We Need a Revolution to Save the Cameroon GCE Board

Azong Warra, Pioneer GCE Board Registrar

 Following Presidential Decree No2018/514 of 22 October 2018 repealing and re-organising the Cameroon GCE Board, a decree which was accompanied by widespread condemnation and criticism, as well as praise, we set out to get the opinion of the  pioneer registrar of the Board, who alongside others, fought for the creation of the Board, and under their leadership, the text of application was written and used until recently, when a Presidential decree repealed the Board’s  statute ushering in some drastic changes that will greatly affect the way the Board functions.

The Pioneer Registrar, Azong Wara, opines that a revolution is needed to save what is left of the Board, and that the recent decree of President Biya, has made things much worse. Azong Wara argues that if Anglophones let it go, they will in effect be letting go the only good thing that make them look like people, in the competitive world of education. He frowns at the exclusion of the University of Buea, the side-lining of teachers, side-lining lay private and denominational school authorities and many others. He also makes a case against the flooding of the Board with representatives of Ministries from Yaoundé, at the detriment of educationists. He was interviewed by Andrew Nsoseka.

What do you make of the recent Presidential decree reorganizing the GCE Board?

 I will begin by looking at preamble to the decree itself. You know these citations that usually come before presidential decrees are very important citations. This thing where they usually say mindful of this, mindful of mindful that; those are very important citations in respect of the decree that follows. The most important law on education in this country is law No. 0 4-9 8 of 14 April 1998. That is the most important law on education in this country. You cannot talk of education without mentioning that one because it came out of an education forum organised in this country in 1995 where everything about our educational system was studied by experts from across the whole nation. And this law was debated in Parliament and passed in Parliament and eventually signed into law by Presidential decree. So it is the most important law.

So what does that law say?

 That law says that there are two education subsystems in Cameroon. The French education subsystem and an English education subsystem and these two systems will co-exist, and will carry out their educational activities as defined by their own education system. In other words the subsystem of education in the English subsystem will carry out its teaching, its examination and others, according to the English Education system with no interference. This is clearly stated in that law and the law goes ahead to say that a Board of Education may be created to take these education subsystems which has not been done up today. Now the important thing I want to say is that since that law is not mentioned in this preamble/citations. It means that somebody does not like that law, and therefore tries to ignore it and brings in laws here which are not even relevant to our system. So if this decree was honestly constructed, that citation would have been there. So I disapprove of this present decree from that perspective.

Are you saying that the structure which the Board now has is of no relevance?

 The decree itself has violated the educational subsystem of the Anglophones so it doesn’t hold. That’s what I’m saying. So it is effectively not there. That is the first criticism I have of that decree.

What other criticism do you have?

The next criticism I have is that you convert an examination Board Into a State Corporation and you remove the academic authority of that examination Board from it. The Academic authority over the GCE Board is the University of Buea. The person who guarantees the authenticity of the certificates issued by the GCE Board is the University of Buea. It is not the GCE Board Registrar. The registrar is just an Administrator who administers the exam. He signs the certificates along with the Vice Chancellor of the University of Buea and the Minister of Secondary Education. The Vice Chancellor signs that certificate in order to give it Academic integrity. The University is left out of this new structure. So the Vice Chancellor cannot sign these certificates if he is honest with himself. He cannot come and sign certificates organised by a system that he has no control over. The former GCE Board had the Vice Chancellor or his representative on the Council of the GCE Board. He also had the examinations executive committee. That is that part which looks at the exam itself, the content of the exam. The other one is like the Council’s administration of the board. But the actual one that looks into the examinations and whether they meet the international quality, whether the certificate should be given, is the examinations executive committee. It sets the standards. It defines the mark limit. That one has been removed from this whole new arrangement. So I don’t see how the Vice-Chancellor can come in, to sign such a certificate. It was constructed without even consulting the University of Buea. I know that if this text had gone through the University of Buea, and if they are honest to themselves they will know that this would not have been the text.

What can be done or what should have been done to give the GCE Board the relevance that you are talking about?

 In every single country, examinations of this nature must be attached to a University. It would be very strange to find a country somewhere  where such a Board is not attached to a university.

For example; that of London is attached to the University of London. You do not have an examinations Board just hanging in the air without an academic backing. Wherever you go you will find that. The Universities are meant to consume the products of these examination Boards. And they have no way of guaranteeing the credibility of those exams with this text.

So how are the new changes going to affect the way the Board will function?

