Movers and shakers in Noni

King Makers Confer Title of “Fon of Diaspora” on Illustrious Son!

By Francis Ekongang Nzante

Traditional Power brokers in Djottin-Noni have in an unprecedented move conferred the powers of Fon to an illustrious son. The difference however is that this new Fon will take care only of the Diaspora without influencing the way things are done back home. The maiden “Fon of the Diaspora” is Dr Nfii Ndikintum Kangong. This elevated position is referred to in the Noni Language as Nfon Nkwantè

This development comes against the backdrop of  a very successful Extraordinary Congress of the Djottin Area Development Association DADA that took place recently in Yaounde. Following the active and selfless commitment of their son to ensure the success of the Congress, the traditional Powers of Djottin-Noni decided to confer ambassadorial powers to Dr Nfii Ndikintum Kangong.

A close look at Nfon Nkwantè Nfii Ndikintum Kangong reveals that he has always been interested in the development of his Homeland. Prior to this recent development, he had been conferred the title Shey Ngenfwè which literally translates as an Agent of Development.

This notion of Nfon Nkwantè (Ambassador of the village)was hatched following the enthusiasm that has been ignited amongst the new generation of kedjottin in the recent past. It is simply the thirst for a new Djottin.

In the immediate past,  a Motive force has emerged, with a particular style proper to it, provoking a massive response to this burning desire to rebuild Djottin.

The notion of Nfon Nkwantè as proposed by the Traditional Powers of Djottin is motivated by the wish to provide an informed leadership among kedjottin outside Djottin. 

It is further geared towards giving the Nfons of Djottin “an international voice to speak on their behalf, everywhere, outside Djottin, where need be. This means the holder of such a position has the Authority of the Nfons to represent them everywhere outside Djottin.”

This implicitly means that the holder of this position exerts Ambassadorial prerogatives for the people of Djottin.

In a nutshell, the position is one of leadership for those in diaspora. It is a representation of the Nfons in the diaspora. It means being an Ambassador for Djottin “entailing negotiations for mutual cooperation benefits with the world outside Djottin.” 

This initiative clearly has “no conflict with, nor modifications to, the Traditional setting back at home, nor one with the traditional mission of DADA.” 

 This knighted illustrious son had already shown what he was and is capable of for the good of all kedjottin during the DADA Extraordinary Congress in Yaounde. During and after the Extraordinary Congress, he demonstrated his love and devotedness to the course with an uninhibited sacrificial tendency.

The Kwiyfon has, by this act, simply paid homage to a deserving son of the soil and empowered him not to relinquish his efforts but to, on the contrary, redouble them to cultivate love and unflinching attachment to his homeland.

 It is expected that kedjottin should welcome this innovative move and behave in such a way as to write the name of Djottin in History as the first to succeed in  making functional, the post of Ambassador of a village.

In a write up by Shey Nkene Ndinayi Thomas Tata-Gwei, emissary of the Kwiyfon entitled “The Bush on Fire” he enjoins kedjottin in the following words:

“Let us join hands please, to welcome our Ambassador, Nfon Nkwanté Nfii Ndikintum and give him the courage to show that Djottin has made no mistake in honouring him with such a high distinction and lofty calling. 

May the Good Lord buttress our endeavours and guide and protect him as he strives to make us a better people, living in love, and sacrificing for homeland, and, consequently,  enabling us and our posterity to enjoy the fruits of our labour.”

At the time of publication, this reporter had not succeeded to reach Nfon Nkwantè Nfii Ndikintum Kangong for comment.

 

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Book Launch

Publication on Life and Ministry of Archbishop Cornelius Fontem Esua Unveiled!

By Francis Ekongang Nzante

A publication focused on the Life and Ministry of His Grace Cornelius Fontem Esua, Archbishop Emeritus of the Bamenda Arch Diocese will be launched in the first half of the month of February in Bamenda.

The publication which is titled Indelible Footprints is a well crafted narrative that runs through the life of one of the greatest builders of the Roman Catholic Church in Cameroon from his birth in Mbetta in the Kupe Manenguba Division in the South West Region of Cameroon to his present life as the Archbishop Emeritus of the Arch Diocese of Bamenda.

It is a masterpiece and a product of the collective work of a cross section of dedicated people ranging from Religious to laity. This collection of Priests and Reverend Sisters working in close collaboration with the Chamber of African Elite Biographers successfully crafted a story that provides a vivid picture of the life and ministry of the Archbishop Emeritus.

The book is divided into four parts. The first concentrates on the early beginnings of the life of the Archbishop Emeritus. Here, early German and Mill Hill Missionary activities are vividly painted. It also touches on historical realities at the time like the effects of the Second World War. The difficult circumstances surrounding his first journey out of Mbetta on his way to Saint Joseph’s College Sasse, his life at Sasse College and the nursing of priestly Vocations also constitute parts of the first part of Indelible Footprints.

The second part of the publication wades through his life at the Bigard Memorial Seminary in Enugu, Nigeria and at the Pontificio Collegio Urbano, Roma in Italy. Part two also takes us through his Priestly Ordination in Mbetta and the beginning of his work as a priest in Mamfe. In part two we also see the earliest efforts put in by the respected Professor Bernard Fonlon that resulted in the creation of the Saint Thomas Aquinas Major Seminary in Bambui. Light is  equally shed on his studies at the Pontifical Biblical Institute and in the Hebrew University.

By virtue of the fact that he was the maiden Bishop of the Kumbo Diocese and that most of his Pastoral works were carried out While he was in Kumbo, Indelible Footprints in Part three focuses almost completely on his life as the Bishop of Kumbo. The narrative in part three zooms through the creation of the Kumbo Diocese and the appointment of the first Residential Bishop. The subsequent imbroglio that came in the wake of his appointment as Bishop of Kumbo is vividly described. The Ad Limina Visit and Episcopal Ordination in Kumbo with its pump and pageantry are revisited with admirable artistry. This segment of the Publication which constitutes the nucleus, touches principally on Primary Evangelisation and challenges in establishing the Kumbo Diocese.

From Kumbo, the narrative shifts to Bamenda when His Grace Cornelius Fontem Esua was appointed to the Metropolitan See of Bamenda as Archbishop. From Kumbo to Bamenda, the Prelate is seen shepherding the flock, empowering, inspiring and shaping people.

The publication takes time to zoom in on the Archbishop's Biological family. As the vivid narrative runs through, we see a character with steadfast humility realising projects with long term impacts. We see him carrying out Priestly formation, we see him in the Youth Ministry and in family life. However , the most important thing in the life and ministry of the Archbishop Emeritus as hinted in the narrative is the Strategic Plan for Evangelisation. His achievements are enormous and are indeed surprising when we take into consideration the enormous health challenges that the Prelate had. The narrative does not ignore his role on the global stage of the Catholic Church.

Like a shepherd that does not abandon the sheep in danger, the Archbishop Emeritus maybe retired but is not tired.

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CEO, EM Cameroon Recognized as Driving Force in Agricultural Innovation

The Chief Executive Officer CEO of EM Cameroon Dr. Sama David Ngoh has been deemed as a worthy recipient of the Cameroon Performance Award CPA 2021. 

