COMMUNIQUE
IN
RE: THE LIMBE CHIEFTAIN
In pursuance of erstwhile
and recent face up levied upon the incumbency of the Manga Williams and geared
towards circumscribing the grant of leave for enstoolment, Prince Jerry Nambeke
Manga Williams representing the Royal family of Manga Williams/Nambeke do
depose for the purposes of information
and necessary action in especial to the stakeholdings of Limbe, and generally
to all and sundry the following.
 |
| Jesco and his father Chief Johnaness Manga Williams in London. |
1. GENEALOGY OF LIMBE
In response to rumours that
Limbe hitherto Victoria is other than a parcel dismembered from the Bimbia
territory, the following should rest for ever the misguidance. The birth of
Victoria now Limbe is stitched to the DNA of the British and German
protectorates of the land called Bimbia. The origin and genealogy of the
Province of Victoria, now Limbe Division begin when it became the panacea for the British mission
amid the Spanish harassment at Fernando-Po during the 19th century,
whereto the British missionaries were stationed as their nucleus for their
missionary work in West Africa and in especial for the freed slaves who had
made the town of Clarence their home, and the British government as a base for
their naval squadron from where their man o’ wars patrolled the gulf of guinea to disrupt the
trade in human slavery which had been abolished in England but was still the
main trade in that area at that time. In 1843
the British Missionaries finally lost patience with the Spanish
authorities when the Spanish Governor in charge of all the Islands belonging to
Spain in West Africa asserted its long
standing claim of the island, planted the Spanish flag at Clarence, renamed the
city Santa Isabel and proclaimed the Roman Catholic Church as the official
religion of the Island. In 1958 he sent for Alfred Saker, the British
Missionary and informed him that the protestant form of worship must cease.
Saker then embarked on the task of finding a suitable place in Cameroon. He
went to Bimbia and to its Chief, King Bile (King Williams) and negotiated to
buy the parcel of land at Ambas Bay and in 1858 King Williams of Bimbia sold
that part of Bimbia land to the British missionary Alfred Saker which the
latter did acquire against a receipt and christened as Victoria in honour of
his Monarch, the Queen Victoria of England. On Monday 09th of august
1858, the Baptist community in Fernando-Po moved to Victoria and held their
first public worship on Friday 13th august 1858. Saker then set up a
government and drew up a constitution
for Victoria with laws for the proper governing of Victoria, a town council and
court for the administration of justice. Albeit dismembered from Bimbia, the
British administration recognized the Bimbia traditional chieftain to permeate
across the natives in Victoria, the children from some of the coverts at
Bimbia, Bota, the emigrants and people from neighbouring villages. He
administered Victoria till 1876 when he moved to his homeland for good. He was
succeeded by George Grenfell (1877-1878) and Q. W. Thomson (1878-1884). In 1884 following the 1882 appeal from the
people of Victoria to obtain official recognition of their settlement by the
British government, Edward Hyde Hewett the British Consul arrived at Ambas Bay
(Victoria) and annexed Victoria on the 19th of July 1884, a few days
subsequent to the German annexation of Douala and Bimbia on the 14th
of July 1884 by Dr. Nactingal the German imperial Governor. The Germans later
on in 1887 arrived at a consensus with the British missionaries of Victoria,
and secured the purchase of Victoria from the Baptist missionaries who had
bought the land from king Williams. The missionaries’ properties including
churches and schools were bought by the Basel mission. The new German Victoria district (Bezirk)
eventually moved from being limited to Bimbia but to be included henceforth the
whole area of the Cameroon mountain and consequently territories occupied by
the Bakweris, Isubus, Wovea, Bamboko and Balong because of the trade
exploitation potentials. In 1885 the Germans began exploiting the land and
founded (Kamerun Land –Und Plantagen
Gesellschaft) in Bimbia and (West
Afrikaische Pflanzungsgeesellschaft) at Bibundi. Other concessions would
later be procured for plantations across Cameroon. Due to the plantations,
natives from the tribes of Bakweris, Isubus, Wovea, Bamboko and Balong became
citizens of the German protectorate of Victoria. The original territory of the
indigenous Isubu people of Victoria henceforth became blended with descendants
of liberated slaves, brought by Alfred Saker, Bakweris from Kie and Mokindi,
Wovia,Ngeme villages, bota mainland and island natives, Baongs from Balong in
kumba and the Bambokos from Womboko, who
inhabited the opposite segment of the Cameroon mountain to kumba. The Isubus are natives of Bimbia and Victoria.
The Bakweris were natives of Wovea, Kie, Ngeme, Mokindi, Wovia. The Bamboko
were natives of Womboko and the Balongs were natives of Balong. This federation
of different villages to join the Isubu Bimbia and Victoria was to ease
administration of the plantation segments and consequently distinguish from the
Buea and Tiko segments. To fulfill their promise to the natives during
annexation, the Germans created native courts in all villages to take care of
native affairs and the Victoria council was the federal governing body. This
was headed by the first King of Victoria, king Johannes Nambeke Manga Williams. The German
Protectorate Government of Cameroon had elected to acknowledge the descendant
of King Williams of Bimbia, Johaness Nambeke Manga Williams who would become
the first Chief of VICTORIA in 1908. That day, all the federated villages sang
the veneration song ‘Manga kinga bosso’
meaning Manga, First king of Victoria. The Name Victoria was changed in
parliament to Limbe in 1982 during the reign of His Majesty King Ferguson, son
of King Johannes Nambeke Manga Williams
the 1st King of Victoria Province.
