Limbe Chieftaincy Saga:

Prince jerry Manga Williams calls for the commissioning of warrant kingmakers to commence Enthronement proceedings.

Barely a week following His notification to the family of victimization orchestrated by his senior brother with more than two criminal court cases accusing him of criminal offenses and Gendarmerie coercion and extortion in an attempt to technically knock him out of the race, Prince Jerry Manga Williams in a correspondence addressed to the administration besought the Authority in charge of 1^st class Chieftaincy in Fako to commission warrant kingmakers.

Prince Jerry Nambeke Manga Williams

In his correspondence, he intimated that the commissioning of warrant kingmakers and a Chieftaincy Advisory Committee will ‘demise the long and lingering stalemate regarding the succession of the last Paramount Chief of Limbe’ and shall be ‘in accordance with the Bakweri tradition of Chieftaincy succession and in recognition of the Cameroon Chieftaincy Law’

The Prince submitted grounds why it should be considered and inferred from historical tradition of the Chieftaincy in Limbe, the kingmakers who made his ancestors in 1908 and in 1961 Kings of Victoria-Limbe and applied that the tradition also requires their successors to act in their stead as kingmakers.. He stated:

1.    That adducing from the various applications from some of the children of the Manga Williams Family vying to succeed the late Paramount Chief, His Majesty Fergusson Billa Manga Williams it is evident that a stalemate exists.

2.    That the lingering and protraction of this stalemate is snowballing into complicating repairable contingencies due to family feuding within the Royal House.

3.    That the underlying setback associated with points one and two above is worrisome and unprecedented and is underlying the following circumscriptions:

   i.    Absence of Paramount stewardship regarding the blueprints and collective codification on Land management and use underlying disastrous consequences of land grabbing and misuse.

     ii.    Multiple court cases involving Chiefs which is unallowed and wanting in remedial blueprints.

   iii.    Degradation of customs and culture is alarmingly notorious and crucial in coordinated strategic planning.

   iv.    Challenge on conservational development is a challenge without centralized coordination.

      v.    Auxiliarization  with Administration on moral development and code of living is in want.

   vi.    Allegations and reports of Gross sales of vast sizes of community land by unauthorized individuals who are acting as delegates of the late Chief.

    vii.    Imposter-ism by third parties acting in the stead of the paramount Chief and fraudulently taking pleasure in prerogatives ascribed thereto.

4.    That the Limbe Chieftaincy traditional procedure usually employed to resolve such a stalemate is the consideration of Candidates to represent members of the Ruling House related by Blood to the last Chief. This is evidenced in the Last Limbe (Victoria) Paramount Chieftaincy stalemate of 1960 between Messrs Fergusson Billa Manga Williams and Ernest Kofele Martin vying to succeed the First Chief of Victoria, Chief Johannes Nambeke Manga Williams. Kingmakers respected the Bakweri  custom and in recognition of the Southern Cameroon Chiefs Law No 7 of 1960 did consider ONLY family members of the Ruling House related by Blood to the last Chief as candidates itself in tandem with the dispositions of the 1977 Cameroon Chieftaincy Law enacted on July 15. 1977 served with decree No. 77/245. In his interview responsions during the meetings with the Advisory Committee, Mr E. K. Martin justified his relationship with the last chief as being the great great grandson of Katherine Martin, who was spouse to Njume, son of Ngombe, himself son of King Bille (King Williams) of Bimbia.

5.    That another item of the Chieftaincy tradition usually employed during the selection of the successor of the next Paramount Chief of Limbe, Victoria is the procedure to enjoin the kingmakers of Victoria (also called chiefmakers) to vote in expressing their opinion on which of the candidate should succeed the late Chief as evidenced by the Administrative meeting presided by J. N. Foncha, The Premier of Southern Cameroon on the 10^th day of May 1960 held at the Community Hall in Victoria amongst kingmakers and his cabinet:

-         J. N. Foncha, M.H.A

-         J. N. Nganji, M.H.A.

-         C. Burgess, S.D.O. Victoria

-         V.Hd. Bona. Bille

-         V.Hd. Bona. Ngombe

-         V.Hd. Bimbia

-         Mr. Mokeba

-         Mr. Carr.

-         Mr. Monjongo

-         Mr. J. Thrupp. S.A.S (LG): Secretary

6.    That in furtherance the ingredients usually employed in determining the successor of the Paramount Chief of (Victoria) Limbe is a confirmation hearing following the choice of the Kingmakers by Chiefs by the Chieftaincy Advisory Committee enjoined to  interviewing the candidates and reviewing their documentary/otherwise claims in camera as evidenced  by the enquiry report authorized by an order under the Recognition of Chiefs Law no 7 of 1960 dated 14^th June 1961 and opened at Community Hall, Victoria on 16^th June, 1961.