According to a report presented by the Organising Committee of Cameroon Performance Awards, “Dr. Sama David Ngoh, the CEO of EM Cameroon is one of the driving forces behind Agricultural Innovation in Cameroon. 

EM Cameroon guided by the vision of Dr Sama David Ngoh has over the years promoted Organic Agriculture in Cameroon through the usage of EM Technology. This has immeasurably improved upon the quality of food consumed by Cameroonians.

 In the domain of Agriculture, there is the Foliar fertilizer which is used for all green plants. There is EM for Livestock which significantly reduces foul odours, improves animal health reduces mortality rate, improves fecundity and improves upon the quality of meat, dairy and eggs. Meantime EM for Environmental Protection is used to clean up polluted waters, oil spills and recycling of organic waste into quality fertilizer.

 MIDENO, the leading Agricultural stakeholder in the Northwest Region in recognition of the quality of the activities of EM Cameroon has constantly collaborated with this institution in its outreach initiatives to Farmers in the North West Region. Dr. Sama David through the innovativeness of EM Cameroon has not only improved upon the quality of food that Cameroonians eat but has improved upon the quality of life of Cameroonians through its environmental protection efforts” the report stated.

It is because of these achievements that Cameroon Performance Awards found Dr Sama David Ngoh and EM Cameroon deserving of the Award. 

The Award was conferred by Mr Francis Ekongang Nzante, National Coordinator and Chairperson of the Organising Committee of CPA on Sunday March 30th, 2021 at the National Head Office of EM Cameroon in Bamenda.

In an interview after receiving the prestigious Award Dr Sama David Ngoh stated the way he felt in the following manner: “I want to thank you for recognising what we have been doing in the promotion of Organic Agriculture in Cameroon. This serves as a booster and is going to push meus to do some more work in sensitizing people about Organic Agriculture.”

He intimated that EM Technology is imported from Japan and deals with Agriculture in general. This includes Livestock production and Crop production. EM Cameroon he said was homologated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development MINADER and in 2018 it was givyen the homologation by the Ministry of Livestock, Fishery and Animal Production in Cameroon.

On Environmental Protection, Dr Sama David Ngoh said EM Technology reduces Ammonia Gas and odour. This he said accounts for odourless farms for those who are doing Livestock Production. EM Cameroon he further said collaborates with the Bamenda City Council in terms of drainage. There is also a meaningful collaboration with the Bamenda Regional Hospital in terms of odour elimination in toilets. EM Cameroon he further revealed collaborates with a number of Mission Schools to eliminate odour in the School Campuses. As a result of EM Technology people can do any farming activity without fear of odour in the urban space he posited.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development MINADER he said have been buying EM Cameroon products and distributing them to Farmers all over Cameroon. Same with GPDERUDEP phase one and two which have also been buying the products and distributing them to farmers in the North West Region. EM Cameroon has also been collaborating with MIDENO. The latter has been buying EM Products and distributing them to farmers especially during the launch of Farming Seasons. This took place in 2019, 2020 and 2021. EM Cameroon also collaborates with the PIDMA Project which is supported by the World Bank. Here EM Cameroon simply supplies the Cooperatives that are being sponsored by the World Bank for maize production in the North West and West Regions of Cameroon. EM Cameroon products he said were a better alternative to Chemical Fertilizers.

Author: Francis Ekongang Nzante

CAMEROON PEOPLE MAGAZINE

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“The Vision of FADCA is to get Everything Functioning Again"

President FADCA, Bamenda Chapter.

Mr Musi Vincent is the President of the Fanji Development and Cultural Association FADCA, Bamenda Chapter. In this interview he declares that the greatest desire of FADCA is to see that things return to normal once more in Bafanji. The crisis he intimated, has prevented FADCA from effectively functioning for a period of three years. He begins by delving into the origins of FADCA. 

Excerpts

FADCA as it is called now, is the brainchild of Mr Peleke Mungi Vincent who deemed it necessary to bring people together with an intention of making his village to grow like he saw other villages developing around him in Kumba where he resided.  This was in 1972 and it started as the Fanji Development Committee FDC. A group of people who thought in the same manner and who believed in the initiative came together. It gained momentum and was highly welcomed by the village. 

………….

 What were the major achievements of FDC?

………….

FDC did quite a lot for the village thanks to the open handedness of Pah Peleke who did not want to see people in the village suffer. With time, it metamorphosed into FDU, Fanji Development Union but there was still a name problem. It was really development oriented and went ahead to do a lot of work in the village. In 2001  Fon Ngwenfuni II thought that a more englobing structure should be put in place. That's how the name was changed to FADCA: Fanji Development and Cultural Association and the present National President is Nkweti Patrick who is based in Douala.  

…………..

It is obvious that FADCA was created to meet up with the Cultural and Development needs of Bafanji. How has it lived up to these expectations?

………………..

Without the existence of this structure, Bafanji would have been lagging behind in many ways. FDC was able to structure the equipment at the health center. That was the aim of the founders. They wanted that there should be some kind of health facility in the village. So the founder went ahead, built it and handed it to the Prebytarian Church. That was in the domain of health so shortly after the creation of FADCA we took it upon ourselves the responsibility to lobby for the creation of Educational Infrastructures in Bafanji. We were lucky to be given a Government High school that very year. Afterwards we thought that there was the need for a Technical College. We lobbied again. In Cameroon you must lobby to get things done. This entails talking to key persons to get things done. We eventually got a Government Technical College. We did not stop there. We went ahead, lobbied and got a Government Secondary School to serve as a feeder school for the Government High School. At the level of Secondary Education we have three schools and we can’t begin to count the primary and Nursery Schools.  FADCA has been very instrumental in all of this not only lobbying but also participating in the building. FADCA almost singlehandedly built the Government Technical College. However the government actually brought in lots of investment at GBHS where they built about seven classrooms. At the level of education we did quite much but we didn’t stop at that. Of course we had set objectives like Health, Education, Farm to Market Roads, but the next very important thing was drinking water. What we had which was provided by the CIAC System lasted only for a short time and collapsed. Water remains a priority. Unfortunately, the topography of Bafanji doesn’t favour what we call Water by Gravity and presently we are still looking for ways to solve the problem of water. Right now it remains a very serious challenge.

………. 

What about Electricity?

…………..

We took advantage of the Government's Rural Electrification Programme. As God would have it we convinced the Government and 80 million FCFA was made available for the Electrification of Bafanji. 

……………

Who are some of those key personalities in Bafanji that have been pushing to see that most of these projects are realised?

……………..

You've had people like Pah Mungi Peleke may his soul rest in peace who put in so much and at the time he was not even the President. Others who bought the idea include people like late Feko Vincent, late Tamba Patrick, Pah Fekeme, Mr. Pezumbiah Philip, Pah Peyechu Thaddeus, Mr Sungpewoh Williams, Mr Nkweti Patrick amongst others. These are people who have been at the forefront of the activities of FADCA as National Presidents. You have people like Pah Ngufor Peter though he has never been National President, he served at one time as Treasurer.  He stands like a pillar around which every development initiative evolves. He has always been there for us and has constantly been behind our Development initiatives.

…………..

Bafanji is in the Balikumbat Subdivision, an area which was particularly hit by the crisis. You people showed resilience and sailed through. How was this done?