 What I think will happen is that the workers of the GCE Board will receive this text with all jubilation because it is going to raise their financial status. So if you look at it from that aspect to them it’s a great text. If you want to look at it from the aspect of the public and of these children who are going to obtain these certificates it is a sham. You remove teachers who are the prime movers of education. You have taken them out. They no longer appear in this structure. You have taken our parents from this structure, you have taken out lay private education, Catholic education, Protestant education authorities. You have taken them out of the Council of the GCE Board and they are those that feed the Board. You have taken them out and left the Board with Ministers and civil servants.

Sooner or later you will just sit here and have Yaounde appoint somebody from the Ministry to come to the GCE Board and it may not even be somebody who is versed with the Anglo-Saxon system of education because it required that before you make a registrar in those days it is required that the Council of the GCE Board which was made up of all these people, it required that they examine the credentials of such a person who must be very highly knowledgeable in the Anglo-Saxon system of education, before the Prime Minister appoints him. The Prime Minister appointed such a person only to give him the authority of the seal of state, but it was the Council that decided after studying the credentials of such a person that this person qualified to handle exams of that nature.

And that Council as I said had teachers, people who were the prime movers.

The number has reduced and if it was for instance, that they had said one teacher, one person from these education bodies, one person from the University and they build a number up to seven, those are  the relevant people, but if you say one person for Ministry of Finance, one person from the Prime Minister’s office one person from head of State. You can go to these ministries and pick anybody who is not even an educationist. You will find out now at the Presidency, people beginning to position themselves to come to the GCE board Council because it is now a corporation and that will be an issue of money. The government will pump money just to come and manipulate  with the money. They are not coming with any idea on how to carry the GCE Board forward.

This new decree, doesn’t it give the GCE Board more autonomy?

 No!  What autonomy? It instead cages the GCE Board into the Ministries. It doesn’t give it any independence. You know when you want to talk about independence, there must be a system in that independent structure where they can be debate, where decisions can be taken by a clear majority opinion. And where people can argue to agree and disagree but when there are other people appointed by Ministers who sit in Yaounde. When they come here are you expecting the Minister’s representatives to come and disagree with the Minister of finance’s position? No!

What now happens to the quality of certificates that are issued by the Board?

 You’ve seen the type of certificates that were issued this year and they are being withdrawn and reissued because the people who have come to manage the Board do not follow the text. They are only bent on producing this type of things. And I have myself written to the chairman of the GCE Board proposing that a commission of inquiry should be set up to see what went wrong with this year’s GCE. This is not a GCE and I can tell you straight away. People have come into the place and taken off the nucleus of the institution. How can you imagine that OMR forms, Optimal Map Readers forms, which were supposed to be designed with machines in the Board for production, are now done in the Quarters? The machines have deliberately been broken down so that now people go to the Quarters to print OMR forms to send out for students to write. So eventually the MCQs this year which are answered using those forms were in fact this year, answered on ordinary paper and they had to take people to mark them whereas before, those papers were usually sent into the machine and it read out the marks and assigned them correctly to the students. So now you have them running left and right, looking for where to fit a mark, and hurriedly producing results which have landed us into this problem of today.

So what could be responsible for such irresponsible behaviour that is affecting the credibility of the Board?

 It is there, inside the Board. It started when these guys were appointed.  I made a point before. The first thing is that the Council of the GCE Board did not sit down to study the application of the Registrar of the GCE Board. When the present Registrar was appointed I raised an objection. This registrar has not fulfilled the requirements of the text. He did not apply to be Registrar through the Council of GCE Board. They did not study his credentials. He just came from the Ministry and was appointed without passing through the Board. I make no apologies for what I’m saying. If he was appointed regularly here, his dossier would have been rejected here, because he would not have met the requirements.

I know what rolled the plate during the struggle for the GCE Board I know the rules but they came from behind and jumped into the place. As soon as they jumped into the Board, they now developed problems with the staff. They started moving the experienced ones into different positions and moving the people who could conform with their agenda to certain positions. That brought about this problem in the GCE Board. Nobody is bold enough to accept that it should be investigated. If they investigate they will discover that that is the reason.

What can be done to bring the Board to what you fought for? What was your ideal programme for the Board?

 The first thing is that we must go back. It is the salvation of Anglophones in this country. It is the only institution that Anglophones actually sacrificed to get. There were fights for the University and so on. But the actual fight in this Country which was the hope of all Anglophones was the GCE Board and no one should mess with it. If you mess it up, you have messed with the future of Anglophones in this Country. All these troubles that we are having in this country are related to our education because for over the time people are not happy that there is a GCE Board. People come to mess it up. If the Anglophones let it go. If they let it go through this shoddy arrangement then we are off. The entire GCE is destroyed. That is the only thing that makes us look like people when we get out of this country.

