DADA National President Presents Major Problems Plaguing Djottin

“Djottin is now Peaceful Enough for Execution of Electricity Project”

-Nyanyoh Mary Magdalene Tah, DADA National President.

 

In this maiden Interview accorded to the media since her overwhelming victory in the elections that ushered her into the office of DADA National President, Nyanyoh Mary Magdalene Tah states unequivocally that Djottin is no longer in the Red Zone. Djottin she insists is now Peaceful Enough for the execution of the World Bank Electricity Project. The lack of electricity,roads and portable water according to the dynamic National President constitute some of the greatest deterrents to Development in Djottin. She begins by introducing herself.

…………….

“I am Nyanyoh Mary Magdalene Tah, a Pedagogue and Secondary School Teacher. So I am a teacher by Profession. I am Dean of studies at Government Bilingual High School Atiela, Nkwen, Bamenda. I have been in service for 22 years. I am a writer and I have written books on Citizenship and articles on spirituality. I joined DADA in 1995 while I was a student in Yaounde and I have held almost all the Executive Positions of DADA. I am a member of Nkongma; Noni Ladies Meeting, (Noni Daughters). I am a member of the Saint Jude’s Apostolate, Padre Prio Prayer Group. I am a daughter of Immaculate Nsai and Evaristus Tah all of blessed memory. I am a mother and a proud Djottin daughter.

………………

What message do you have for Kedjottin?…………….

The message I have for Kedjottin is that of love. I crave for that Djottin of old. The Kedjottin of our forefathers never knew the difference between villages and families. Parents considered children irrespective of who the children were as their own. I call upon Kedjottin to make sure that at least a child is helped each year to stand on his feet. Don’t climb a tree, cut the branches for everyone and then sit at the top to be dropping plums to others. Help them climb that tree because there are enough branches for everyone. No one is going to pull you down. We should be proactive and Should do away with negative criticisms. We should do away with jealousy. Let’s keep infighting aside and work as one person for one purpose. That singular purpose should be to develope Djottin and change its face.  You should identify yourself wherever you are and get yourself registered in a DADA branch. Register yourself, get your DADA card and pay your development fee. Be a part of your family meeting. Develope yourself and develope the village. I call upon the Youths to enroll in school. No matter the difficulties in our country, Education still remains the key. They should undergo Vocational Training. We are here to help the Youths to change the face of Djottin. Youths hold the key to Djottin's today and Djottin’s tomorrow. They should have hope. If you aren’t doing any Professional activity in town then you should go back home and open farms. Those who have the means Should construct home. We should start from self development to family development followed by the development our community and Djottin at large. Show that you love Djottin by participating in its development.

………………

What are the major problems facing DADA?

……………..

The major problems facing DADA include the lack of electricity. This greatly contributes to the increase in Rural, Urban Migration mostly among young people. This directly has an adverse effect on development and on productivity. The lack of electricity has made it impossible to carry out certain activities that could have provided employment for the Youths. Imagine that you want to do Hair dressing, Weldering or to open a cold store. It will be completely impossible simply because there are no lights. Though the World Bank has given us electricity, though the contract has been awarded and some people compensated for ceding their land for the project, nothing has been done. Djottin is no longer in the red zone. Djottin is peaceful and this project can be executed. No body working in Djottin will be disturbed. We are pleading with authorities that be to execute the electrification project in Djottin. Another major problem in Djottin is the lack of roads. It is a nightmare when you travel to the village during the rainy season. The roads have no culverts and there’s no laterite on them. They’re as such extremely slippery and impassable. We are calling on the Council to do something about the roads of Djottin. With roads we will be able to carry our farm products to the market since movement will be easy. This will stabilize the village economically and keep everyone busy. The lack of roads greatly affects the Health Service Sector. There are huge streams in the village without bridges over them. There’s also the problem of insufficient water supply in the village despite the numerous water catchment areas that we have. The pipes that are used in the village are not large enough to permit water to be supplied throughout the village. We therefore need reservoirs in which to store water. Water is life and is needed to avoid the spread of certain diseases that come as a result of the absence of portable drinking water. Another major problem is that of Rural, Urban Migration. Young ones leave the village and move to places having the same problems like Djottin and end up suffering. They leave the village where they had their own farms and move to other towns to work on farms belonging to other people. There’s no logic in this. This ocours because we don’t  have roads, lights and basic amenities. I assure you that if these amenities are provided these children will return home because my village has very fertile soils. Another major problem is low enrollment in school especially at the level of Post Primary Education. Many of the schools are not operational and when teachers are sent there, they look for means to be sent elsewhere as fast as possible. This is because of the absence of basic amenities. There’s nothing to hold them down in the village. Many of our young girls get pregnant at school going ages because of lack of education.

…………..

What is your take on the way former DADA Presidents have been functioning. What additional ingredient do you plan to bring in?

……………. 

I think the erstwhile DADA Presidents did their best within the context of the time when they were in office. They did their best in bringing the people together and in executing development projects. I remember Shey Nkene who brought a Truck and a Caterpillar to the village and dug roads and made some bridges. They did a lot for the village. They earmarked an area for the field and for the hall. During the reign of Ndyun Donatus, a lot was done in the domain of water. Some water catchment areas were built and water was extended to certain parts of Djottin. He made sure that the old pipes were replaced though some of these pipes have not been replaced. For the other Presidents like Shey Tah and Fali Ndituba, I don’t know quite much because I was still very young but they have constantly been referred to as good leaders.  If they did not keep the flame burning, the flame would not have stayed on till now. I plan to work a lot with the branch Presidents. They are the ones who have power and who generate the income of DADA. I will therefore empower the branch Presidents to make sure that the objectives as stated in the manifesto are realized.  We also have Presidents of the Wings, Youth Presidents and Women Presidents. All of them constitute very strong forces and I plan to work closely with them.

