in the northwestern city of Bamenda indefinitely shut down the studios of private station Foundation Radio, local journalists and news reports said. The injunction, which was signed by Felix Nguele Nguele, the top official in Bamenda, and originated from the Cameroonian minister of communications, ordered the station to be shut down because of its repeated broadcasts that "incited secessionism," according to CPJ's review of the document.

News accounts reported that the station was shut down in reprisal for its March 25 morning talk show, called "Good Morning Bamenda Show," in which the host, Tikum Mbah Azonga, interviewed two guests from the outlawed Southern Cameroons National Council (SCNC), which calls for the secession of the English-speaking northwest and southwest provinces from the French-speaking remainder of Cameroon.

Azonga, who is also the station manager, told CPJ by email that the station did not in any way support secession or the SCNC.

Azonga told CPJ he went to the police three times for questioning and was asked to submit a copy of the recording of the program. "They were wondering how I, as a journalist they knew to be very responsible, could have allowed the SCNC to speak?" he said. Winifred Weregwe, administrator of the Fomunyoh Foundation, which runs the station, told CPJ that police also indicated they were sending the recording to the Ministry of Communications.

A January 2012 presidential decree granted the state-run National Communications Council broad regulatory authority to suspend news outlets, but since 2003, the government's Ministry of Communications has also summarily shut down at least 10 independent broadcasters in response to critical coverage, according to CPJ research.

"The actions of the Cameroonian government to silence Foundation Radio over one program illustrates how far the state will go to suppress news and information about the secessionist claims in the northwest part of the country," said CPJ Africa Advocacy Coordinator Mohamed Keita. "We call on authorities to allow Foundation Radio back on the air immediately."

Foundation Radio is run by the U.S.-based Fomunyoh Foundation. Its founder, Christopher Fomunyoh, has highlighted over the years the shortcomings of the political system under President Paul Biya as a Senior Associate and Regional Director for Central and West Africa at the National Democratic Institute, according to local journalists.

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The Senate of Old People Goes Operational in Cameroon

 

Paul Biya is the President of Cameroon (80 years), Achidi Achu, former Prime Minister now senator clocks, (79 years), Peter Musonge, another former Prime Minister is also senator (71 years), Dakole Daissala, ex MP and former Minister of state(70 years), Chief Mukete eldest Member of the senate,(95 years), Cavaye Yeguie Djibril , National Assemble Speaker (73 years). These are the men who will lead Cameroon to an emerging country by 2035. When we know that some of these ages are converted into CFA, there is nothing to expect from all these political deceits.  Much noise and comments were made on state media on the appointment of 30 senators by the President of the Republic, Paul Biya. Yet political pundits have been wondering if such appointment appropriate in a country that claims to be democratic.  To many, it was a concert organized by sycophancy "intellectuals" who live in the hope of being noticed by Paul Biya, in fact Mr. President’s men. The Senate, like the National Assembly is supposed to control the executive. But when it is the head of state who directly appoints 30% of the members of this institution and by unjust laws, his party controls more than 80% of elected senators, what should we expect? A rubber stamp senate! In view of what is on the horizon, it is not excluded that the main institutions of the country in the hands of men and women whom the youngest is 77 years old.

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

Cameroon Rubber Stamp Senate in First Ever Plenary Session Today

 By Macbright Nfor

As prescribed by the constitution of Cameroon, the pioneer senate meets in a plenary session today, May 14, 2013. The session takes place at the national assembly. Amongst others, the 100 senators are expected to put in place the standing order of the House, election of the Bureau. The session will be chaired by the eldest member of the House who will be assisted by the two youngest senators.  The long awaited day for the validation of their mandates is expected to be a spectacular one given that majority of them are very old. Public opinion however describes the senate as the recycling house of old political guards. While another school of thought holds that President Biya used the senate to compensate his old political allies like Dakole’s MDR, Bello Bouba’s NUDP and Tchiroma’s FSNC. Yet speculations also abound that NUDP’s Secretary General Flabout Ngayap had rejected his appointment into the senate. All eyes are turned at the National Assembly to confirm this serious allegation. The fact that President Biya keeps recycling the old political deceits is creating a lot of doubts and serious debates. Pundits are of the opinion that the senate will come to past as a rubber stamp as is the case with the National Assembly. Youmo Koupit Adamou, CDU head of list in the West Region who also turned down his appointment as alternate to Sultan Adamu Ndam Njoya, is reported under serious pressure. It is alleged Youmo Koupit has been promised 25 million FCFA if he reconsiders his decision.

Notwithstanding, 14 traditional rulers are said to be senators. This is the first of it kind that traditional rulers have been considered given that some of them have turned to be liabilities to the elite. “Royal Beggars” as described by Kehbila Fokum in one of his books, have been given the opportunity to take part in decisions concerning the life of the nation. Considered as auxiliaries of the administration, some of them earn as little as 16.000 FCFA, yet that amount is never constant. For more than a year now, some of them have gone without a dime.

The national Assembly has been given a face-lift beautification work has been undertaken. From all indications, it is ready to host the Senators.  Everything seems to be ready to welcome the senators this afternoon.

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GBHS Nkambe Gone!

By Minie Moko-lah

Louis Mbapes Mbapes, Minister of Secondary Education is expected to appoint a new Principal or set up a caretaker committee for Government Bilingual High School Nkambe this week. This is so because Government High School has gone for a week without the school principal. Yet, both the regional and divisional delegates have been undertaken by two incidents that have reduced the school to floor level within a week. Classified sources at the Regional Delegation of Secondary Education for North West in Bamenda hinted this reporter that Sunjo George is expected in Nkambe on Wednesday May 15 in relation to two major incidents. North West Governor, Lele Lafrique is quoted to have summoned and instructed the regional delegate that lasting solutions be reached immediately to ensure that the school year ends well at GBHS Nkambe.

Last Monday May 6, 2013, Upper Sixth and Lower Sixth students stormed the street in a protest to claim the reimbursement of computer and lab fees they paid to the school administration yet have not had the classes nor worked in the lab since the year started. Both the Senior Divisional Officer for Donga Mantung Division and Divisional delegates were taken aback when another scandal surfaced that the principal of the school Madame Nkwe Lucy was in police dragnet. The news spread the town like wild-fire that the principal was napped in a baby scandal. “Sha” drinking spots, white-mimbo, fiang drunkards etc had each their own version to tell.  

The Eye gathered that the principal was spotted in Buea in a confused mode given that she might have been tricked by some herbalists. Allegations are rife at that she was arrested and detained but was later granted bail. Police sources as well as security reports confirm that her arrest is linked to a baby scandal and that hierarchy has already forwarded a report to the Minister for appropriate measures. Questions abound whether the principal is guilty of the act or not. Since there is no smoke without fire, the judicial police in Buea is investigating the matter.

It is alleged that she was picked up by police for illegally possessing a baby. However, the Judicial Police in Buea is investigating into the matter.

To instill calm at GBHS Nkambe, another source hinted that a crisis meeting took place in Bamenda on Saturday on strict instructions from North West Governor. According to the hint, Yaounde has been alerted by fax on both incidents as the Minister of Secondary Education is quoted to have been informed on the incident that led to the arrest of the principal and the uprising by students.

An authoritative voice in the Ministry hinted that hierarchy is however worried that the unfortunate incidents are happening at a point in time that students are preparing for the General Certificate of Education and end of year exams.  

In fairness, we however attempted to get in contact with the principal by phone but unfortunately, her phone was out of reach.

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