…………

Apart from just being resilient, I will add determination, resoluteness and the forward looking nature of our people. I recall the Intertribal skirmishes of 1995 – 1998 during which Bafanji was almost wiped out. About 400 houses were burnt down. You would expect a people coming out of this to crumble but no. We kept on as it is traditional of us. We've stayed focused and thank God we are moving on.

……………….

How are you people facing the challenge of school attendance in the crisis?

………………..

It is regrettable, The schools are empty. You find children with their parents living in deplorable conditions in the neighbouring Division in the West Region looking for education. The three colleges are closed down and more than twenty primary schools are closed down. The teachers are threatened here and there and they are desperate because they can’t work. The situation was compounded by the COVID 19 Pandemic. We've been educating the villagers about it. Elders like Pah Ngufor Peter also stepped in with basic needs to help the villagers protect themselves from it like Face masks, Bucket taps, tablets of soap, Hand Sanitizers, Wash hand basins amongst other things. These things were distributed to the villagers and some were placed at strategic places throughout the village.

……….

Can you comfortably say that Bafanji has proven to be an example to emulate as far as participatory approach to development is concerned?

………………

You are very correct. Honestly what took place in 1972 with the creation of FDC, a self reliant development oriented platform was the first of its kind in the then Ndop Subdivision made up of 13 villages. So the idea of participatory approach to development in that Subdivision was brought in by Bafanji people. It is true that other villages picked up the idea and have even gone further than us. It is true that we have our own peculiar situation. Lots of people have benefited from it and we learn from each other. It is unfortunate that we have not remained at the forefront because of the man-made catastrophes that we went through. 

……….

How is the collaboration between the older and the younger generation?

…………

We are lucky to have a young, talented, dynamic Fon. The Fon of Bafanji, Fon Ngwenfon II is a Magistrate by Profession. Recently he suggested that we should begin a nursery from where we can groom those who will take over the leadership of FADCA tomorrow and insisted on the fact that there should be a Youth Wing and of course two months ago we put in place the Youth wing of the Association. Transitions in the Association have always been smooth since they are guided by a laid down constitution. It is a three year term renewable once and therefore a President can’t put in more than six years in office. We have made it possible for that change to be smooth. In this way we constantly re-structure the Association by bringing in younger people. The new National President is a young 40 year old gentleman working with a Parastatal in Douala.  His team is equally young and those of us who constitute the older generation are always behind them giving the necessary guidance. That movement from the old order to the new has always been in perfect order. 

……………

What orientation do you think the Association should take this year 2021?

…………….

2021 is obviously a very difficult year. With the crisis, FADCA at the National Level has not been functioning for three years. People are scared because Bafanji is the base and we can’t go to Bafanji freely because you never know what may happen to you. So if things were to come back to normal honestly speaking we will be ready to contribute as much as it is necessary to bring in Portable Water and to restructure and reconstruct our Community Hall which has been abandoned. Our vision is to get everything functioning again but this can only be possible if  the crisis and the COVID 19 threats are removed.

Interviewed by Francis Ekongang Nzante.

...............

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At Reception of New Year Wishes

 Mr Ngufor Peter calls on Compatriots to stick to the Truth.

-Predicts Progress in 2021.

By Francis Ekongang Nzante

Ngufor Peter Njontor, the Chief Executive Officer of Farmers House and an elite from the Northwest Region of Cameroon has called on his fellow Compatriots to stick to the truth and has predicted  progress in 2021. He was speaking on Sunday January 17th 2021 within the confines of his Foncha Street Residence in Bamenda in an occasion which saw him celebrating the onset of the New Year 2021 with the Bafanji Community. 

“This particular celebration this year is very special because we all know what 2020 meant for the whole country and for us as individuals and for this part of the country. Thank God that year has passed and we had to celebrate the New Year 2021 which from all indications will bring us progress, good health so we are all praying for that. The message I also gave my compatriots was that we should stand for the truth. You can never replace the truth. You can tell lies and it’s easier to tell lies but you will have to defend that lie all your life.”

The CEO of Farmers House further admonished those who turned out for the occasion to stay away from dirty behaviour like back stabbing and urged everyone to make 2021 a better year. He said considering that the Bafanji Community was a small one, it wasn’t advisable for any body to fault his brother or sister. 

The event he said marked a celebration of the end of the year 2020 and the beginning of the New Year 2021. 

The take home feeling he said was that of total satisfaction. Considering the fact that the Northwest and Southwest Regions and to an extent the country as a whole lived in constant fear, it was very satisfying to have an opportunity to celebrate, he said. 

Quizzed on possible challenges in the year 2021 Mr Ngufor Peter said it wasn’t possible to predict on possible challenges in 2021. To buttress his point he mentioned the COVID 19 Pandemic which took everyone by surprise. “We did not see Corona Virus coming and if we had to predict anything last year, we would have gone wrong. However if challenges do come we will face them as we get there. You will bear with me that every one you saw here today was happy. They were like prisoners freed from captivity. They were all at ease and celebrating with me their happiness was doubled.”

The President of the Fanji Cultural and Development Association Mr Musi Vincent on his part expressed his feelings in the following manner: “We have it as a routine to meet at the end of every year. We were forced to push it this time to the third week of the year because of some other imperatives. It’s been a habit for Bafanji people to come together to communion and serve each other and give thanks to God for keeping them alive despite all the challenges they've gone through.” The Association at the level of Bamenda had no problems he said adding that at the National level it had been under going some restructuring. This he said was necessary because new blood was needed to come into the Association and give it a new push. 

Commenting on the importance of Pah Ngufor Peter to the Bafanji Community he said “Pah Ngufor is more than a human being in the Bafanji Community. They see him as a God sent person who despite his own personal difficulties gives enough time to serve his people. He has no replacement. Every Sunday he is the first in the meeting house. He sets the standard, sets the example and encourages his own children to emulate his examples.”

Music Vincent who is also a retired School Administrator said most of the New Year Messages presented to Pah Ngufor were done in the Bafanji dialect with an intention of enhancing a complete understanding of what was being said. He further said Pah Ngufor Peter's main concern had always been Peace, Love and Harmony adding that the message was especially addressed to those who some times present obstacles to these virtues of peace, love and harmony. His central message Mr Musi Vincent said  was that the Bafanji Community should stick together as one formidable force.

Like Mr Ngufor Peter, the President Mr Musi Vincent said if the Bamenda branch came together as a United  force, they could become strong enough to influence the National Structure to make sure that things get better.

Meantime Mr Ambipo Elias, an elite from Bafanji and erstwhile President of the Bamenda branch of the association said they were celebrating a difficult end of year 2020 and a hopeful beginning of the year 2021. “By the grace of God and by the means made available to Pah Ngufor Peter our mentor, our father, almost our everything he decided that he will host the whole village in Bamenda in his compound and we are here today to celebrate with him and to show gratitude to him and give more grease to his elbow so that Farmers House, the source and the root that God has used to provide for him should continue to prosper and give him more things for this generation and for generations to come” Ambipo Elias said in hommage to the host of the day. 

He described Mr Ngufor Peter as a generous giver and as someone who doesn’t concentrate only on the present but as someone who equally works for posterity. He said it was for these reasons that they were praying that God should continue to give him more wisdom.

