Buhari Tells Ministers, Governors, Top Civil Serants That Declaration of Assets is A-Must

President Muhammadu Buhari has said that governors, ministers and top civil servants must declare their assets

 

President Muhammadu Buhari has made it mandatory for governors, ministers and top civil servants to declare their assets for the purpose of transparency and accountability in his political dispensation as the constitution demands.

He stated this during his visit to Ghana yesterday, 7th of September, while responding to a question from the Ghanaian press during a joint press conference with Mahama after bilateral talks at the Peduase Lodge in Aburi on how he could impress it on other African leaders and public office holders to emulate him by making assets declaration a priority in governance.

In his words:

I recall that in 1975 when late Murtala Mohammed became the Head of State, we were lined up in the corridor – governors, ministers, members of the Supreme Military Council – and officials of Ministry of Justice were brought and every individual was made to declare his assets.
“So right now, all heads of state and government, governors, ministers, permanent secretaries will have to declare their assets because it is a constitutional requirement.
“In Nigeria, it is a constitutional issue and that is why I am blaming you gentlemen of the press. If you really want to do investigative journalism, you don’t have to worry me at this stage; I have declared my assets four times.
“When I was governor in 1975, I declared. After being Minister of Petroleum and as a member of Supreme Military Council, I declared. When I was Head of State and now as a President, I also declared.
“I have declared my assets and all that I have four times, and you (the media) have the right to go and demand for my declaration. Instead, I am being harassed.”

He however urged journalists to concentrate more on gathering the facts and figures regarding his asset declaration rather than harrasing him with questions.

 

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Query Me If I don't Name My Cabinet This Month - Buhari Tells Nigerians

The president has reiterated that he will not fail to announce his ministers this month

At a joint press conference with President John Dramani Mahama of Ghana, President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday in Aburi, Ghana, reassured Nigerians and the international community that he would name his cabinet before the end of the month.

While responding to a question on the appointment of Ministers Buhari said, "After I was sworn-in, I said I will have my cabinet in September. I expect that Nigerians should ask me questions after the 30th of September if I do not do so."

 Buhari also stated that the Nigerian military, alongside the Multi-National Joint Task Force, had made remarkable progress in the fight against Boko Haram since he assumed office as President.

"The first thing I did after I came into office was to reorganize the military and clear orders were given to them in terms of retraining, re-equipping and redeployment of troops.

"In the northeast, the military is gaining ground and Boko Haram has been limited to the Sambisa forest.

"Internally Displaced Persons are gradually moving back home and they are being reintegrated into their respective communities,"  Buhari said.

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What You Need to Know About Fon Abdou Bemsi, The Award Winning Development Luminary

Fon Abdou Bemsi: The Development Luminary

 The Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon once declared that “sustainable development is 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 their communities. Development is a complex issue yet youths getting involved in accompanying local initiatives have generated more results.

 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. One young man who is providing remedy to this kind of poverty is Fon Abdou Bemsi. He is the promoter of Bemsi Bongom Foundation which is donating a football trophy to animate youths at this year's General meeting of December 28, 2015.

On August 31, 2015, he was honoured as Donga Mantung Development Luminary for his trappings in providing remedies to innovative ideas at community levels.  It is also this art of reaching out to communities is making him dissimilar from others. No one ever imagined that Bongom village could host the Wimbum Students Union-WISU, but young Fon Abdou Bemsi defied all to stage the unexpected. Who else could shoulder such a responsibility? Not even the politician and the wealthy of Donga Mantung are still to crush such a feat. Not only is he the only one, who severally has been promoting grassroot football in Bongom village, he also offers scholarships in order to promote excellence within WISU and in Mbum land. Visit his farm and you will know you are with someone who is out to set example for others to follow.