Before any activity takes place in the village, we will create a think tank committee to brainstorm over it and come up with ideas. We brainstorm on the ideas as a community and execute the projects as a community. In the back-to-school project that we just realized, we had an Education Committee. We looked for the money and the material and we gave it to the committee and they did a marvelous job. That’s how we plan to function. That will be our modus operandi as we execute all the items in our manifesto. Everything will be done with a lot of transparency and accountability. In my administration, everybody should come onboard. We will therefore need to know how the various branches are functioning. We will have written reports that the various coordinators will table in. There’s this issue of cards that my predecessors didn’t produce that I will continue with a view to producing them.

……………….

What about the plan of action in your manifesto.

………………

In my manifesto, I had four main points. These four points were the agro-pastoral activities, socio-cultural activities, Energy and Infrastructural Activities and Health Education. In the domain of Agro-pastoral activities I intend to introduce new cash crops that are not yet cultivated in our area or those crops that are cultivated in small quantities. I was thinking of setting up demonstration farms which have already been earmarked. From there people can learn how to propagate the production of Garlics, Onions, Ginger, and Water melon. There’s also the cultivation of wheat and some grafted fruit trees as well as the cultivation of spices. In the Agro-pastoral sector, we have already created the CIG pending registration. We have already created the Executive and Farmers Cooperatives. This is to facilitate better yields and marketing.  We will look for market outlets and market the products for them. We will also teach them how to preserve what they produce and methods of basic transformation. This will permit the produce to last for longer periods and give us time to look for markets. We will also do the transformation of vegetables and potato flour and look for the markets. Considering that Djottin produces a lot of honey, we will also look market outlets in this direction. We will also source for funding and provide modern farming tools for farmers. In the Socio-cultural domain, we intend to lay emphasis on education. We already started with the Back-to-school-scheme though it was at a very small scale. Apart from books and partial scholarships, prizes will also be given to best students. We intend to create a Youth Vocational Training Center to take care of especially those our daughters who have given birth at a very early age during the peak crisis period when schools were not open.  

In this light we will be collaborating with three NGOs in the domain of Reproductive Health.

We also plan to introduce sporting activities especially in group sports like Football and Handball. DADA is as such going to introduce the DADA cup. We also plan to introduce craft and a museum will be created for this purpose. We are also introducing a branch by branch human investment scheme. Prizes will be given to the two cleanest quarters in Djottin. We plan to introduce Cultural activities through music, story telling sessions amongst others.

This means that we are going to revamp traditional songs and dances that had been abandoned. We are going to give a facelift to our palaces and make them comfortable for our leaders.

In the domain of Energy and infrastructure, we are going to continue with Roads and water supply. This means that we will have to pick up with incomplete projects of the previous President. At the moment there are some contractors working on water catchments in Djottin. We thank the Religious and the Reverend Sisters for the work they are doing on water in the village.

We intend to build two main bridges that will connect the Educational Centre of Djottin to the other distant parts of the village. Students commute frequently from these distant parts of the village to the center of Djottin which constitutes the Educational Heart Beat. We are also continuing with the existing Hydro-Electricity system while hoping that World Bank Electricity Project comes to fruition.

Interviewed by Francis Ekongang Nzante.

 

Noni Updates

Publisher : Francis Ekongang Nzante.

Email: francoeko@gmail.com

Tel: +237696896001 or +237678401408

National Polytechnic University Institute 2022-2023 Matriculation

Hard Work Prescribed as means For Students to Achieve Dreams

By Francis Ekongang Nzante.

Nine Hundred and Eighteen Students who got matriculated at the National Polytechnic University Institute in Bamenda on Friday the 16^th of December 2022 have been called upon to work exceptionally hard so as to achieve the lofty dreams that pushed them to seek for admission at the Higher Institution of Learning. This advice was given by the guest speaker at the matriculation exercise Miss Emma Akob. 

This maiden motivational speaker at any matriculation event at the National Polytechnic University Institute told the matriculating students that dreams must always be accompanied by hard work because without hard work dreams could hardly ever be achieved. The young guest speaker called upon the students to consider failure as part of success. Failure she said wasn’t the opposite of success but rather an ingredient which brought you closer to it.  She admonished the students to develop their natural individual talents and urged them against the tendency to be conformists.

Mr. Yong Jacques Greeting newly installed Student Government

The matriculation exercise was administered by the Vice Chancellor Akob Christopher Apana PhD and the main activity here was the taking of the Matriculation Oath.

Another highlight of the occasion was the issuing of Admission Letters to the newly registered students. The Students were reminded that just like in any other Anglo-Saxon University in the world, registration at NPUI meant a contract had been signed between them and the institution. Admission Letters are the most important documents that are issued to the students following their registration according to that same Anglo-Saxon Tradition.

Taking Matriculation Oath

As explained by the Registrar, Mr. Adu Francis Ngala, all freshmen were immediately served their Admission Letters. The other newly registered students at the Masters level among others he said would be served their Admission Letters after scrutinising their files at the University of Buea.

The all important duty of issuing Admission Letters was executed by Mr. Yong Jacques, the Director of the institution. During the event, Admission Letters were given to the first students who got registered in the various schools or departments for the 2022-2023 Academic Year. The rest of the students were served with their Admission Letters just after the event in their various departments.