Mr Ambipo Elias further said that the crisis in the country had greatly affected the activities of associations around the Ndop area including Bafanji. “Things were asunder for sometime but by God’s grace towards the end of the year the core of the Fanji Development and Cultural Association FADCA had been restituted. Restoration has been made and there is a new Executive Committee which came up and they are very vibrant.”

Ambipo Elias said they were available and ready to guide the team that had been put in place adding that the village could bounce back even in the midst of crisis if the new Exco was given the necessary support.

 “Our village was not too shattered but when one village is shattered, it affects all the other 13 villages that make up the Ndop area. So when we pray, we do that for all the thirteen villages” Ambipo Elias explained. 

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EULOGY FOR Batonnier TCHAKOUTE PATIE CHARLES

 Yaounde, the 13th November 2020

(In The Form Of A Letter To Him),

FROM Senator/Barrister KEMENDE HENRY GAMSEY

Dear Learned Brother, Mr. President, Sir,

What really happened to you after you and I in your Bar office in Yaounde, drew some lessons from the passing-on of your Learned Brother and predecessor, Batonnier SAMA Francis ASANGA. This was after you had consoled me upon joining you at the club of orphans. I had not finished thanking you for the show of solidarity in that regard when you decided to exit the world of the living. One of the lessons we drew from SAMA’s death was that he was late in seeking medical attention and that by the time he seized the hospital, it was already too late. What then happened in your case such that you were rushed to France and died less than three days after? I would want to think that you were overtaken by work to an extent whereby you forgot about some of your supposedly delicate medical dispositions. No, No, Mr. President, you fell into the very trappings we analysed of Batonnier SAMA Francis and it would appear, from the look of things, that nobody is spared that temptation, for all of us most often forget we are made of flesh as opposed to iron, even though iron equally gets weak.

I had often told you personally that since joining us in the Bar Council (after you had stayed off for some time), I never for one minute regretted knowing you. Without waiting to praise you through an eulogy like this, I praised you in your face for your piercing and didactic contributions over every topic under discussion in the Bar Council. Proof of my appreciation of your intellectual wealth is when after specially inviting me for the Elective Bar General Assembly in Douala in 2018 that saw you elected Bar President, I put in all it took for that successful outing. I even supported some of your candidates I would never have supported but for my love for you in particular, and the Cameroon Bar at large, for I had withdrawn my candidature in a bid to concentrate on my debut of the Senate experience. Thereafter, even though I watched you from a distance (i. e. away from the Bar Council), your performance did not the least disappoint me. Until your untimely departure, your second mandate was a foregone conclusion. However, God the Almighty knows why he has called you home just when you were at your best.

Batonnier TCHAKOUTE, permit me hereby inform you of the aftermath of your departure in the life of the Cameroon Bar Association. To tell you how human being make meaning only when alive, shortly after news of your death covered the entire social media and other media landscapes and while the Cameroon Bar was still gripped in an atmosphere of disbelief, who to fill the vacancy created (both in the short and long terms) became the subject of discussion, some openly and others behind the scene. I hope you do not take offence hearing about this, even if it has to do with some of your hitherto closest associates. After all, you are quite conversant with our grassfield tradition that the throne is never left vacant and that meetings by Kingmakers for a new Chief multiply with each passing day. Never mind, for you shall hear more to your disbelief when the first witness shall personally meet you.

Batonnier, to conclude my short story of events after your demise, we are presently feeling what it takes to be professional orphans. You would not want to believe that the Courtroom at  Bonanjo – Douala; the official shrine of Justice; the pride and source of the Lawyers’ power; ‘caught fire’ in the night of the 10th December 2020 when your colleagues were teargased and others received bullet wounds. Our bereavement through your passing-on meant nothing to the Forces of Law and Order and the Authorities commanding their actions. The treatment that was earlier meted out to the Common Law Lawyers repeated itself before the Douala – Bonanjo Court of First Instance. From the streets and now into the Courtroom, there is no gainsaying the fact that our professional identification papers and windscreen stickers shall soon have no meaning. God forbid! 

Please, Batonnier TCHAKOUTE, intercede for us in order that the good Lord and Most High could save our world-cherished profession. You cannot imagine that everyday everybody in one way or the other, play the role of the Advocate but nobody wants to see the professional Advocate. This can only happen in Cameroon, a country of the ‘jamais vus’.  Let this incident not however, worry you a lot since you cannot return to do what you could have done in the circumstances. What I can tell you in order that your spirit can rest in peace is that unless some of us are taken off the scene, we shall not see the worst happen. Faced with the challenge of survival, the Lawyers are expected to sharpen their legal fighting skills, for that remains the only weapon they understand manipulating better. With you, Batonnier SAMA Francis and Batonnier Bernard MUNA on the other side, we are sure to succeed, God being our helper.

Without much ado and in order not to disturb your quiet and deserved rest, permit me end here by wishing you safe journey to the world of no return. We shall live to remember you as the Bar President who made a historic tour of the country in a bid to ensure continuity in the life of the Cameroon Bar Association. We now understand you bid us farewell as you moved from one Court of Appeal to the other, over-seeing the swearing-in of young colleagues.

ADIEU, ADIEU, Most Learned Batonnier, Our Bar President !!  You are FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS.

MAY YOUR SOUL REST IN PEACE !!

Yours truly,

              Senator/Barrister KEMENDE Henry GAMSEY

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Frontline Academician and Health Developer Receives Performance Award

Professor Egbe Philip Egbengu, Head of Department of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the Catholic University in Cameroon CATUC, Bamenda and Medical Director of the Royal Victoria Clinic in Bamenda has received the Cameroon Performance Award. This took place on Saturday in the city of Bamenda within the confines of the Royal Victoria Clinic premises at Loh Benson Quarters, Foncha Street. 

According to the Organising Committee of Cameroon Performance Awards through the words of its National Coordinator, Francis Ekongang Nzante, the Award is in recognition of the efforts Professor Egbe Philip Egbengu has been putting in the Academic Field building a formidable Department of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the Catholic University CATUC Bamenda. "It is also in recognition of your efforts as Medical Director of the Royal Victoria Clinic during these trying moments of the COVID 19 Pandemic" he said.

The CPA Organising Committee emphasised that because of these inputs, Professor Egbe was truly a Frontline Academician and a Health Developer.

On reception of the CPA Award, Professor Egbe said, he wasn't aware that sometimes when you do some of these things you were observed. He recounted how he started the clinic in the heat of the Anglophone Crisis. Against all the challenges as well as advise from friends and colleagues who discouraged him, he went ahead. "Professor Berynyuy who was one of the first patients here certainly remembers how this place was very bushy. We maintained our focus and started from no where and today we are where you find us. Some people may think it is time to sit on our laureals but no, it is time to work. We have just realised only 30% of what we set out to do." 

The professor did not fail to mention contributions from well wishing Cameroonians. He equally mentioned Rev Father Bintum and Professor Berynyuy whom he said had constantly chipped in very constructive ideas as he worked on the Royal Victoria Clinic Project.

The next thing in his program would be a Mental Health Outfit he said adding that he had been receiving lots of encouragement and ideas on this project from Reverend Father Bintum whom he said had been a driving force in his project all along. 

