Barrister Charles Njualem:

“Cameroon is a country with its own mistakes and its own gifts.”

This gentleman of the legal profession was born in Lebialem in 1964. He therefore falls in the Bangwa tribe in that same Division. Presently he is father of three kids; two daughters and one son. His primary education was done at the Catholic Primary School in Ngentse, Fontem in Lebialem Division. At the time he intimates, education in that part of the country was completely dominated by the Catholic Mission.

He further explains that at the time they grew up, most of the children from that part of the country did only the primary and secondary education in their native Lebialem. The rest he explained was done out of the village. This explains why his secondary education was done at Government High School Limbe known at the time as Government Secondary Grammar School G.S.G.S. at Down Beach in Victoria presently called Limbe.

He explains his nostalgia in the following manner; “each time I go down to Limbe, I turn and look around and I tell myself that it could only have been this school. The Principal at the time was Mr. Becke Samuel and he was a wonderful School Administrator and teacher. He was a celebrated authority and that’s why we are here. We can never forget him and other authorities who brought us up. There are quite a good number of us students who were in GSGS at the time who recognize each other since we are all authorities in our various fields. The General Manager of the Cameroon Development Corporation Njie Franklin for example was also in the same institution at the time though one or two classes ahead of me.”

Charles Njualem presently heads the Human Rights Law Firm at Mutengene in the Tiko Municipality. He is equally a member of the Cameroon Bar Council. To get an insight of who this gentleman is, let’s get it from the horse’s mouth.

“Put otherwise, 15 of us are ruling all the Lawyers in Cameroon. I am in control of the Lawyers in the Southwest Region. Whether it be a problem of somebody having committed an offence; all of this is brought before me and I take responsibility. Over and above that, we also take care of the interests of colleagues. For example, when a colleague works and is not paid by the client they come to me and I do taxation of fees among other things. I do every other thing that must be done to take care of the interests of colleagues. The relationship with the Magistrates is also taken care of and we can’t recount all of that here.”

The gentleman in this manner explains that there is always much to be done for the Bar and for the supreme interest of every other person since he is not only talking for the interests of the lawyers. He concedes that it is a very challenging task because as he puts it, complains come in on a daily bases and files of complains are countless and each and every file has to be taken care of meticulously. “Over and above the fact that I go to court, when I come back, I have to make sure that every other thing is done.”

Commenting on his romance with the leadership of Fako Lawyers’ Association, Barrister Njualem Charles put it in the following manner: “We have been doing so much at the level of Fako Lawyers’ Association-FAKLA. I was the President of Fako Lawyers’ Association but before I go ahead let me explain that power is given to me by the people. I don’t give myself the power. FAKLA was my creation and that same FAKLA gave me so much authority. That is why I had to create many institutions which helped us in managing our relationship with our colleagues; the young and the old. That is how I grew up and they kept on giving me power and I enjoyed same and that is how they gave me power to represent them at the level of the Bar. So I have had many rights given me by colleagues and from other authorities. That is how I grew up and I cannot tell you that it has all been my doing. Instead, I have been empowered by my colleagues on a daily bases and that is why I am where I am.”

This legal luminary did not fail to hint on his close collaboration with his professional colleagues since from the foregoing, it falls at the center of his modus operandi. “Fako Lawyers’ Association FAKLA is ably represented at the Bar Council. Let me start with Barrister Ajong. He is somewhere in Britain managing Human Rights issues. He is somebody presently celebrated at many levels in his profession because we as lawyers appreciate what the young man is doing. He is a celebrated Human Rights lawyer. There are other colleagues at the Bar Council on behalf of FAKLA and they can hardly say anything without mentioning something about Barrister Charles Njualem. This is simply because I was at the very beginning of every other thing that has been done. If you were to ask the President of Fako Lawyers Association, Barrister Agbor Balla, he will start by telling you that learned Barrister Charles Njualem is to be thanked for where we are and for what we have done and for what we shall do. I also thank them for all that they have done and for what they are doing because it takes two to tango.”

He as such recognises the fact that alone, nothing can be done and goes ahead to thank his colleagues of FAKLA for what they have been doing. The Lawyers of Fako he said work as one and this forms their strong point.

“Those who think they can do it alone because they have been given the opportunity to do one thing or the other will certainly fail. When you are given powers you should make sure that you don’t forget this. You must make sure that you work for the people and not for yourself. I am very happy that all the authorities who are managing FAKLA have made sure that they celebrate this collective interest and they make sure that we work together.”

Asked to give an appraisal of the present legal landscape in Cameroon and to comment on the absence of a Law School, the learned Barrister said “first and foremost, on behalf of the lawyers I will thank you for this important question. It makes me smile because if you are not a serious lawyer, you can play into the hands of somebody. One thing is certain, we are in a country that has a peculiarity. We are in a country where people please third parties and displease themselves. We are in a country where people cannot summon courage to speak the truth. I am afraid that story which we all celebrated is so peculiar and disturbing at the same time that a serious lawyer like myself cannot play into the waiting hands of authorities who want to cause third parties to become happy without looking at the facts and reassuring themselves that the facts are correct. A lawyer of my class will not tell you that this is going to be done. I say this and with good authority that there are a thousand and one things that have been announced in this country and they were never done. Then you think I will go on telling Cameroonians that this is going to happen today and tomorrow and tomorrow.. I will not take that kind of risk. Ha ha ha.” 

Barrister Charles Njualem in this chat with Cameroon People Magazine passed across the following message; “Ours is a country with many problems. Cameroon is just a country like any other one with its own mistakes and its own gifts which we all enjoy. We should accept the peculiarities of the State and join the powers that be in managing the state so that in the final analyses, we can still respect the fact that there is a country called Cameroon. Please don’t abandon it but instead let’s join in managing the State of Cameroon but take your responsibility for all is not well with this country. You definitely have to advise yourselves and if you doubt anything concerning what I have said, then get back to me. And we shall look at Cameroon as a people and find the solutions to our problems.”   

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