Fon Abdou's awarded being handed to his representative by Rev. Pastor Maurice

His educational background coupled with his devotion to be perfect is making him to transform the principle of education for work into the principle of education through work. Reasons why nurtured and supported the agro-forestry program for some farmers of the Division. He is of the school of thought that holds that if needy communities are empowered through education, development will be sustainable, the fact that he was one of the sponsors of A Clean Community Program 2015 of The Eye Newspaper clearly demonstrate his believing in empowering communities. The most interesting thing about this development 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. Abanda Marcel of the Cameroon National Council, Donga Mantung once described Bemsi as the pillar of youth empowerment given that when two or three youths gather to talk development, though far in Canada, Fon Abdou Bemsi is more active in participating in development issues more than those who are in living in Cameroon. The Bongom Bio Farms could not have existed if not of his encouragements.

FCFA 140.000 Cash Price included

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Ndansi Elvis Wins Donga Mantung Man of The Year Award

Ndansi Elvis receiving his recognition from the DO for Nkambe

Ndansi Elvis Nukam, the Chief Executive Officer of Unite for Health Foundation who doubles as the National Youth President of National Union for Democracy and Progress-NUDP has been honoured by The Eye Newspaper as Donga Mantung Man of The Year. Ndansi Elvis was voted to receive this award for his outstanding performances in 2014/2015 given that he stood tall from the madding crowd as the most formidable man of all men of Donga Mantung Division in action. The award which was handed to Ndansi Elvis at a fun-filled award ceremony last August 31, 2015 at the CamCCUL Hall in Nkambe was another mark of recognition to grease his milestone achievements. Having proven his worth in developing expansionism trenches to the rural poor, Ndansi Elvis’ political savvy seems to come naturally.

Ndansi worked hard in the year 2014/2015 to the point that his exemplary successes to change lives through the Shaa Festival has caught a lot of admiration. Early this year, young Ndansi showed to the world that he is not a man to pigeon-hole with when he moved out as an early bird to denounce xenophobia attacks in South Africa. What he did as a young activist is mind blowing.

This is so because Ndansi Elvis just decided to mark out that politics is development and that alleviating poverty and miseries in rural areas is precedence of priority that makes politics and development bed-mates.

Ndansi’s success story is similar to that of William Still who as a young boy helped a slave escape. And over his lifetime, he went on to help as many as 800 more slaves escape to their freedom. 

Ndansi Elvis

Life, they say is an amalgamation of assessments and problems but great people look beyond trials and tribulations to clout a weighing scale, so does Ndansi. But the most interesting thing about this dynamic young man is that he looks beyond the horizon that appears to be the end of the world and see other opportunities that nobody imagines can exist. When he recently offered free consultations to all Donga Mantung indigenes based in Yaounde, many thought it was a joke, but it came to past that he continues to save lives with that approach.

Seemingly, his interested act of dreaming, acting and realizing the dreams have positive multiplier upshot on society. With the Shaa Festival, he introduced to the people of Misaje Sub Division that vitality of maintaining hygienic condition in the brewing and sales of that local drink that serves as a major source of income to many families.

This is because with talent can make things happen to the very essence of rural development. Nevertheless, innovation distinguishes between a great politician and a charlatan.
But unlike ordinary visionaries who see far and remain on their original position, Ndansi does not wait on the spot to be told, he goes for it. That is why as a youth he 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, Ndansi Elvis Nukam. 

What is important about this award winning dynamic young man is that he is innovative, down to earth and fertile in expedients.

John Quincy Adams says that if your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. Ndansi is not just a dynamic leader but a politician with exceptional leadership qualities. When the issue of insecurity came up to scale, Ndansi toured all the border villages in Misaje Sub Division to talk to youths, traditional rulers and community leaders on what is expected of them at this crucial moment. In Misaje, 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 be a role model, Ndansi is actually a youth emancipator who doesn’t talk about development but puts them into practice. In getting to where he is today and especially being voted as Donga Mantung Man of The Year at his age, he toiled laboriously to transform vision into concrete realities. 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’ burning the midnight candle to change lives around. 

