Distribution of CPDM Cards: Minister Fuh Calistus Puts Order in Donga Mantung

By Fai CN

Dr. Fuh Calistus Gentry: Coordinator of the Distribution of CPDM cards

The head of the CPDM Central Committee delegation to Donga Mantung Division for the distribution and sales of CPDM membership cards has called on militants of that party to bury their hatchets and work for the well-being of the party. Minister Fuh Calistus Gentry made the clarion call in Nkambe recently while assessing the distribution process. Dr. Calistus after listening to reports from the five sections of the CPDM congratulated the Misaje and the Nkambe Sections of the CPDM for the transparency in the distribution of cards. He observed that even though the distribution exercise in Nwa was timid and recorded some hitches, the situation had been redressed. Minister Fuh Calistus expressed disgust on the report from Ndu and Ako sections of the CPDM. To rescue the two sections from collapsing; he set up a commission to distribute cards in Ako and another to investigate into the missing cards and vignets in the Ndu Section.

Classified sources hinted that the disorder in Nwa, Ndu and Ako is orchestrated by the power tussle in the sections. In Nwa, it is said that Hon. Genesis Mbucksek was discriminatory in the sales and distribution of cards. His detractors claim that Hon. Genesis Mbucksek was only selling to those who would vote him. To solve the problem, Dr. Fuh Calistus created a commission that immediately started work and the issue was reportedly solved in a day and the cards were shared.

Who Is Robbing Paul to Pay Peter in Ndu

Dr. Calistus and Mafor Yaah Achidi Judith in Ndu

The situation in Ndu according to what was observed is precarious. Allegations are rife that some 806 CPDM cards and over 2700 vignettes allegedly disappeared. The story goes that when the YCDPM Section President Ndi John Ngala brought the consignment from Bamenda upon arrival he handed the carton to Bongyor Naomi and left for his village. When he returned back the next day, he discovered that the carton was opened in his absence. Whether the cards and vignettes were manipulated upon before he handed the carton or after remains another mystery. Matters came to a head when it was also discovered that someone else who is not a member of the executive had signed as Section President. During the meeting that took place in Ndu, Ndi John Ngala openly accused Abdou Borno Kamfon for interfering in party issues, “if you want to be the section President, wait for elections”. This is so because Abdou Borno who was a member of the distribution had questioned who Tata Zebulon was. Angered by this act, Ndi John Ngala allegedly threatened to resign. He openly accused Mafor Achidi Achu Judith for instilling disorder given that he was not even informed of the meeting in Bamenda yet Borno who is not a member was informed by Madame Achidi Achu Judith.

Classified sources say it is the quest to succeed Pa Kwalar that has ignited obnoxious acts in the distribution and sales of cards. Over three candidates are said to be waxing ahead of the March Section elections. Nfor Mangeh, Shufai Njilangotong, Abdou Borno and Ndi John Ngala are likely the potential candidates. With elections in the offing, some militants allegedly stole some of the cards to release them only during elections. It is even said that some candidates have decided to buy cards in bulk and keep them or distribute to their voters. Allegedly, some of the cards have been spotted in the hands of drivers and achaba riders. On the other hand, followers of Hon. Kwalar are raising hell that any attempt to deprive him of the job of section President will not be accepted. At weekend, The Eye gathered that the Mungosi Commission spent the whole day struggling to reconcile and or recover the missing cards and vignettes to no avail.

Hon. Ntoi indicts others

Ako is said to have recorded the lowest rate of distribution. This is so because Hon. Ntoi had sealed the carton and placed under his bed after he was told that funds allocated for the distribution landed in wrong hands. During the meeting in Nkambe, Hon. Ntoi openly accused the CPDM Resource persons and some local party officials for interfering into local issues. Hon. Ntoi instead of presenting the report at the Nkambe evaluation meeting read a petition in which he frowned at others for minimizing his position as Section President. Hon. Abe Michael was appointed to head the Commission for the distribution and sales of cards. A school of thought holds that Hon. Abe Michael will not have it easy. ……A suivre….