2.
GENEALOGY
OF LIMBE CHIEFTAIN:
As opposed to claims
surrounding the genealogy and locus standi of the Manga Williams’ succession to
the last Paramount Chief of Limbe who happens to be a Manga Williams, His
Majesty King Bila Fergusson Manga Williams, such that the territoriality should
feature in question, may it simply without much ado to unnecessary details be
posited of the history which the archives of the nation beholds and every ear
and eyes have scoured same.
1908. In respond to the German Protectorate government’s policy making
Victoria the new capital of its administration shifting the hegemony from
Bimbia, Victoria ceased to be traditionally governed from Bimbia by Mbimbi
Makaka, half brother of King Williams II who ruled from 1882 when the latter
was killed protecting Limbola against the Buea expansionists in a battle with
the Bakwerians from Soppo.
1908: Victoria became home to its first Paramount Chief called King Johannes
Nambeke Manga Williams and his
jurisdiction covered Bimbia along the fringes of the coast, West-ward towards
the Mountain including federated villages of the Bakweris, Bambokos, Balongs.
Between 1908-1914: Chief Johannes Nambeke Manga Williams signed many trade
treaties with the Germans who installed many plantations and consequently
warranted the region to regain its commercial hegemony once more.
1918-1928: Chief Manga Williams in addition to his numerous duties
became the president of the court of Victoria after the First World War
patronizing the native courts of the federated villages above mentioned.
In 1928, King George the fifth of
England granted him a certificate of recognition; Order of the British Empire
(OBE) for the valuable services rendered
by him to his own country and the British Empire as having distinguished
himself as President of the courts of Victoria.
In 1942, he became the representative of the whole trust territory of the Cameroons which in those days included the
Northern Cameroons in the Nigeria Legislative Council.
In 1946, he was appointed member of the Eastern House of Assembly
In 1954, when the Southern Cameroon House of Assembly was established,
he was selected as Native Administration
member for Victoria Divisional Council.
In May 1951, he laid the foundation stone of the Cameroon Development
Corporation during its creation and became the original member of the
corporation.
In 1958, he was appointed by the British government to organize the
celebration marking the 100 years anniversary of Victoria which were held for 7
days. It was during this occasion that the late Prime Minister of Nigeria, Sir
Abubaka Tafaza Balewa laid the stone for the construction of the Victoria
Centenary Stadium. Chief John Manga Williams poured the libation to the gods of
Bimbia.
On the12th of December 1958 during this occasion, the
unveiling of the Alfred Saker monument at the SDO’s office Victoria was done.
Those who assisted Chief Johannes Nambeke Manga Williams to unveil the monuments
were Sir James Robertson and Sir Abubaka Tafawa Balewa’. The procurement of the
Alfred Saker monument proper which now rests beside the SDO’s office was tasked
to and conveyed from his son; Prince Jesco Manga Williams whilst he had taken abode in England.
When King Johannes Nambeke Manga
Williams died in 1959, Prince Jesco waived his right and proposed his junior
brother, Fergusson Manga Williams who became Chief of Victoria.
Amongst the achievements of King Fergusson B. Manga Williams include the
popularization of the spirit of minority and integration, advocacy for the
preservation and protection of the indigenous lands especially those which were
conceded by lease to the Germans and later inherited by the CDC.
During the privatization process of CDC, Chief Ferguson of Victoria and
Chief Endeley of Buea fought hard to retain the provisions under which native
lands were conceded to the Germans. Consequent to this and in fulfilling the
legacy of a Paramount chief of the villages which the Manga Williams forebears
presided, are the benefits natives have presently in the acquisition of native
lands which CDC releases back to these erstwhile federated villages.
King Fergusson Manga Williams passed unto to Glory in 2005 and amongst
the many persons who were calling on the Manga Williams descendants for the succession to be immediate and forthwith
were the Chiefs of the federated villages of Victoria such as the Isubus, the
Bambokos, and the Bakweri in channels such as correspondences, newspapers and
radio to name a few.
The Manga Williams amid subsequent niches internally and externally have
finally overhauled the details and should be respected to the letter to acquit
themselves quietly of an enstoolment.
If the above posits of
genealogy wouldn’t snow ball memories, the following précis should for it goes
without saying:
3. ESTOPPEL
That the law governing
Chieftaincy in Cameroon is absolute and the articles prescribed therein
conforms with the methodology which the Colonial and National Govern0ments of
Cameroon utilized in conferring the power of traditional rulership upon the
Manga Williams in Limbe since 1908 in the absence of opposition to its
incumbency and where pockets of distractions existed were settled absolutely to
warrant the insurance that the law is not retrospective and does not backtrack
statutes to determine present nominations and if such may be sought judicially,
there exist statutes of limitations and probable cause. In the case of Limbe,
no one should contemplate eligibility against the royal Manga Williams family
of Limbe for the above clinical reasons.
Done at Limbe the 20th day of
April 2014
PRINCE JERRY NAMBEKE MANGA WILLIAMS
FOR THE MANGA WILLIAMS/NAMBEKE FAMILY
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