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Hon. Njingum Wins Best Politician of The Year Award

 On August 31, 2015, Hon. Njingum Musa Mbutoh was honoured as the Best Politician of The Year.

Hon. Njingun Recieving award from DO for Nkambe

Talking to journalists after the fun-filled ceremony, Hon. Njingum Musa said that he was very delighted and that the recognition will serve as a spur for him to continue in his drive to change lives in his constituency.
But what makes Hon. Njingum Musa the Best?

It is widely acclaimed that to be converted into a great politician or statesman, one has to use his/her talents, skills, experiences, openness, uprightness, braves and limitations with the affirmative upshot in order to create impact in society. That is what Hon. Njingum as a great politician is striving  to make his constituency better than before he was elected. Besides, the enormity that is contained in the acts and actions of a politician towards his people should always be life changing given that politics is a means to development. Therefore, a politician is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making in government, delight to serve the people and consider themselves as servants and people their paymasters. Hon. Ngingum musa, the Member of Parliament for Ngoketunjia North who doubles as Questor at the national Assembly has proven beyond reasonable doubts that he represents the hopes, aspirations and the interests of every citizen in his constituency. What inescapably catches your interest when you meet Hon. Njingum musa is his outstanding elegance. Being a modern man of the modern generation, this illustrious son of Bamali village knows only too able-bodied what good, attractive manners does to polish a man’s image. And so he never hesitates to share the little he has to his people. In preaching politics of inclusiveness, he has revamped the CPDM in his constituency to the point that it is almost becoming a religion. Many people love him for what he does, and how he has changed politics from a game of the mastiff to a game reserve for dignified men, women and youths.

 According to Theodore Roosevelt, “the most successful politician is he who says what the people are thinking most often in the loudest voice”. But there is more to what he does than just the classiness in which he addresses burning issues and tackles development matters. This is especially so when we take into concern his radiant edifying milieu, his prosperous political career the enormous work he is doing for his people and Cameroonians in general as a Member of Parliament of the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM). What however makes Hon Njingum different from other politicians’ lies in the fact that he does not wait for elections to fulfill his political promises but constantly in touch with the grassroots.  

His savoir-faire in politics has earned him several awards from several media organs notably, The Watchdog Tribune, World Echoes, The Guardian Post, Life Time and most recently The Eye Newspaper where he was voted as Best Politician of The Year. 

(See separate story on this blog on Hon. Njingum's largess and  distribution of micro grants)


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Back to School: Effective Start in Donga Mantung Division

The 2015/2016 school year kick-started in Donga Mantung with no incident recorded. Reports from the five Sub Divisions indicated that the exercise was hitch-free. When this reporter visited PHS Nkambe, GTHS Nkambe and GSS Binshua, and GBS Nkambe, PS Nkambe and CS Nkambe we witnessed a beehive of activities that was noticed. While some students were busy copying time tables, some were already receiving lectures.

Njoh Essombe

At GTHS Nkambe, Njoh Essombe told us that about 444 students attended the morning assemble and that all the teachers were present but added that the common problem in Nkambe is that students are always reluctant to come to school on the first day. He said the majority of the students were those in form one. He decried the fact that parents don’t always like to buy textbooks for the students. Harping on the staff strength of GTHS Nkambe, Njoh Essombe said that there are 50 trained teachers in the establishment and a score of PTA teachers which make them prepared for the year. “We have qualified teachers and I think the parents should continue to have confidence in us”, he continued. He emphasized that in term of trades and specialties, after GTHS Bamenda, Nkambe is second. According to the principal, there are 13 trades in the second cycle and 12 in the first cycle. For example, GTHS Nkambe offers three major trades that are found only in two or three schools around the country. These trades include public works, topography and Bureau d’etude (BE) which implies that GTHS Nkambe is the window to Donga Mantung.