Talking about his dream for Royal Victoria Clinic the Health Developer said "It is not just us here. We have a lot of inputs from friends of the clinic and well wishing Cameroonians who have visions which impact on our professional calling. Visions which we incorporate into the grand project of Royal Victoria Clinic. It is not just about opening a clinic. It's about opening a standard clinic." He said it was unfortunate that when Africans study abroad and see top quality structures, they always failed to maintain the same standards when they wanted to build their own structures back home. 

Royal Victoria Clinic he said was trying to fill all those lapses. "This project is trying to meet all those ramifications, the technical quality, the professional calling, the social impact or the impact on society. We are trying to incorporate all of these and come out with a strong Blueprint that will represent health in Cameroon not only in our contemporary time but also in the future."

Professor Egbe Philip Egbengu has been involved in teaching and the practice of Professional Medicine for almost fourty years. Commenting on this, he said medicine was not just the intellect but the application of what had been gathered over the years. 

In building the clinic, cognizance was taken of certain present realities like the COVID 19 Pandemic. The reception area at the entrance to the clinic as well as the entrance to the Laboratory are provided with glass shields that separate the patients from the health personnel attending to them. 

Medical Practice today he said goes with the necessary technology adding that in that domain, Royal Victoria Clinic could comfortably hold its head above water level. 

Though Royal Victoria Clinic provides Health Services, the professor unequivocally stated that they were also in business. "We've gone past that stage when health was considered as a humanitarian activity. When you make health a business, you do it better."

Proudly stating the achievements so far made by the clinic in one year seven months, the professor said there was no hospital in Bamenda and by extension the North West Region that had the standards of Victoria Royal Clinic. He said  that's why when you come to the clinic your health problems were solved. 

Professor Egbe Philip Egbengu said he was very gratified to be recognized by the Cameroon Performance Awards. "I am not the only Medical Doctor around and if I can be singled among the few that have been recognized by your Award out of the 2900 doctors in the country it gives me the greatest pleasure. Secondly it's like a showcase to my establishment. There are very few occasions where five media organs will visit an organization like ours so I have every reason to be grateful."

The Professor seized the opportunity to take his guests on a guided tour of the clinic from the reception area through the spotless and we'll equipped Laboratory to the wards.

Les Gens Du Cameroun

Email: francoeko@gmail.com

Tel: +237696896001/ +237668794520

Senator Barrister Kemende bags Prestigious Performance Award

- Dedicates it to Suffering Masses in the NW & SW

Senator Barrister Kemende Henry Gamsey on Sunday September 27 in Bamenda, received the Cameroon Performance Award in a gathering of friends, family and colleagues. According to the National Coordinator and Chairperson of the Organising Committee, this award was given in recognition of what Barrister Kemende Henry Gamsey has been doing since he became a member of the Upper House.

 

The presence of this outspoken gentleman in the Senate had made debates to better reflect the presence of Opposition parties. The organizers further explained that his constant media outings had made him an indespensable ingredient in the Political Transformation Process of Cameroon. "Your ideas and prescriptions have fuelled the National Debate on how the country should move forward" the organiser stated. Meantime, the senator has dedicated his award to the suffering masses in the crisis riddled Northwest and Southwest Regions of Cameroon.

In a press briefing shortly after reception of the prestigious award, the Senator expressed the way he felt in the following words: "This award means a lot to me. Even as the war rages on, there is always room for the market to hold. Permit me use that African adage. In my vernacular, there is an adage to the effect that while the war goes on, market days don't fail to hold.  During these market days, the ongoings are discussed. To me this Award Event represents such Market Days during war and I have dedicated it to the people who are victims of the ongoing crisis."

He explained that while some parties that were directly involved in the war were not suffering, many innocent civilians had been forced to undergo untold hardships as a result of the crisis. The Senator said it was for the suffering people that he constantly intervened in the Upper House and that it was as a result of these constant interventions that this award was being given to him. 

"Without the ongoing crisis I don't think I would have had the chance to keep intervening through the media. I want to thank the organizers of the CPA for organising this and for recognizing me."

He called on the suffering masses in the two crisis riddled regions to stay calm and pray for peace to return soon.  

Explaining why he felt he had been recognized, he said apart from what had been written on the award, the recognition comes against a backdrop of a parliament that is dominantly made up of hand clappers who contribute nothing towards the advancement of the democratic process but simply serve as rubber stamps to endorse anything that is rammed down their throats. In such a parliament he felt he had to constantly speak for the people. "I thank the God Almighty for empowering me to see things differently and to propose different solutions. Maybe if the solutions proposed by me and my political party were heeded to we would not be where we are today."

Hinting on the rationale behind Cameroon Performance Awards the Senator said people should always allow the potential that's in them to sprout. People he said should always show the exceptional qualities in them adding that if God deemed it necessary to create you after creating millions of other humans then there was certainly an extra reason for creating you. Each individual had an extra quality that must always be worked upon he said.

The National Coordinator of the CPA Francis Ekongang Nzante was accompanied for the Award Event in Bamenda by some members of the Organising Committee; Mr Emmanuel Bah Toko from Bamenda, Mr Leonard Sigeh L. from Yaounde and Mr Belack Ernest Jimbam who sat in for Dr Felix Ekiye, who's an Organiser in Montreal, Canada taking charge of the Diaspora.

Meantime the Senator was accompanied for the event by his wife, kids, relatives, close friends and colleagues amongst whom were the President of the Northwest Lawyers Association NOWELA, Barrister Acha Collins, Justice Taminang Ignatius ATTE amongst others.

Les Gens Du Cameroon

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Tel: +237696896001

Hon Yoyo Emmanuel

Presidential Plan for the Reconstruction of the Northwest and Southwest Regions

"What the Minister said cannot work in the present Context"- Hon Yoyo Emmanuel 

By Francis Ekongang Nzante 

Against a backdrop of wide and varied reactions towards the Presidential Plan for the Reconstruction of the Northwest and Southwest Regions, Honourable Yoyo Emmanuel, erstwhile SDF MP has said the approach of Minister Paul Tassong in the Reconstruction and Development Plan cannot work in the present context. He was Speaking recently in Bamenda, the Northwest Regional Capital in an encounter with a battery of journalists who sort to know his take on the issue which has sparked off multiple arguments.

Hon Yoyo Emmanuel insisted that during the Minister's visit he clearly stated the impossibility of carrying out the project under the prevailing circumstances. Hear him; "you cannot talk of Reconstruction and Development when there is violence and insecurity in the whole Region. That is why I cited the Babadjou-Bamenda Road which has not been constructed up till now whereas it was launched more than three years ago. It is because of insecurity."

Hon Yoyo Emmanuel quoted other projects in the region which had been abandoned because of insecurity. He said in his village in Ngoketunjia Division there was a road project worth about 600 million FCFA which had not been executed since it was approved two years earlier. The reason he said was simply insecurity.

"I pointed out to the Minister that the Government and the Separatists are not on the same wavelength on what should be done here. They need to reconcile and I don't need to be the one to tell them how to go about it but I know that the Government has to reconcile with the Separatists. It may be by granting them a Federal System or by any other means. But I know that in the present context you can't carry out this programme of reconstruction."

The erstwhile MP painted a scenario depicting a situation in which buildings were being destroyed behind as construction went ahead. He said if this was to be the case then nothing would have been achieved at the end adding that if an evaluation estimated at 90 Billions FCFA was already carried out some time in the past then the estimates were presently inaccurate because destruction was still going on. 