7.    Also that it is the tradition of the Limbe Chieftaincy for the son, heir or kin of a Kingmaker to succeed his father upon the latter’s demise. That is in the event of the demise of a Chiefmaker of Limbe, his heir or kin shall succeed him as a Kingmaker. This is adduced from records found in the above quoted proceedings and proffered here-next.

8.    That Victoria Limbe has a tradition in making a Paramount chief through its chief-making composition since 1908 as evidenced by the document titled ‘Memorandum on the Village Heads of Victoria Town’ dated 20^th June 1960 by Hon. John. Ngu Foncha, premier-south Cameroon followed by the inquiry report authorized by an order under the Recognition of Chiefs Law no 7 of 1960 dated 14^th June 1961 and opened at Community Hall, Victoria on 16^th June, 1961 and confirmed in both the Proceedings of the inquiry by the Chieftaincy Advisory Committee into the dispute between FB Manga Williams and E.K Martin regarding the Chieftaincy of Victoria dated 16 June 1961 and the  Report of the Chieftaincy Committee Appointed to inquire into the Victoria Chieftaincy Dispute between FB Manga Williams and E.K Martin dated 9^th September 1961. The following Chief makers were recognized during the selection process of the Manga Williams Chieftaincies of 1908 and 1961. 

            

a.                         a. 1908: in selecting Mr. Johaness Nambeke Manga Williams:

1.    Burnley Family represented by (Mr. Robert Burnley (Late), Joseph Burnley(Late))

2.    Mokeba Family represented by (Mr. N. Mokeba, (Late)),

3.    Martin Family Represented by (Mr. Sam Martin(Late), Mr. Richard martin(Late), )

4.    Steane Family represent by (Mr. Charles Steane(Late), Mr. Richard Steane(Late),)

5.    Wilson Family represented by (Mr. Joseph Wilson(Late).) 

                                                                                                            b.   1961: In selecting Mr Fergusson Billa Manga Williams

1.    Mokeba Family represented by (Mr. Mokeba(Late) )

2.    Carr Family represented by (Mr. Lifio Carr (Late))

3.    Manga Williams Family represented by (Mr Makaka Williams (Late))

4.    The Mojongo Family represented by (Mr. Monjongo (Late))

5.    Bona Bille Village Head represented by (The then chief)

6.    Bona Ngombe HVillage Head represented by (The then chief)

7.    Bimbia Village Head represented by the then Chief

9.    That the traditional Kingmakers of Limbe who voted into Office the last Chief of the Manga Williams Royal House, late chief Fergusson B. Manga Williams have  all passed onto Glory. However by its definition, the Bakweri Tradition requires as evidenced in the above cited reports to proceed with warrant kingmakers in line with the same houses and families that were called upon to choose and endorse the right candidate and in the event where any one of these kingmakers may pass away, their heirs or family heads and representatives should perform these functions in their stead.

10. That considering the foregoing, the 2005-2016 Stalemate of the Limbe Paramount Chieftaincy, shall be demised by the following representations of kingmakers  who have been considered and proposed to bring to a conclusion the selection of the next Chieftain to succeed Late Chief Fergusson Manga Williams. Their role shall include:

a.    To implement the terms of references by the Senior Divisional Officer towards addressing the subject matters of the disputes and selection amongst the pretenders.

b.    To copy cat the 1960 research committee and interviewing the candidates as to arrive at their individual perception of the candidate to be considered

c.    To cast ballots on the grounds of selection and submit individual reports to the Committee president regarding the criteria employed to arrive at their individual choices.

d.    To deliberate with the Committee President to arrive at the chosen candidate with the most consideration

e.    To process the report of the committee

f.     To submit the report to the Senior Divisional Officer for Fako for further Government sanctioning and procedures and report to the Prime Minister of Cameroon

11. That the proposed Chiefmakers for the Limbe Paramount Chieftaincy in compliance with the Cameroon Chieftaincy law of 1977 and in recognition of the tradition that selected the two previous Chieftains of Victoria-Limbe in 1908 and 1961 thereby harmonizing the chiefmakers of the eras are as follows:

1.    Bona Bille Head and two notables

2.    Dikolo Head and two notables

3.    Bona Ngombe Head and two notables)

4.    Manga Williams Family head and two others)

5.    Mokeba Family head and two others )

6.    Carr Family head and two others)

7.    Monjimbo Family head and two others)

8.    Burnley Family head and two Others

9.    Martin Family head and two others

10. Steane Family head and two others

11. Haddison Family

12. Bodylawson Family

13. Wilson Family head and two others

12. That the proposed Chieftaincy Advisory Committee shall constitute seven warrant Chiefs appropriately and relevantly vetted and commissioned by the South West Chief’s Conference themselves warranted by the Senior Divisional Officer for Fako.

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