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

Aghem Women Honour Canadian High Commissioner's Wife with Title (PhotoNews)

 Fanfare and euphoria in Wum as Canadian High Commissioner's wife is honoured with traditional title (celebrations in pictures)

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

Widowhood Rites to Rights Initiative: Women Express Selves in Drama( PhotoNews1)

 Aghem Women expressing themselves and the ordeal they underwent after loosing their husbands in a drama

 

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

Canadian High Commissioner, MAHSRA Launch Widowhood Rites to Rights Initiative( PhotoNews)

Rene Cremonese, Canadian High Commissioner to Cameroon

Dinghabong Anthony, Mayor of Wum

Dr. Kelly Ngyah, CEO of MAHSRA

Divisional Delegate of Social Affairs

Fon Bamhbi, Paramount Fon of Aghem

Key speakers at the official launching of the Widowhood Rites to Rights Initiative (PhotoNews)  in Wum

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

Canadian High Commissioner, MAHSRA Launch Widowhood Rites to Rights Initiative in Menchum

By Fai Cassian Ndi

There was euphoria in Wum on January 16, as hundreds gathered to salute Canadian High Commissioner; Rene Cremonese for braving the rough drive on the Ring Road to the Divisional Headquarters of Menchum to part of a groundbreaking project launching that seeks to address the barbaric indigenous customary practices which abase the status of the rural women. Canadian High Commissioner who was flanked by his wife, the Representative of North West Governor, Nji Joseph were jubilantly received at the entrance into Wum town by over 200 achaba riders.

In his welcome speech, the mayor of Wum Council Dighabong Anthony expressed thanks and gratitude to the Canadian High Commission (the Canadian Fund for Local Initiative) as well as the Chief Executive Officer of Modern Advocacy Humanitarian Social and Rehabilitation Association-MAHSRA for the timely support. He said some of these practices and traditional rites are a handicap to development. He also expressed the desire of his council to twin with some councils in Canada given both Cameroon and Canada share many things in common. He frowned that some practices do not respect the dignity of women especially widows and promised that the council will work in collaboration with the project to make sure that some the obnoxious practices that do not respect the dignity of women is abolished.

Widows in solidarity

On the other hand, Kelly Ngyah , the Chief Executive Officer of MAHSRA thanked the Government of Canada, Cameroon as well as traditional rulers for extending the hand of fellowship to institutionalize a new process which will stampede a community right pattern that strives at eliminating the silent suffering of women. According to Dr. Kelly Ngyah, the widowhood rites and rights initiative seeks to investigate, analyse and develop the most effective mechanism to address the human rights of women within a complex framework of gender violence assessments that are both psychological and physical. Harping on the importance of the initiative, Dr. Kelly added that Widowhood Rites to Rights Initiative has an overall dimension to foster the will of the Cameroon Government as duly transcribed through its ratification of several international conventions such as; the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women; the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Woman and the Declaration on the Right to Development.

Though with limited resources, Dr. Kelly reiterated that MAHSRA aspires to interweave the well-being of women in order to boost their contribution towards poverty eradication and rural development as a whole. He revealed that following a study, indicators are rife at that the targeted communities of Esu, Weh and Wum with recorded a significant 60% decrease in growth and development rate due to the fact that widows and their children (orphans) are overtly or tactically denied due resources that would have enhanced their well-being. Majority he added are exposed to abject poverty due to both the matrilineal and patrilineal widow inheritance rites. “Besides the hereditary factor to the widow which inflicts chronic poverty on the surviving spouse and the children, there is also a psychological factor that strongly degrades the health and social stability of the widow and her orphaned children”.

Some of the obnoxious practices he noted include amongst others:

• Compelling widows to undergo degrading human dignity practices with regard to the pending burial rites of her late husband’s corpse
• Compelling her to wear only one specific dress for several months and to feed through the use of a single plate, cup and spoon
• Segregating her with identifying elements on her body and prohibiting her from participating in public and external activities from home, including any religious or social gathering for long periods
• Restricting her from commercial activities for a durable time
• Compelling her to cohabit and share intimacy with the late husband’s brother which she may already consider as her own brother etc..

He extended thanks and gratitude to the traditional rulers for being part of the new way. Dr. Kelly also applauded the Canadian High Commissioner to Cameroon for the instrumental support in fostering the realization of the widowhood rites to rights initiative. This initiative he noted will not infringe on the rich traditional cultural diversity of the people of Esu, Weh and Aghem. “This is the reason why MAHSRA’s intervention within this domain is not to destroy or change any traditional customs but rather, to form a human rights merger dynamics which should enhance the well-being and development rights of all members within the community”.