Describing it as "putting the cat before the horse" Hon Yoyo Emmanuel said if they went ahead with it then it would not be in the interest of the people. 

Citing the case of cattle that had been lost during the crisis, he wondered how they arrived at that figure. "I wondered whether they included mine because I am a cattle Farmer. I lost so many of them and nobody ever came to me to ask if I lost anything.  Everything is being done too hurriedly. What they should have done was to evaluate the damages done up to a certain point and then vote a budget which would carry out reconstruction up to that point. Then afterwards they might be looking for money to reconstruct other things that might have been destroyed along the line. This is the way I look at it and the Minister seems to have understood to an extent the seriousness of the points I put forth." 

Commenting on the Minister's modus operandi that the Presidential Plan for Reconstruction and Development of the two restive regions was a step towards peace he said "reconstruction cannot be a step towards peace but it is peace that should be a step towards reconstruction. When there is peace then there can be reconstruction. You cannot construct when there is violence with nobody having confidence in his neighbor."


An Edev Concept
Cameroon People
Email: edevnewspaper@gmail.com/ francoeko@gmail.com/ Tel: +237696896001/+237678401408 

Dr Denis Nsame Nforniwe

We now Do COVID-19 Tests in Bamenda - Director of Bamenda Regional Hospital
 

Doctor Denis Nsame Nforniwe is the Director of the Bamenda Regional Hospital. This Medical Doctor with 20 years of experience also served as Director of the Limbe Regional Hospital before being transferred to Bamenda where he replaced Dr Kingue Thompson who was also transferred from Bamenda to Limbe as Director of the Limbe Regional Hospital. In this interview which is dominantly focused on efforts to combat the deadly COVID-19 Pandemic, the Medical Doctor states that COVID 19 tests are now done in Bamenda. Dr Denis Nsame begins with a vivid description of the Bamenda Regional Hospital.

"The Bamenda Regional Hospital is really a mighty hospital having 400 beds and Five Hundred Staff. Out of this number, there are 42 Doctors and 200 Nurses, 36 Laboratory Technicians and the rest are Juniour Sanitation Workers and Paramedical Staff with about 30 structures. In a General Hospital like this, we have all the services with some Specialized Services like the Imaging Center, the Dialysis Center and the Daycare Center, where we have about 6000 patients who come for HIV Treatment and for the taking of their daily drugs."

............

What additional structures have come in as a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic?

............

With the coming of COVID-19, at least we've had another additional Specialized Service and we have termed it the "Solidarity Ward". This ward is not really inside the Hospital but is found at the main entrance to the hospital at the Hospital Roundabout. It is in a fenced building having three rooms with six beds and we've had a tent outside with ten beds so it has a capacity of 16 beds. Since the advent of COVID-19, we registered the first case on the 20th of April. Today the second of May we have 11 confirmed cases. It will be good to inform the public that almost all these cases came through importation from Douala. The first case was someone who was not satisfied with his treatment in Douala and decided to drive himself to the Northwest Region where he presented himself for testing. After that we had another case from Yaounde and since then we are in phase II because we are having Community Transmission. When you have a confirmed case you start having contacts since there is movement from one place to the other.  So far we have tested close to 60 people and it is still going on as we continue to test the contacts and suspected cases. Unfortunately, among the first 11 confirmed cases, we lost one. This person came and samples were collected and he did not pass up to 48 hours here. He however gave up the Ghost before results could come out. 

............

How are the corpses of COVID-19 victims handled?

............

As we know, managing of corpses as concerns this highly infectious diseases means that the corpses are buried immediately. The burial of this case was done by the Medical Staff. We also need to disinfect the compound and supervise the burial. Burial should be done by the City Council but this one was an exceptional case since the compound was inside the town. The grave was dug and we came in and did the burial immediately. The other ten cases are responding to treatment at the Solidarity Ward. 

............

Out of the Hospital Premises, what other facilities do you have?

............

We also have some External Isolation Centers. This includes Azam Hotel with 72 rooms and if this becomes insufficient, the Governor will request for space elsewhere maybe at the Ayaba Hotel, Low Cost Houses, the Military Hospital and the Police Hospital where they are also trying to make sure that other logistics are put in place. 

.............

What measures have been put in place to handle suspected and confirmed cases?

............

We have a team of 20 people made up of Doctors, Nurses and Laboratory Technicians who are manning their redeployment to Isolation Centers and see into the day-to-day running of these centers. For now the treatment of COVID-19 is free as prescribed by the Government. We should however know that we have some cases of co-mobilities. If you have Coronavirus and you have hypertension, it doesn't mean that you will not continue to have your treatment for Hypertension.You will have to continue buying your drugs. If you are COVID-19 positive and diabetic at the same time, you will have to continue taking your insulin. If we discover some other things that are not linked to the Protocol of Management of COVID-19, then accordingly, the patient will take care of treatment for the other things while we continue to manage him. But we know that everything as concerns the Personal Protective Equipment, all the Management and Hospitalisation is free and then all the drugs as concerns the COVID-19 as the protocol is spelled out by the Ministry of Health are free. Its case by case. Some people warrant admission or hospitalization. All of this is not paid for.

.............

Is there a Regional structure in place that has been created to handle the Pandemic?

................

We have a Regional Committee headed by the Governor of the Northwest Region and we have an Incident Management System headed by the Regional Delegate of Public Health where we have all the various sections: Communication, Coordination, Case Management and Diagnosis.

............

We understand Testing still poses lots of problems since specimens have to be taken to Yaounde..

............

Another good message to share with the public is that we now do the testing in Bamenda. We have a Reference Laboratory. Specialist came from "Centre Pasteur" in Yaounde and installed the platform for testing so we no longer carry specimens to Yaounde. It was very tedious from the beginning and Bamenda is already receiving speciments from Bafoussam. Bafoussam is getting more and more overloaded with contacts to test. 

............

What measures are you putting in place to keep the Medical Staff safe?

............

Another message is to the Health Personnel. We are at the Frontline of this fight. The message we are giving out is that we don't want visitors and that people should stay at home. People should be well masked as they move out. They should practice the Hand Washing Habit and the use of Hand Sanitizers. People should only move when it is absolutely necessary. 

Even in the Hospital, we insist on one patient one carer. We don't need extra carers. Sometimes you see one patient having 5 to 7 carers. We don't need that. We are given the mandate to controle Social Distancing even within the Hospital. It is really a challenge and we really wish that the population should respect it. They can call their loved ones who are admitted rather than just stroll into the hospital for visits. This will make our hospitals crowded and increase the risk of transmission which can happen even within the hospital.

..............
There is the Tendency for the population to panic anytime a flu-like symptom is observed..
..............
 

We will continue to treat other diseases. These may have flu-like symptoms but not necessarily COVID-19. You can still have Pneumonia which is not COVID-19. So if the population is hiding and not coming out to check themselves then this is bad and we will have many deaths from other diseases that is not COVID-19. We want the public to know that Coronavirus exists, that it kills and that it is a very contagious disease. 