The next important component of the busy day at the National Polytechnic University Institute was the installation of the new student's Government. This was carried out by the school administration led by the Director Mr. Jacques Yong. The newly installed President of the students Government appreciated the dedication of the entire staff of the institution and drew the attention of the students to the motto of the institution which is “knowledge, Service and Self Actualisation.” He discouraged hate speech and xenophobic tendencies and encouraged the students to be selfless. “Ask yourself what you have done for the nation and not what the nation has done for you” he advised.

New Student Government

In a brush with the press the Vice Chancellor Akob Christopher Apana PhD expressed his appreciation of the event in the following manner:

Vice Chancellor Akob Christopher Apana PhD,  greeting Student Government

“National Polytechnic University Institute is a place for Academic and Moral Excellence. The Clergy, the university chaplain were all present at this important event to start the ceremony with a church devotion and prayer. This was then followed by the Academic procedures. We've got the best staff around. We have superb infrastructure and a serene environment. All of these contribute towards providing a unique environment for teaching and learning. That’s the secret of our success.”

 

Education and Development News

Tel: +237696896001/ 678401408/ 671262198

Victims Of the Seven Year Old Anglophone Crisis On The Rise!

The Anglophone Crisis in Cameroon has been raging on for seven years and counting. But while the war rages on, the amount of attention that has been given to its unfortunate victims has increasingly been on the decline. Many desperate victims have been caught in the web of the war in various and different ways.

While a good chunk of them escaped into neighbouring Nigeria, many have escaped to Europe and the Americas and many of them have died in the process due to the precarious conditions under which they travel. Examples of desperate victims of the Anglophone Crisis in Cameroon abound.

This article is inspired by the difficult situation in which the residents of Ground Zero usually find themselves because of the uncompromising stance of both the Government of Cameroon and the Separatists.

On the 4^th of November 2022, some administrative authorities amongst whom were Mr. Adolphe Lele l'Afrique, Governor of North West Region, Mr. Achobong Paul, City  Mayor of  the Bamenda City Council, the Military Commander of the Region and some local chiefs launched an appeal for business operators to open their shops every Monday. This proved to be problematic because Mondays in the two English Speaking Regions of Cameroon are generally observed as “ghost town.” This means that sit-down strikes are imposed in the two Regions by pro-independent fighters. Briefly put, on Mondays, there’s the restriction of movement. This compels denizens to shut down their businesses in the two regions in order to show their resentment against the  government and the military which they consider to be colonial occupying forces.

Local business operators found themselves in a fix because if they disobeyed the lock-down call made by the Separatists and opened their business places, they would be opened to attacks from “amba fighters” as the Separatists fighters are generally called. On the other hand, if the bewildered business owners decided to disobey public authorities and obey the call for a lock-down by the Separatists they would be seen as being pro-separatists by the government.

The business Community was assured by public authorities that they would be provided with maximum security to protect their lives and property especially on “ghost town” days if their businesses were opened. This was an attempt by the administration to stop the observation of imposed “ghost towns” in the two English Speaking Regions.

These “ghost towns” or lock-downs in the two English Speaking Regions of Cameroon have been going on for close to six years now and is part of their strategy to stifle the country’s economy.

In the first week of November 2022, pressure from  government officials urging the business Community to open its shops increased.

This prompted some business people to  open their shops. Amongst this category of business people was a certain Kingsley Vuyof. This young business man alongside other like minded business men did so out of fear that their shops would be sealed by the City Mayor of the Bamenda City Council if they didn’t obey. They also believed they would be offered protection by government officials.

Unfortunately for Kingsley Vuyof, Nestor Waki Ngang amongst others who obeyed public authorities and opened their stores, their business centers were burnt down in the night of the 7^th of November by Non State Armed Groups certainly because they disrespected the call for a total lockdown. Because they  opened their shops on a Monday which was and still is a day that a complete lock-down is imposed on everyone, they were tagged as “Black Legs” by pro-secessionist fighters locally referred to as “amba fighters.”  Worthy of note is the fact that defaulters of lock-downs imposed by Separatists are usually killed instantly if caught.

Because of the failure by Public Officials to protect their shops as promised, the victims of this arson staged a protest march in the streets of Bamenda asking for compensation from Government officials. They surprisingly met with stiff resistance from the Forces of Law and Order who violently dispersed them with gunshots and teargas.

In the violence and confusion that followed, the unfortunate group of business men were referred to as Separatist Activists who were tactfully benefitting from the chaos in order to pepetrate  their attacks and take government forces by surprise. Unfortunately, Nestor Waki Ngang,  Kingsley Vuyof and a host of others were arrested and reportedly brutalized and taken to the Judicial Police Station in Bemenda where they were detained in filthy cells that are characteristic of detention centers in Cameroon. The conditions and treatment received from uniformed officers were extremely uncomfortable and life threatening.

Many Cameroonians who have been arrested since the crisis started in the two English Speaking Regions of the country have suffered three different outcomes. Firstly, in desperation some usually succeed to escape sometimes with the help of sympathetic uniformed men. Secondly, some are transported to bigger detention facilities in Yaounde. Thirdly, some of them who can’t support the life threatening conditions in detention usually end up dying. Lucky ones like Nestor Waki Ngang, Kingsley Vuyof and others whom this reporter hadn’t the luck to be informed of by sources ended up escaping.

However, the fate of escapees is usually a very tricky one. They end up being hunted  by uniformed officers or by Separatists. In the case of these escapees who were arrested during the protest march in Bamenda, both government uniformed officers and Separatists were on the look out for them.

It comes therefore as no surprise that  Nestor Waki Ngang, Kingsley Vuyof and a host of other escapees have not been accounted for and are reportedly missing. Of course with the prevailing circumstances, their homeland remains an area that they certainly can not dare to visit.