On his part, the Canadian High Commissioner to Cameroon, Rene Cremonese disclosed that his country would spare no effort to support any action that enhances human rights. He emphasized that it is humanly important to protect those who cannot protect themselves. “Widows need our protection and we have to go into dialogue to make sure that widows are treated differently”. He also applauded the massive turnout of the traditional rulers and their contributions in changing lives in their communities.

The Representative of the Governor of the North West Region, Nji Joseph disclosed that a commission has been put in place to monitor and track down perpetrators of human rights abuses. Other speakers include; the Fons of Esu, Aghem and Weh.

Canadian High Commissioner, Representative of the Governor, SDO for Menchum, DO for Wum, others

VIPs

Cross-section of Widows

Traditional rulers and Notables

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

Dr. Nick Ngwanyam Analyses President Biya's End of Year Message to Cameroonians

On the 31^st of December, 2014, the Head of State, President Paul Biya addressed the

Dr. Nick Ngwanyam

nation and touched on pertinent key issues that affect the life of the nation. His elocutions were viewed by many in diverse opinions. Dr. Nick Ngwanyam, CEO of ST Louis University Institute of Health also listened to the Head of State with keen interest and in the following interview makes a dissection of some key aspects of the speech and proposes concrete remedies to some of the problems.

Excerpts

Dr. you are one of the elite of the North West Region and an entrepreneur. The head of State just addressed the nation. Can we have your immediate reaction?

Thank you very much. As you understand, everybody has been waiting for the Head of State’s speech and it came just in time. Despite the difficulties that we have, he looked quite relaxed and his body language was positive. Of course, we know that he as Head of State and the father of the nation has been going through a lot of stress especially with what has been happening in the North of Cameroon. He tells us that he was expecting that in 2014, we will all be embarking on correcting our economic problems and getting some growth but he sees himself and the nation taken off track to fight this insurgency. He looked quite relaxed and I guess so probably because his military tactics have paid off.

He spoke and touched a number of sectors. Which of them have been of interest to you?

The head of state dealt with two key areas. First the security issue which is mostly in the north of Cameroon as we speak and then the economics. He stated very clearly that there is no way we can have that economic growth without having peace and security. So peace and security are necessary for us to have the planned economic growth. You know, he has put in place this contingency plan to help us develop very rapidly in three years. A program for which a thousand billion has been laid aside and therefore, we are looking forward to have that growth. Even as he wishes and he makes available these facilities, I still have my fears.

You have the fears like some people who are in the opposition; they see this contingency plan as another white elephant in Cameroon.

No it is not a white elephant project. The president is just selling us some difficult to comprehend goods. The issue here is that Cameroon is not developing as far as I am concerned not because we lack the means or the people but there is something that is inherently wrong in Cameroon and it does not matter how the president feels about it or his good intentions.

It does not matter what he says, it is not about a speech. It is about the Cameroonian. To be able to develop in every setting, it does not matter how much capital you have. The human capital is the most important thing that you have to deal with. In fact, managing human beings is one of the most difficult things. If you want to grow, you must pay attention to the human person and I would want to think that in Cameroon, we have not paid attention to the human person and that is why we are failing. Countries that do not have the same potentials like us do better than us because they pay attention to the human person. Let me put it another way, if you most succeed, there are a couple of things that you ought to know. It does not matter whether you are succeeding as an individual, as a company, as an enterprise or a nation. It is the same thing. The human person is behind that success.

Therefore, attitude, behavior and character are very important. In Cameroon as a whole, the way we appoint people in the civil service or “parastatal” and so on is that we do not respect merits in this country. That is where the first problem begins.

You can have the best programs and whatever, but if you do not make sure that your personnel is well catered for and you respect merit in the way you apportion work and responsibility it will not work. If we take zombies and put them ahead and you put people who are worth their salt behind, it will never work. That is what I have been observing in our country. People who do not have capacities are put in leadership positions or are put in charge of the budget and things like that and the people who have the capacity to do it are left in the cold. Therefore, when you get people who do not have capacity sitting in there, they only play around with politics and more politics to protect themselves and do not do the technical work.

It has come to a point where we have to forget a little bit about politics and pay more attention to technical work. We are not giving merit its due and you would see this kind of lapses with the “concour” system. To get into a medical school, you see the wrong student gets there and the brightest students are left out. Polytechnic is the same and having scholarships to go abroad, you see the wrong people going. The children of villagers and paupers who are very sharp but have no backing are kept behind. This is the kind of thing I am talking about. We need to be able to make sure that we give merit its due and make sure that be it the child of a farmer or a tapper should be able to rise as long as he or she has the capacity. We must create that enabling environment.