Cameroon is just starting. You heard of 2000 people dying within 24 hours in the USA. With the limited resources that we have, lets make use of the preventive measures. As for the masks, the medical ones are not really available in enough quantity for the population but the Government has been encouraging local production. We are calling on producers to do so in the right way. Atleast three layers with the cotton and the latex in the middle. Accredited Centres for the production are not yet established but we call on those producing it to follow these rules. It is better that each person should at least have protection. We are happy that our Northwest Special fund has been producing Sanitizers and masks.

..............
Any special message to the public?
.............. 
 

Coronavirus is real and there is already Community Transmission. If you have Flulike Symptoms, you must not come to the Hospital. Call the Toll Free number 1510 or the other numbers. We have 233361503 or 233361506 or 233361507 or 677564650 or 677032723. These are numbers of the Call Center at the Regional Delegation of Public Health in Bamenda. You shouldn't be running to the health facilities but should rather call and you will be given the appropriate information on what to do. If necessary we may even come and investigate you in your house.  

At the level of the hospital we have also locked the main gate and we concentrate firstly on pre-screening at the level of the gate. If you have fever, cough or difficulty in breathing, we have a pathway that you have to follow. If you have upper respiratory tract infection then you will be screened to make a difference between the one which is bacteria and that which is suspicious for COVID-19 and then we manage accordingly so that staff and doctors at the hospital are protected.

Interviewed in Bamenda by Francis Ekongang Nzante 


Les Gens Du Cameroun: Email: edevnewspaper@gmail.com/ francoeko@gmail.com/ Tel: +237696896001/ +237678401408

Dr Bijingni Kuwoh Pius

"The PBF Project Can Transform the Health Sector in Cameroon" Dr. Bijingni Kuwoh Pius

................

The last time Dr. Bijingni Kuwoh Pius worked with the Public Service in Cameroon was as Director of the Limbe Regional Hospital. However, just when he was handing over from the post of Director of the Limbe Regional Hospital, he received a call requesting him to work as a Consultant with the Performance Based Financing (PBF) project in Yagoua in the Far North Region. The Non-Governmental Organization IRESCO was chosen to execute the project. The experienced Public Health Physician, had been contacted earlier but they called him that day to inform him that he had been selected to coordinate the pilote phase of the PBF project. The erstwhile Director of the Limbe Regional Hospital started the job in August 2016. He begins this revealing Interview by giving a detailed description of the nature of his job in the Far North Region of Cameroon.

"There was an antenna in Yagoua that took care of five Health Districts.  There was another antenna in Maroua which took care of Six Heath Districts.  There was a manager in Maroua and then I was Manager in Yagoua. We managed the Pilote Phase from August 2016 to December 2017 and because the results were encouraging, the Government asked us to extend the project to all the 30 Health Districts in the Far North Region in 2018.  From January 2018 we started the expansion and then I was also moved from Yagoua to Maroua where the Head Quarters is found. We succeeded in extending the project to all the 30 Health Districts in 2018. This is 2019 and we are still working at it. The project ends in 2022"

............

Your appointment in the Far North came at a time when the Boko Haram insurgency was at its peak. How challenging did this make the execution of your job?

............

The attacks from Boko Haram did not spare our Health Facilities. It makes the life of Health officials and the movement between Health Facilities very difficult. Health Facilities were attacked and burnt and were forced to be closed. This pushed Health Officials to go and seek for space in other existing facilities in order to continue with consultations. Most of these burnt facilities are not in main town Maroua but are instead around the border with Nigeria and Chad. It has made work very difficult in those areas but we have however succeeded in working in all the 30 Health Districts. Sometimes we've had to work with Administrators and the Forces of Law and Order to escort personnel to facilities. In fact Health Personnel have left the dangerous areas to stay in safer areas. They only go there to carry out their duties. These are some of the strategies used to continue providing Health Services to the people. 

..............

Can you briefly describe how the project is organized and how it functions?

..............

The contracts with IRESCO ended in September 2017.  The IRESCO program is being funded by the World Bank. The World Bank wanted to collaborate with a local NGO and so they chose IRESCO. The NGO was co-implementing the project in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health. When the contract with IRESCO ended in December 2017, the project was then put under the Special Fund for Health Promotion SFHP. In 2016 and 2017, the Special Fund for Health Promotion SFHP had not yet been put in place in the Far North Region. The structure executing the project is called the Contract Development and Verification Agency (CDVA). 

This project shifts away from the traditional way of financing Health Projects where Credit Cards are given by the Government. We call them inputs and when they don't give the inputs we sit and wait. Performance Based Financing (PBF) moved away from the traditional way of financing to an output way of financing. The PBF comes out with what we call indicators like consultations, deliveries, surgeries, transfusions and so on. We work with what they call verification agents and the hospitals carry out their activities normally. At the end of the month we send our verification agents to the hospitals. They are given the registers of the health facility and they go in and count. The verification agents come in and count these indicators. The hospital staff may have declared 100 consultations but the verification team may acknowledge or validate only 98. Each of these activities has a unit price that you multiply by it and have a certain amount. At the end we make the total and come out with invoices that are sent to the Technical Team at the Ministry of Health that processes them and sends them in for payment. Apart from this we carry out community Surveys every three months so we work with Community Based Organizations (CBOs). They go down into the field every three months and get information from people in the community who benefit from services of health facilities. We also worked on the management aspect with an intention of improving upon the management quality of our facilities. We have a tool which we call the Indice Tool in which the Health Facility has to declare all that it has as revenue and also declare all its expenditure. In PBF we believe that the staff must be motivated. We have a tool that we use to evaluate the performance of our staff. We believe that at the end of every month, there should be some money left for the motivation of staff so that it will deter them from doing parallel activities and encourage them to work better. 

............

How successful do you think the project has been so far?

............

The general objective of the project is to strengthen the performances of the health system in Cameroon. It also aims at reaching the population especially the poor and vulnerable with quality health care. From the data that we are assembling we see that the number of people who are attending health facilities is going up. Also the number of poor and vulnerable who are receiving health care is increasing. Health facilities are improving their infrastructure and equipment. Health facilities have also been able to recruit personnel. More and more health facilities are paying performance bonus to their staff. There are some Health Facilities that have acquired Solar Panels, some have employed Personnel and improved upon infrastructure. This has made the personnel generally happier and more motivated with these bonuses that are being paid. The patients themselves are getting more satisfaction and if you see their ratings of their satisfaction with services at the facilities you will see that it falls from 80% upwards.  Some even go above 90%. For technical quality, the score ranges between 60% and 70%. On Management, the score ranges between 50% and 60%. On the whole its been very successful and the Government is relying on it to attain the Universal Health Coverage.  

.............

Briefly speaking, has it been a smooth sail?

............

Not at all. Firstly it is about introducing a change in the way services were being managed. When you talk about change those who feel threatened will oppose if they see their interest threatened. The credit cards are transformed into subsidies and paid directly into the account of the health facilities. So no more 30%. Also the heads of the health facilities have to manage the resources in a transparent manner. They have to sit down with their collaborators and plan and discuss how resources have to be managed. Even those who accepted did not know how to go about it so we had to organize trainings before enrolling health facilities into the project. But gradually even those who were opposed at the beginning are becoming convinced of the positive changes that the project was bringing especially when they started receiving the first payments. Yes at the beginning we give the facility what we call Quality Improvement Budget. So facilities that have infrastructural problems are given what we call Quality Improvement Bonus (QIB). There are some Health Facilities that have acquired their Solar Panels, some have employed Personnel and improved upon infrastructure. 