Thousands of English Speaking Cameroonians have become victims of the Anglophone crisis and have been forced out of their homes and country for reasons completely beyond their control.

Recently, Senator Barrister Kinyang George from the North West Region in a chat with this reporter said many people have been victims of illegal detentions since the crisis started. He said as a Senator and as a legal mind, part of his efforts have been dedicated to using legal procedure to get many people who are illegally detained out of detention cells.However, a majority of desperate victims remain in precarious situations and completely helpless and with no way for their cries to be heard.

 

Edev Newspaper

Tell: +237690273198

Email: edevnewspaper@gmail.com

 

2022 GCE Results

War Thorn Bamenda Churns out Best overall Students!

By Francis Ekongang Nzante

The results of the 2022 General Certificate of Education has revealed that some Institutions in Bamenda, Capital of the War thorn North West Region of Cameroon have churned out some of the best students on the National Triangle.

This is remarkable considering the circumstances under which students in these parts of the country have been going to school during the past five years. After some years in the doldrums due to the crisis and the subsequent closure of schools, results in the NW Region started improving after last year’s GCE results. The 2022 results have however proven that the NW Region formerly considered to be the  power House of Education in the country is gradually regaining that prestigious position.

The traditionally good results of the denominational establishments have been completely re-established. Schools like Sacred Heart College Mankon, Our Lady of Lourdes Bamenda, PHS and young institutions like the Baptist Comprehensive High School Nkwen go a long way to give credence to this claim.

 This reporter also noted that this resurgence of good results had not only gained grounds in  Lay Private Institutions as well, but that this category of schools were gradually occupying center stage.

A close look at this year’s GCE CommercialAdvanced level results reveal that among the best students in the country is a certain Nyoh Alvin Nyuyfoghan from the Saint Michael’s Academy of Science and Arts Bamenda who came out on top with 8 A grades bagging 40 points in the process. Still from the same Institution is another student, Teh Hendrine Ma-ah who is undoubtedly amongst the second best students on the national territory. This student passed in eight subjects with 7 A grades and a B grade.

Apart from top quality results, the Saint Michael’s Academy of Arts and Science SMASA registered a 95.35% success with at least 34 students making it in six or more subjects.

At the GCE Ordinary Level, SMASA Bamenda scored 86.36% with 18 students succeeding in ten or more subjects. A certain Abbia Anna distinguished herself with a pass in eleven subjects bagging 8 A grades and three B grades.

SMASA also maintained it’s streak of good results at the GCE Advanced Level Grammar registering an 88.75% success. Twenty two students passed in Five Subjects and 43 in Four Subjects. Meantime the best student, Ndi Winston Nfor Kanjo had Five A grades thus bagging 25 points in the process.

With such quality results in Lay Private Institutions of learning in Bamenda, one can safely say that Bamenda and the North West Region at large is slowly regaining its place as the Educational Power House of the nation.

Edev Web News

Email: edevnewspaper@gmail.com

Tel: +237696896001 / +237678401408

Back To School 2022-2023

Institutions in Bamenda Fine-tune Conditions To Accommodate Economic Hardships!

 

By Francis Ekongang Nzante

Against a backdrop of very difficult times in the English Speaking Regions of Cameroon which are hard hit by an unprecedented hike in the prices of basic commodities and school needs, many establishments are cutting down on fees and segmenting the payment of fees into installments to ensure that these difficult conditions don’t keep too many children out of school.

Registrar, SHIPS, Bamenda

This reporter caught up with Mr. Bonkishir Aloys Fondreyuv, Registrar of Saint Michael’s Higher Institute of Professional Studies at Upper Bayelle in Bamenda to get a feel of the situation and he said things had been made easier for students who find themselves in a very difficult situation imposed upon them by the crisis. Fees he said had been slized down and were to be paid in installments. Hear him, “we are considering the hard times parents are facing as the school reopening draws near. We will as such take fees in as many installments as possible. This will involve entering specific agreements with parents and students who come to us for admission. Once both parties stick to their own part of the agreements the students are free to attend classes.”

 

Mr. Bonkishir Aloys Fondreyuv intimated that the idea of creating the Saint Michael’s Higher Institute of Professional Studies known in its English acronym as SHIPS was hatched in 2009. Given that Cameroon was an emerging country and that students graduating from the first and second cycles of the establishment were graduating and finding it impossible to put food on the table, the founders found it necessary to create this Higher Institute of Professional Studies. The aim was to professionally empower students graduating from their secondary school. It was also aimed at building in the students the ability to take initiative and to create so as to independently become creators and managers. The Registrar explained that the approach was to engulf students from their Secondary School; Saint Michael’s Academy of Science and Arts into the Higher Institute of Professional Studies.  These students were intended to be empowered in order for them to be able to create jobs and employ people instead of the other way round. Their vision he said was translated into the good results that the school had in 2015. The results were exceptionally good and one of their students of Civil Engineering who did urban planning stood out exceptionally as the best student in the country at the time. “This student today holds a Master Degree and is presently a PhD Research student. There are a couple of them who constituted the group that produced the good results in 2015 who also travelled abroad to further empower themselves. This was a concretization of the vision we had when SHIPS was created. Unfortunately, the Anglophone  Crisis set in a year after and  most of our dreams were shattered by insecurity. However SHIPS is back on course today like most establishments in Bamenda” the Registrar said.

SHIPS benefits from the services of teachers from Higher Institutions of learning in Bamenda with lots of experience in preparing students for HND, degree Programmes and much more.