Know that for any person to grow, 25% of your success depends on your education and 75% on your attitude. In our schools and families, we are not paying much attention to the attitude of our children, the attitude of our fathers and mothers, the attitude of our workers. We just think that because people go to school and get certificates; that is enough. It is not. It you want people with the best attitudes, look at Japanese, South Koreans they have got the best attitude to work, and all Asians have a better attitude to work more than us Africans. We spend more of our time wrongly and that is another thing. How do we use our time? Do we use our time effectively? That is a problem. We do not know how to use time in Cameroon so much so that you see responsible people who are supposed to be at work first; they come to work at ten AM, and at eleven o’clock AM; they are the first to leave. You will see people who are supposed to be a work who on the streets drinking beer. We do not have a culture of work in our system.

These are some of the basic things that we need to correct before we start talking about any growth. If we do not correct all these things, it does not matter how much the President wishes, it would not work.

What about the youths?

When we are talking about economic growth and all what not, it is not about the elderly. It is about the youths. We as a nation, we have to pay attention to the youths. What do we teach them? What are they studying? Are we really giving them the opportunities? That is it.

 When we are talking about opportunities to the youths, it is not about giving them 350,000 jobs in the civil service. That is not what is going to create us that growth. It is about building the capacities of the youths so that they can strengthen the private sector by creating jobs. All the companies and industries that we want are not going to be created by old people. The old people might supply the land but it is the youths that are going to make that work.

Therefore, it is time for us to lay a red carpet for all our youths in the Diasporas who are into technology to come back. We should give them the incentive and the leeway to come back and do the best for our country. It is about paying attention to the youths, changing what our students are studying in the universities today as I have said severally, our curricular are the wrong ones.

We are studying things that were laid down for us in 1960 so that we could just be able to read and communicate with the White man. The curricular for 1960 was for communication and nobody is using it today. If you go and ask the South Koreans and all the countries that have emerged, they have a curricular that has to do more with professional education, technological advancement and proper management etc. If you go to America today and find out how they are studying, you will see that when a doctor goes into a medical school, he is not only studying medicine, that is boxed mentality. He studies medicine but studies for an MBA so that he comes out as a doctor and knows how to manage.

Management is not something that we should go to ENAM to learn. ENAM has outlived its usefulness. You do not set a school apart for people to go and learn how to manage and throw their weight around. Everybody should become a technician then those technicians take courses in management. If they want to know how government runs, they are given a six months course so that they can manage state enterprises.

If you go to South Korea that has made it, to Germany and other Asian countries, they do not have schools like ENAM where you go to learn management but they have managers, real managers

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

Bamali Brouhaha: Village Traditional Council Indicts Ngoketunjia Administration

Chombong Lanu after receiving treatment

The chairman of the Bamali traditional Council has accused the administration of Ngoketunjia for using Brutal invasion, ransacking, torture and looting of property at the Bamali fon’s palace and village in general by some armed forces led into the palace by Mr. Poss Alex-Francis-The Divisional Officer for Ndop Sub Division…
soldiers, police and Gendarmes to invade the village and to have tortured and looted property in Bamali village. The accusations are contained in a three-page document to the Governor of the North West Region titled:

In his report, Chombong Lanu Michael, head of the Bamali traditional council laments that on Monday December 29, 2014 at about 1:30pm, five vehicles carrying armed police, Gendarmes and soldiers drove into the palace at the moment the traditional council was holding a session.  “On their arrival at the fon’s palace, they caught, beat and ordered everybody to lie down. According to the Chombong, the raffia wine that was left in the pot was poured on them and they were as well administered snake beating. He revealed that matters came to a head when the same law enforcement officials started breaking doors and windows of the innermost part of the palace. “Even bulbs, furniture and palace artifacts were not spared. Some went up to the market square adjacent the palace and some private homes in the neigbourhood, beating up everybody they met and seizing money, telephones and other belongings”.  He reiterated in his report that the same law enforcement officials made away with all the money contributed for the “council njangi” and all the documents. He also mentioned that the fon was heavily brutalized and he (the fon) sustained injuries on his face, back and right arm. “The fon told us that the D.O Mr. Poss Alex-Francis personally seized and took away his brief case containing all his credentials and money”, he noted. The Bamali traditional council head also underlines that the queen mothers (women) were molested including a ^rd Deputy Mayor of Ndop council was damaged with bullets. “Most of the victims are still in the hospital receiving treatment while some have been transferred to Bamenda and Mbingo Baptist Hospital”.