............

For a Professional of your caliber how satisfying is your present occupation?

............

I am that kind of person who likes to work especially when I am convinced that the results will bring about a positive change.  I believe that if it is well implemented it will bring about the big change that we expect in the Health Sector. It fits in with my vision of what the Health Sector should be. 

..........

Do you think the COVID-19 Pandemic is going to find a solution that quickly? Secondly, what message do you have for Cameroonians with regards to the pandemic?

...........

The COVID-19 they say is similar to the SARS. Its infectious but less deadly than the SARS. A lot is still to be known about the COVID-19. For the moment Cameroonians should implement the safety measures that have been prescribed. Washing of hands and avoiding the touching of their faces as well as maintaining Social Distancing. These measures have worked elsewhere and can work here as well. The Cameroon health system is not strong enough to respond to such a Pandemic if huge numbers of patients storm our health facilities in a very short time. The best option is to stick to safety measures, while hoping that a cure or a vaccine is found very quickly.

   

Interviewed By Francis Ekongang Nzante 

Edev Newspaper Email: francoeko@gmail.com/ edevnewspaper@gmail.com

Senator Kinyang George pays Tribute to Late Hon Mbah Ndam

"The Anglophone Crisis is now used for Business"
 -Senator Kinyang George

While decrying the killings, back biting, settling of scores, destruction and hate that have hijacked the struggle of Southern Cameroonians or the Anglophone Crisis as it is commonly referred to, Senator Kinyang George has equally decried the fact the belligerents are now turning the Anglophone Problem into a lucrative business. In tribute to the Late Honourable Mbah Ndam he insists that Federalism which the late MP supported fiercely could provide all the solutions to the Anglophone Problem. He said a Two State Federation could save the country from all the violence, killings and destruction that was presently going on. The Late Hon Mbah Ndam he said struggled to put this idea across throughout the Anglophone struggle. Some quarters he said understood his stance while some did not.

............

What are those things that you vividly remember about Honourable Mbah Ndam?

............

I remember him as a University Don. It will surprise you that he even taught me at the University of Yaounde. The only University that we had at the time in the Republic of Cameroon. He taught me Civil Procedure between 1990 and 1991. He was one of the Pillars of the party. He was the Lead Counsel or the most Seniour National Legal Adviser of the party. He as such played a very big role in orienting the party legally. Most of the political actions could not also be carried on without his Legal Advise. I consider him to be one of the most intelligent university professors that we have had in this country. He contributed greatly to bring democracy under the platform of the SDF into Cameroon. My only disappointment and disagreement with the Late Honourable Mbah Ndam  is the fact that he accepted to run for the last Twin Elections. To me it was a political blunder.

............

Can you revisit his tenure in the National Assembly and his contribution towards revolutionising the ways things were done there?

............

He started his political career as an SDF Parliamentary Group Leader when he just got into Parliament around 1997. He was one of the pioneer Parliamentarians of the party. He was also appointed as one of the questors of the National Assembly and from there he occupied the post of the Vice Speaker until his demise. As a Bureau member, there was nothing undemocratic that could pass in the Bureau of the National Assembly with him present. He actually played the role of the Opposition in the Bureau of the National Assembly. You know that we are in a dictatorship where everything that comes from the Government is just adopted without even considering opposing opinions but the Late Honourable Mbah Ndam used to stand his ground. He used to orientate the party on serious political actions to be taken at the level of the Bureau. You see, the measures that were taken to defend the Southern Cameroons position with regards to marginalization and other related issues were spearheaded by Honorable Mbah Ndam. I get so embarrassed when I see people writing and castigating him that he did not defend the Southern Cameroons position. His outings are there and the videos are there to show that even at the level of his own village, Mbah Ndam stood against the marginalization of his people. Cameroonians should not be castigating Mbah Ndam because he was a Federalist. Federalism is the position of the SDF and it is also another way of fighting for the liberation of Southern Cameroonians. The SDF has always stood for a Two State Federation, insisting that we should go back to the 1961 Constitution. It centers on getting political power and being able to take Administrative Decisions. Everything coming from the Central Power should not be imposed. The SDF has always insisted that we had to revert to the 1961 Federal System or the Two State Federation. With this Two State Federation, Anglophone problems would be solved without resorting to this violence and killings, self destruction, settlement of scores and hatred. We are presently experiencing all of these and it is not doing us any good. Mbah Ndam spearheaded all of these and it will be unfair today for him to be described as a black leg or somebody who faught against the interest of Anglophones. It is unfair. We need to be truthful in our approach and to consider other opinions. Mbah Ndam has been pushing the story of the Southern Cameroons to the International Community using the platform of the parliament since he was a parliamentarian. He was a CEMAC Member of Parliament so these are all International Platforms that he used in the fight. People should not think that its every one who has to take up arms and go into the bushes. It is not everybody who has to fight for the Anglophone course physically. I salute Mbah Ndam for all that he did for the Anglophone Community.

............

We are slowly seeing the exit of all the "grey cats". Are you also of the opinion that it is time the party mutates from the older generation to a younger and more vibrant generation?

............

Yes all the older people are going. It is normal. These older people constitute the pioneer members of the party. Age ushers in illness and most of them have been sick. That's the truth about it and its not about getting into politics or changing hands. The shift simply has to do with age and ill Health. The SDF is conscious about this and that's why the Chairman Ni John Fru Ndi did not stand as candidate  during the last Presidential Elections in Cameroon. That is why it was Honourable Joshua Osih Nambangi, a young and dynamic person who stood as Presidential candidate. At the level of the NEC National Executive Committee, most of the delegates who are in Command today in terms of Administration and Leadership are of the younger generation. The party is quite aware of the fact that we need to reform and hand power to the younger generation. Subsequently many decisions will be taken in that direction to strengthen the party. This will build more confidence in the population and make them know that the SDF remains the only political party on which they can count. 

...........

Any message to Mbah Ndam's immediate family and to the SDF family?

............

The family should know that everybody is passing and that everybody is going to die. These things happen so that we can learn a lesson from them. I grew up as a christian and my dad was a Reverend Pastor. These things happen for us to know that we are in a temporal world. I was very scandalized when a certain Social Activist Abdul Kharim sent a write up which has gone viral on Social Media in which he questions what Mbah Ndam was going to benefit from gaining the world and losing his soul. It is a very embarrassing position for someone whom I had respect for to take.  Who is he to Judge Mbah Ndam? Is he God? I don't know if in Islam you can judge but in Christianity judgement is the sole prerogative of God. He went as far as stating that Mbah Ndam took a political option that was temporal. Is there any political option that is permanent? That write up is emotional and when emotions come in, we lose reason and cannot solve problems. This issue of the Diaspora trying to encourage violence has destroyed us. We need to re-strategise to see that this fight which is very genuine is well managed without us hating one another, without us back biting and using it for business. Everyone is now using the Anglophone Crisis for business. They have forgotten that there are people in the bushes with nothing to eat and no medicine to take for their illnesses. I say farewell to Honourable Mbah Ndam. He did all he could do. We appreciate what he did and we thank God for him and his family. I pray that the God that has taken him should give his family the strength to accept his departure. 

Interviewed in Yaounde by Francis Ekongang Nzante

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