Wanyu Belinda

At PHS Nkambe, Madame Wanyu Belinda said that back to school activities started yesterday on a very sound note. She said the school administration took time to sensitize the students on academic and security issues. Given the PHS is a boarding school; the administrative staff took time to examine and cross-checked all the belongings of students to make sure that no undesirable item is brought to school. She also added that the students started their lessons as early as 7 am today morning. She also emphasized that since PHS has been producing excellent results it was necessary for them to begin well given that all that begins well ends well. Following the Moderator’s scholarship, Madame Belinda says the school has recorded a geometric increase in the intake of students this year. The scholarship she said has been given to the first 25 students who get into forms one and lower sixth class. 
The Principal of GSS Binshua, Mupmbaah Harrison told our reporters that all is set for the school year to begin. He emphasized on the fact that the turn-out was quite impressive and encouraging. However, dark clouds hover at GHS Binka given that the out-gone Principal has not yet carried out the official handing over. The school vice principles were seen busy over reorganizing time-tables while some students were spotted playing around the campus. Notwithstanding, it is hoped that before mid week, GHS Binka will be on motion.

GBHS Nkambe undergoing rehabilitation

GTHS Nkambe

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Chelsea of Njap Wins HRH Fon Stanley Tumi's Unity Cup(PhotoNews1)

Kick-off by the Fon of Njap

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Synopsis of The Personality of The Year Ta Nformi Dr. Christopher Fomunyoh

 By Mokun Jouny Nelson

Ta Nformi Dr. Christopher Fomunyoh Flanked by Mr. Ngone Ndodemesape SDO for Donga Mantung

Dr Christopher Fomunyoh is one of the most respected voices speaking for democracy in Africa. He serves as the Senior Associate and Regional Director for Central and West Africa at the Washington based National Democratic Institute, NDI.

In this capacity, he has organized and advised international election observation missions in Benin, Cameroon, Central Africa Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Liberia, Madagascar and many other countries.

Since 2000, Dr Christopher Fomunyoh launched The Fomunyoh Foundation (www.tffcam.org) to support humanitarian causes and democratization efforts in

Cameroon. To this effect the Foundation Charity caravan has this far been to seven of the country’s ten Regions including the Littoral, Center, West, Adamawa, North, Far North and the North West Regions. During these visits the Foundation either supported humanitarian and developmental initiatives or provided its modest support to the needy as was the case in March 2015 when it was in Maroua in the Far North Region where the Foundation provided both material and financial support to internally displaced children, victims of Boko Haram exactions. Foundation’s office is in Bamenda, North West Region.

In his primary school days, Dr Fomunyoh attended Catholic School Guzang, then Presbyterian Schools in Ambo and Guzang (both in Batibo Sub-Division) before proceeding to secondary school in Cameroon Protestant College, Bali, one of the oldest and most renowned academic institutions in Cameroon. He later studied in the

Cameroon College of Arts, Science and Technology (CCAST) Bambili, before matriculating in the University of Yaoundé, Faculty of Law and Economics. He holds a Licence en Droit from Yaounde University in Cameroon, a Masters Degree in International Law from Harvard Law School, and a Ph. D. in Political Science from Boston University. He is also an adjunct faculty member at the Africa Center for

Strategic Studies and a former adjunct professor of African politics and government at Georgetown University. He also holds a professional certificate in Air Law from the Université d’Aix-en- Provence in France.

Prior to his career in the United States, Dr Fomunyoh worked in Douala, Cameroon;

Ta Nformi Dr. Christopher Fomunyoh: Personality of The Year

first for the Water Corporation, Societé Nationale des Eaux du Cameroun (SNEC), and later for the defunct Cameroon Airlines where he established and ran the Legal Department for close to seven years.

Born August 14, 1956, in Guzang-Batibo, Momo Division, North West Cameroon, Dr

Fomunyoh is married to Mary-Ann and father of three children; Frankline, Brian and Christina. He is perfectly bilingual as he speaks English and French.

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