SHIPS the Registrar said offers HND studies in Business, Education, Home Economics, Tourism and Hospitality Management, Engineering and Technology, Agriculture, Legal Carriers and Medical and Biomedical Sciences.

 SHIPS he further said was also into Fashion, Clothing and Textile as well as Bakery and Food Processing.

 One of the challenges that has been brought to bear on educational service providers by the crisis is insecurity. Hinting at efforts put in to ensure the security of students the Registrar said SHIPS campus which is located along New Road at Bayelle was completely fenced with guards permanently on duty at the entry point.

SHIPS CAMPUS

He didn’t fail to draw attention to the fact that the establishment had a state of the art Science Laboratory and a Food and Nutrition Laboratory that has been tested and confirmed by inspectors to be among the best.

“We are a bilingual country and we have language remedial courses for those who come in from the French background with just a little mastery of the English Language. Be sure that we will fill up the language gap and you will catch up as far as lectures in English are concerned. As far as security guarantees are concerned, we have already made arrangements for those coming in from foreign countries. Arrangements have been made for them to be given affordable hostels in a very secured environment.” He said.

 

Edev Web News

Email: edevnewspaper@gmail.com

Tel: +237696896001/ +237678401408

 

 

"Peace House Bamenda Urges Gov't to Review it's Policy of Disarming Citizens"

-Jude Nforngang

Mr.  Nforngang Jude Thaddeus, Director of Peace House CIG Bamenda has urged the Government of Cameroon to review it’s policy of disarming Citizens in Local communities. This he says has given armed robbers an upper hand.

He is a Legal Advisor and Mediator at the Peace House CIG Bamenda. He is an expert at law, professionally trained in Great Britain at the Institute of Legal Executives of England and Wales (CILEX Law School). He is equally a Community Development Expert and Philanthropist with over 23 years of work experience in Cameroon and other countries and has conducted several long-term researches relevant to solving problems on why majority of Africans remain poorer even with aid from the west. He co-founded the Peace House CIG Bamenda, the Elites Credit Union Cooperative, the Campus School Management System, the CashTelephone Project amongst others. He begins this interview by stating what  inspired them to create Peace House Bamenda.

……….

The Peace House Common Initiative Group  Bamenda was founded as a solution to provide urgent help and support to destitute people affected by conflicts, majority of whom are women and children.

………

So what exactly are the objectives of Peace House Bamenda?

……….

The main objective of the Peace House CIG Bamenda is to provide Entrepreneur Training, Advocacy, Mediation, and Shelter to the Destitute.

……..

Let’s look at the modus operandi of Peace House Bamenda.

……..

The methodology used in achieving our objectives is simple.

Here at the Peace House CIG Bamenda, we have developed in-house methodologies originating from our long-term observations and research in local communities as a primary source as well as correlation from experiences consulting multinational issues on poverty alleviation, Human Rights Advocacy and Conflict Mediation processes.

We have developed the Social Media Community Centered Responsive Approach in its current Campaign on Human Rights Advocacy relevant to the Current raging Anglophone Violent Conflict.

………..

What are the grounds so far covered by Peace House Bamenda?

……..

The Peace House CIG Bamenda is currently well known and trusted as a Neutral stakeholder advocating for the Human Rights Protection of indigenous Anglophone people especially women and children. Our observations based on our social media responsive methodologies currently indicate that all stakeholders of the current Anglophone Crisis in Cameroon are looking up to the Peace House CIG Bamenda on the actual facts and data on the effects of the Anglophone crisis in Cameroon as we are the main neutral organization visible in the affected local communities able to give a credible report on the actual visible facts.

The peace House CIG also provides temporal Shelter and basic meals to IDPs who are mainly women and children escaping domestic violence and effects of the current violent armed conflict in their local communities. We provide psychosocial support and counseling to affected IDPs and destitute local community members seeking our help both from our Mile 5 Nkwen Bamenda Head Office as well as live online from our social media communication channels.

The Peace House CIG also currently provides Free Legal Advise as seen on topical issues expressed on social media as a tool to help ignorant communities to resolve conflicts and issues related to their Legal and Human Rights processes.

........

Given the insecurity that presently reigns in the North West and South West Regions, what challenges have been encountered by your CIG in carrying out its duties?

…….

The Peace House CIG Bamenda is legally registered in Cameroon as a Common Initiative Group and as a standard not-for-profit charity organization. Our personnel and members are experts professionally trained in different areas relevant to our objectives. Members of the Peace House CIG Bamenda are neutral and do not support or stand for any particular political ideology. Some of our members have been victims of the current raging armed conflict in the North West and South West Regions of Cameroon.  The Peace House CIG   Bamenda's current observations show that the Cameroon Government and the Separatist Authorities are Negligent in the Protection of top economically strong elite necessary for the current and future development of the country. A case in point is the recent assassination of Madam Janna Fondo Anna in Bamenda. She was a Philanthropist and an Economics Teacher as well as Co-owner of Janna Enterprises and Super Market amongst other things. This highlights the alarming Security Vacuum in the crisis hit regions. This lady was one of our Key Advisors and Philanthropists. The lack of state protection is no doubt going to affect over 60% of our Philanthropic works in Bamenda.

……..

What is the outreach of the activities of Peace House Bamenda?

……..

It is legally registered with its head office in Bamenda. Its area of jurisdiction covers the entire national territory.

Our personnel are currently providing relief services to destitute communities at its head office in Bamenda, as well as directly to other affected communities in Cameroon. We also provide services on call as well as through social media channels.

……..

What is your take on the quality of Gorvenance in Cameroon?

……..