Victim at Mbingo Hospital

pregnant queen mother who risks loosing her unborn baby. He further emphasizes in his report that when the troops finally left the palace, they fired bullets in the air and humiliated and tortured everyone they met on their way. “Destroying their vehicles, motorcycle right up to Mbetpaw quarters where they invade private homes, destroy property and looted some”. The same acts he underscores continued at the Bamali 3 corners where people sustained serious injuries and one vehicle belonging to one Mr. Chombong Joseph Tapenui, 3

In a pleading manner, the chairman of the Bamali traditional council wonders that even right up to the moment that he is writing the report, “the D.O for Ndop and his people have not disclosed to us the reason d’etre of their mission to Bamali nor have they asked us for any document”. He further pleads on the North West Governor to help the people of Bamali by getting from the Divisional Officer for Ndop the main reason why he (the DO) invaded their village with armies and that the Bamali people are peace-loving, armless yet were maltreated, brutalized and tortured “in this way in this country”.

Untold Facts

Nkimih Rostant with fractured leg after medical operation

When the bill on terrorism was adopted in Parliament, SDF National chairman Ni John Fru Ndi was worried that local administrators may use that law to settle scores. Barely two months after the bill was promulgated into law, the administration of Ngoketunjia is looking for a scapegoat to link to the past incident even though popular opinion in Bamali holds that the incident was masterminded by some people with the support of the administration. Some people are pointing accusing fingers at the administration of Ngoketunjia given that the SDO had some years back issued a letter to the Governor requesting 400 elements (2nd category) to help him reinstate the ousted fon of Bamali, Fon Idrisuh Nopu Sahfua. On the other hand, another opinion holds that the fon who happens to be a Gendarme officer was amongst the looter camouflaged in military uniform. It is even alleged that when matters escalidated the same administration surfaced with a letter in which allegedly Bamali village had threatened to invade Bamuka. In reaction to that letter, the Mayor of Ndop council discarded such a claim adding that “his villages will never go to war against another”. He said those who claim that some youths were being trained to invade Bamuka are telling lies. Popular opinion in Ndop holds that the issue of Bamali village planning to invade Bamuka was a fabrication of the administration to conceal the administrative error committed that escalidated into a blood bath “Where are the guns that were kept in the palace”, Emmanuel Nken one of the villagers questioned. He told this reporter that he moved to the scene and talked to the population and even cleared off the road blockages to ease the movement of commuters who were caught in the web at Bamali 3 Corners.  This reporter met 18 years  

Yeh Stephen still in pains waiting an operation

Nkimih Rostand who was just discharged from the Mbingo Baptist Hospital after a major operation on his leg. Yet it is difficult for him to move. The chairman lamented that another pathetic case is that of Yeh Stephen whose family is still struggling to raise money for him to undergo an operation. He said that even though some of the victims cannot move from the bed, the medical certificates issued to them by the medical doctor in Ndop indicates that something went wrong somewhere. “We had to seek interventions from our elite(s) before medical certificates were issued to victims”, parent of one of the victims told us. “I am suspecting the hand of the administration in this issue, how can someone whose leg has been shattered by a bullet be given only 10 days, this boy cannot walk after six months”. The brouhaha that took place at Bamali has seemingly been transformed into settling of scores.

Some of the victims who sustained injuries include amongst others: Njokeh Michael, Yombi Ivo, Nipoh Swebum, Shume Collette, Yombi Mathias, Tengang Esther, Nden Bartholomew, Che Felix, Njokang Essemont, Memo Eric, Mboh Raphael, Yefor Wilfred, Tani Nicoline, Tani Henry, Tani Collins, Tani Raymond, Tani Irene, Fomunkwain Bruno, Njingun Moses, Yann Quester, Ngong Francis, Nchowara George, Nkimi Rostand, Mbondop Raymond, Komupah Derick, Ngopuh Clovis, Puh Ibrahim, Yeh Stephen. However, the list of victims is long but we could only lay hands on the above list.

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