Our long-term observations show that Cameroon is a Centralized Democratic Unitary State with a very strong Presidency Unique from its State Government with the use of Elitist Political Governance. It would appear the governance institutions of Cameroon makes great er use of its retired administrators. This class of people are appointed as leaders of its newly created institutions relevant to current national economic and conflict issues.

Our expert opinion would be that, the Government and Presidency of Cameroon should seek credible neutral experts in their efforts of bringing social change, especially relevant to the current economic issues and conflicts raging in Cameroon.

………

You certainly have national and international partners.

……..

We do not yet have international partners. Peace House CIG has relied on the Philanthropic support of its members and participatory inputs of its beneficiaries towards achieving its objectives.

……..

Any last message?

……..

The Peace House CIG Bamenda would urge the Government and Presidency of Cameroon to urgently review its policy on disarming the local ordinary citizens. We have observed over three  years and counting that since the disarming of local ordinary citizens in Cameroon  armed robbers are taking advantage of the  Security Vacuum created by the circumstances and causing grievous harm on local communities in Cameroon, especially in the Anglophone Regions occasioning loss of lives and property. This was never So when Citizens were perceived to be armed. Our observations also show that there was no significant misuse of fire arms by ordinary local community members in the Anglophone communities of Cameroon other than accidents occurring during funeral ceremonies (less than 0.3 %).

Interviewed by Francis Ekongang Nzante

 

Edev Newspaper

Email: edevnewspaper@gmail.com

Contact: +237696001/ 678401408

Installation of New Officials at UBa

Professor Mark Bolak Funteh ushers in an Era of Meritocracy,Hard work at HTTC Bambili

By Francis Ekongang Nzante

Professor Mark Bolak Funteh, the newly installed director of the Higher Teacher Training College HTTC Bambili has harped on the importance of meritocracy and hardwork, insisting that these two qualities will greatly influence the way things are run in the Institution which he now heads.

Professor Mark Bolak Funteh and the media

 This he said will bring in a reasonable degree of equitability; giving equal opportunities to both the children of the rich and the poor. He was speaking on Saturday July 2^nd at the University of Bamenda during an installation ceremony of three newly Appointed Officials.  The installation ceremony took place under the distinguished patronage of the Vice Chancellor, Professor Theresia Nkuo Akenji. One of the officials installed was Professor Mark Bolak  Funteh who comes in as Director of the Higher Teacher Training College HTTC. The young professor was formerly serving as Dean of studies at the Higher Institute of Transport and Logistics of the University of Bamenda. He was installed in replacement of Mrs. Tita Margaret Awah who has gone on retirement.

Vice Chancellor and three newly installed officials

Another newly appointed official was Professor Tsi Evaristus Angwafor. He was installed as Director of the Higher Technical Teacher Training College HTTTC in replacement of Mr. Young Ngwain Joseph who has gone on retirement. He was formerly the Director of Studies in the College of Technology.

Thirdly, Mr Agborbechem Peter Tambi, Associate Professor was installed as Dean of the Faculty of Education in replacement of Mr. Peter Titanji Fon who has been called to other duties. The new Dean formerly served at the Faculty of Education at the University of Buea.

Speaking on the occasion, the Vice Chancellor cautioned against political activism, petition writing and slandering amongst other things and called upon the newly appointed Officials to focus on the work they’d been assigned to do. She enjoined them to make sure they understood the way the system of the University of Bamenda functioned in order to effectively carry out their tasks.

Professor Mark Bolak Funteh in a brush with the media thanked the Head of State for the confidence placed in him by appointing him to head such a prestigious institution. He said they had both the standards of the institution and standards of the Republic to protect. Hear him; “When the President of the Republic placed confidence in us through the Minister of State, Minister of Higher Education Jaques Famme Ndongo, he knew that we could do the job. The first task will be to clean the image that people generally have of the establishment. I think by God’s Grace and by the faith that we have, we will do the job. Our objective will be meritocracy. To give an opportunity to everyone, both the rich and the poor. To give them the opportunity to have a chance in life and that chance should come through hard work and merit.”

Professor Mark Bolak Funteh is a product of the University Of Yaounde and is one of the youngest full professors in the country with lots of experience both in Cameroon and on the international scene. His rise in the educational family has been aptly described by his peers as meteoric. With his youthfulness, energy and pedigree he is expected to leave his foot prints on the sands of time as far as the narrative of HTTC Bambili is concerned.

Professor Tsi Evaristus Angwafor, the new director of HTTTC Bambili on his part said the Higher Technical Teacher Training College HTTTC had recently received a lot of help from the state and other partners in the form of infrastructure and machinery. He said once all of these were put to use the quality of their work will be of top standard adding that this would go a long way to ameliorate the quality of Technical Education in the country.

One of the highlights of the day was  the presentation of gifts to the outgoing officials in appreciation for a job well done. The occasion was graced by colourful Traditional Dances that  gave it the pump and pageantry it truly deserved.

Edev Newspaper

Contact: +237696896001/ 678401408

Email: edevnewspaper@gmail.com

Contact person: Francis Ekongang Nzante

Human Trafficking:

Organisation Emphasises on Need for Related Laws To be More Victim Oriented

By Francis Ekongang Nzante

Mr. Nchongsi Joseph Ayeah, Director of the Center for Human Rights and Peace Advocacy CHRAPA has harped on the need for laws on Human Trafficking in Cameroon to be more victim oriented. He made this appeal on Friday the 17^th of June during a press café that brought together journalists and human rights actors at the organization's Head Office at Ghana Street in Bamenda. It was part of the launch of a programme by the Organisation dubbed “Rights based approach to combat trafficking in women and children in Littoral and North West Regions of Cameroon.”

Mr Nchongsi Joseph Ayeah during the Press cafe

  

Nchongsi Joseph Ayeah said Human Trafficking among other things involved the recruitment, transfer and harboring of  human beings with an intention of exploiting them. The victims he said were dominantly always women  and children.

Sponsored by the US Embassy in Cameroon, CHRAPA is intensifying efforts to combat Human Trafficking through the raising of awareness on trafficking and responding to the needs of victims in Mezam Division in the North West Region and in Douala IV in the Littoral Region of Cameroon. In this vein CHRAPA has  provided protection to 50 women, trained 20 civil society activists and provided assistance to some victims in the form of sustainable vocational training amongst others. Mr. Nchongsi Joseph Ayeah emphasized that it was more about providing support to victims of Human Trafficking adding that a certain number of criteria guided them in their identification of victims and that  the underlying factor was their degree of vulnerability.

In the heart of exchanges with Journalists and civil society actors

He noted that with the present crisis in the country, the situation of human trafficking was becoming increasingly alarming.

Assistance he further said was in the form of food and non food items, civil identification, sustainable vocational training to permit victims to get out of their predicaments, legal assistance amongst other things.

Perpetrators or Middlemen he said were made to understand that they could be punished with at least five years of imprisonment but added that other litigating procedures also involved out of court settlements. The CHRAPA director however acknowledged  that overcoming the obstacles put in place by some perpetrators was usually very challenging but further chipped in that the experience and strong network that the rights organization had gathered over the years had greatly contributed to their constant successes in such challenging moments.

He however lamented that weaknesses in the execution of the existing law lay in the fact that it was not victim centered.

CHRAPA is presently a member of the commission that has been set up to fight human trafficking in Cameroon. The Prime Minister is the Chairman of this commission and though the rights organization has been handed the role of identification of victims, they anxiously look forward to be assigned to do more which will be commensurate to the experience and the mastery that CHRAPA has in the domain in Cameroon.

The organization  is equally part of the task force that has been created to combat Human Trafficking in the North West Region of Cameroon.

Edev News

Contact Person

Francis Ekongang Nzante

Tel: +237696896001+237678401408

Email: edevnewspaper@gmail.com or francoeko@gmail.com

 

"The People Should Join Me Let's Transform Tubah""

-D.O, Tubah

The Divisional Officer for the Tuba Subdivision in Mezam  Mr. Massango Metuge Narcisse has appealed to the people within the Subdivision to join him in his efforts to bring peace and development to Tuba. The Young and dynamic Administrator took over by Presidential Decree since the 15^th of October 2021 and was installed on  the 9^th of November.

Mr. Massango Metuge Narcisse, D. O, Tuba

Tuba is a Cosmopolitan Subdivision which harbours close to 20.000 inhabitants mostly made up of the University class. The Municipality is made up of four big Fondoms and one Lamidad.  These are the Fondoms of Bambili, Bambui, Babanki Tungo and Big Babanki as well as the Lamidad of Sabga. He begins this interview by evaluating the Security situation in the Tuba Subdivision against a backdrop of the Anglophone Crisis. He was interviewed by Francis Ekongang Nzante and a host of other journalists in his Bambui Office.

The situation I met following my installation as the Divisional Officer for Tuba was actually evolving. We met with some stiff challenges but we've been doing our best to regain the people’s confidence and make them believe once more in the values of the Republic. We met a population which was very skeptical in accepting Government action.

How Successful have you been in convincing the people to Once more believe in Republican Values?

………..

We have been carrying out lots of field work which involves moving out, meeting and talking to the people. This is very complicated because you can’t know where the danger may come from. But somebody must always lead the way. From my understanding, that person should be the Divisional Officer. I have been meeting the people and making them to know that Government is aware of their problems and is actually putting in place measures to have these problems solved.  A lot is already being done to sort out these challenges. No society can move ahead without challenges. Unfortunately these challenges are taken differently by some people in our society.

In our missions in the field we try to gather the bike riders and the traders. It’s very complicated but we talk to them. We try to give them tips and advise them not to give up. You know that the activities of bikers have been restricted. For security reasons we had to block some streets around the University to prevent them from reaching there. We are aware that the obscure men use that means of transportation. We cannot run the risk of having the University stopped. For their own safety the students will have to move around on foot.  We've been trying to bring back some normal urban normalcy. In a state of law, there are areas where a certain category of activities are supposed to be carried out and other areas where certain activities can’t be carried out. Simply because we are in a state of crisis doesn’t mean there should be lawlessness.

How do you collaborate with the Security Force?

We constantly talk to them. You know that in a household not every child behaves in the same manner. There are challenges coming from that direction. But like a father we keep taking to them and reminding them that we all have the same duty which is to protect the people and their property.

These people have gone through five or six years of torture by their own brothers so the military should remain professional in order not to add to their predicament. I think it’s paying off following feedback that I get from the field. They are doing their best and we count on their professional behaviour for the successful holding of  this year’s 20^th May activities.

How do you envisage the 20^th May activities?

The population has missed this celebration now for three years here and I hope that this year we should celebrate it once more. We should be able to galvanise the population and I am in the field for that. I was at “Three Corners” in Bambili recently and I will continuously go into the field till the 20^th of May to make them to believe again in the Republican Day and trust in the mechanism that the Head of State has put in place! The present stalemate has been caused by youngsters who have decided to be abnormal. My mission here is to bring back these youngsters into the fold. But I can’t do this if I can’t see them.

I can only channel the problems of someone I see and not a ghost. I call upon these youngsters to come to us, drop their guns. They are still children of the Republic. It is true that there’s a lot of skepticism  in the way returnees are being treated but it should also be known that each Administrator has a unique style. Two administrators can handle the same problem differently. So for the benefit of doubt the youngsters should leave the bush and stop kidnapping. It’s such a pity that one of my elites Senator Regina Mundi is still being held captive. She brought in 500 kits which we distributed to pregnant women and four days later she was kidnapped by her own children! An abomination in African Tradition.

Any appeal to people in the Tuba Municipality?

I call upon the people in Tuba to believe in me and to join me let’s move Tuba forward. I am a young man who knows exactly what to do and when to do it. I love community work and this means my approach involves working with the people. We are using this tete a tete approach with the population to create a different picture of Government action.

The Government in Yaounde which we represent has been held back in the realization of projects in the area as a result of the security situation. There are schools pending renovation but can’t be renovated because anytime contractors put their legs there, they are kidnapped. I am having sleepless nights just like the forces of law and order because of the problems in Tuba. I call on the people in Tuba to join ranks with me let’s take the Municipality to where it is supposed to be. Apart from being a transit town and gate way to two divisions, Tuba is host to the University of Bamenda and together we can make use of this to take the town to its rightful place. IRAD has stopped and our children can no longer be trained here as Agronomists or Agro Engineers. The Regional College of Agriculture which is struggling to function is receiving threats every day. I am very open to anyone with a problem. Rather than take the Law into your hands, come and present the problem so that together we can sort it out following well defined channels.

Edev Newspaper

Email: edevnewspaper@gmail.com

Tel: +237696896001/ +237678401408

International Nurse's Day

CNA Celebrates across Cameroon!

 

By Francis Ekongang Nzante.

 

This year’s celebration of the International Nurse’s Day has been celebrated across Cameroon by the Cameroon Nurse’s Association and other Associations of Nurses with an unprecedented degree of engagement. The seriousness of the occasion enveloped nurses in Douala, Bamenda, Buea and a couple of hospitals across the national triangle. This annual celebration which takes place on the 12^th of May was spiced with Workshops, Talks and Symposiums.

In Bamenda in the North West Region of the country, celebrations were organised by the Regional Bureau of the Cameroon Nurse’s Association.  This reporter caught up with the National President of this Association Mr Nkwain Joseph  who summed up the event in the following words; “The International Nurse’s Day is celebrated every year on the 12^th of May and it commemorates the birth of Florence Nightingale who is the founder of Nursing. Every year there’s a theme which is chosen by the International Council of Nurses. This year’s theme is Nurses: A voice to lead.- Invest in Nursing and Respect Rights to Secure Global Health. As far as the Cameroon Nurse’s Association is concerned, the activities are carried out at the level of the branches and at the level of the hospitals. At the Nkwen District Hospital in Bamenda activities were carried out and this included the handing of gifts by the Nurses to all the patients. The Regional Hospital in Bamenda also did so just like the CBC Health Services amongst others.”  

Nurses distributing gifts 

 

He called upon Nurses to work well irrespective of where they found themselves reminding them that Nursing was a vocation. He hammered on the necessity for Nurses to continue building themselves professionally through continuous education. “This year's theme touches on the need for governments to pay more attention to Nursing and to invest much more in the sector. There’s a general shortage of nurses in the world. Actually it is estimated that there’s a shortage of 5.900.000 nurses in the world and that 85% of this gap is in low and medium income countries. So we need more investment in Nursing so that when these nurses graduate they should be gainfully employed” he said.

He appreciated the efforts being put in by the government pointing to the fact that many training Institutions had been established and that the government has been permanently following up training in these Institutions to make sure that nurses are adequately trained.

Meantime the National President of the Cameroon Nursing Association accompanied by the Vice National President Dr Nguini Rose visited some training Institutions like the Florence Nightingale Higher Institute of Health and Biomedical Sciences where talks were dished out to students of Nursing.

This reporter also caught up with the General Supervisor of the Nkwen District Hospital in Bamenda Mrs Abang Theresia Adu who presented the nurse as the main force behind the smooth functioning of the hospital.

GS, Director , Staff rep. at
Nkwen District Hospital

“Today the nurses came in appropriately dressed for the occasion and we bought some gifts which we distributed to the patients of the hospital. We sang and danced through the hospital sharing the gifts. In every unit in the hospital where we stopped, we talked to the patients on what they should expect from the nurses and how they should collaborate with the nurses to make sure that work went on well” Mrs Abang said.

She further called on the patients to forgive them for any wrong thing that any nurse might have committed through the year and reminded them that they were the eyes of nurses in the hospital and that corrections from them could only help the nurse to get better. She thanked the Director of the hospital for providing a very enabling environment for good work.

“No one can fully pay for the services of a nurse but when you tender good services, you receive your pay from God” she said.

The Staff representative of the hospital Mrs  Tela Elizabeth said she spent some time sensitising nurses about the International Nurse’s Day since she realized that many of them didn’t actually Know what the day was all about. She equally explained the deep meaning of the theme of this year’s International Nurse’s Day. “It is a day during which nurses come out to tell the world that they are there to take care of them

and to remind them like the General Supervisor said, that it is the nurse who opens the eyes of the baby in the labour room and closes the person's eyes when he is exiting.”

In the Douala CNA branch, activities which took place at the Alpha Higher Institute of Biomedical and Technical Sciences at Deido included Symposiums, Scientific Presentations, Debates, Awards and Recognitions. These activities were coordinated by the Littoral Branch President Mr Otongno Humphrey.

 

Edev Newspaper

Tel: +237696896001/+237678401408

Email: edevnewspaper@gmail.com.

francoeko@gmail.com