Is there any positive thing in the decree?

 There is a positive aspect to this text, the fact that the technical exams have been given proper nomenclature. I can’t think of any other. I don’t know whether there’s any other thing in this thing that is positive. If that thing is extracted and put back on the original text of the GCE Board, we will have no problem. All these arrangement is for money. All these things that they are manipulating the GCE Board is to generate more money and put it in their pockets. That’s all that is causing them to be looking for laws to twist about. The original text was well studied and written and it was brought to light for all of us Anglophones to see. They criticised it and they took it back and came out with a good text. 25 years is not enough time to come and whitewash it.

The text could stay for a hundred thousand years as it.

It was good. The only thing was that it doesn’t give enough money to some people who are coming to manipulate the place and because of that they want someone to put in their pockets. So they mess around with the text.

If you were asked to describe what has happened to the Board, what will you say?

 In the respect of exams itself, the conduct of the exams has been completely destroyed and we need a revolution in that GCE Board. In my letter to the Chairman, I have said that this registrar should be sent back to the Ministry. I don’t hide my words.

Interviewed By Andrew Nsoseka

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“It is time for those who declared war to stop it”

- Hon Fusi Namukong

Honourable Fusi Namukong, SDF Member of Parliament for the Bafut Tubah Constituency has called on those who declared war on Cameroonians to step in and stop the war. He made this declaration on Sunday November 4^th at the Ntamulung Presbyterian Church in Bamenda in an event he organised to give support to Internally Displaced People IDP from Bafut and Tuba living in Bamenda.

The MP said what pushed him to organise the event was his role as the peoples’ representative and his desire to contribute to the well being of his constituency. “I thought it necessary that I should do something symbolic for my constituency. As a representative of the people I thought I should do something symbolic that will show concern for the well being of my people. I know we are highly affected by the crises and most of them living here are doing so under very precarious conditions so I thought it advisable to give a helping hand with a small token.”

Talking about the deplorable situation in Tubah and Bafut, the MP said the large number of displaced people from his constituency living in Bamenda was a reflection of the dangerous situation back home and that it was normal for people to flee from danger.

The IDPs were made up of babies, little girls and boys and older people of all ages. This fact pushed the MP to react in the following manner: “once you can afford three square meals in a day, then you should begin to think about others and that is my way of looking at things. I know that with time others may come in and support in the best possible way.”

Internally Displaced people lineup to receive help

The MP helped the IDPs with Five Hundred 5 Kg bags of rice and Five Hundred packets of maggi cubes so that each person could get at least Five Kilograms of rice and a packet of maggi cubes. “I am just doing what I consider to be the widow’s mite and if others can come in and do better I will appreciate it. I have a very large constituency. Bafut alone has 57 villages and Tuba has four very big villages. I have been taking care of people I constantly meet who have come to me personally for assistance. There are some I am housing keeping in various places and assisting. I try to assist those I can at the extent to which I can go.”

IDPs Queue up to get registered

The MP said the recurrent problems among the IDPs include the lack of places to stay. “Some people have met their children who are apprentices here in town and in a small room you see about 15 people living in it.”

The MP complained that a majority of the young people no longer go to school and stated emphatically that the war was called by somebody and urged that person to call it off.    

Ngwa Clovis one of the internally displaced persons from Bafut described the circumstances that led to his flight from Bafut in the following manner; “Every day the military came shooting guns and even shot at civilians breaking houses and shooting at people. I have lost no family member but I know many people that the military has killed. Amba fighters constantly exchange fire with the military and this makes Bafut completely inhabitable because one might be caught in cross fire.” Ngwa Clovis said he had been in Bamenda for two and a half months and that during this period he has been staying with his friend at Rendez vous quarters in Bamenda.

“I am thankful to Honourable Fusi Namukong for what he has been doing and I call on the government to save Bafut and the North West and South West Regions as a whole from this plight” he said.

The brief event started with a word of prayer and brief addresses from the SDF District Chairpersons of Bafut and Tubah respectively. This was followed by an address from the MP before the hundreds of IDPs who turned out for the event were attended to.   

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CDC workers attacked by unknown armed assailants!

According to a release issued by Manyanye Ikome the Communication and Public Relations Manager of the Cameroon Development Corporation, seven workers of CDC were on Wednesday October 31, 2018 physically assaulted by armed men while carrying out their professional duties in the Tiko Sub Division. They injuries sustained by the workers were as follows: -amputation of the index fingers of three female workers, -amputation of four fingers (2nd-5th) of a male worker,-wounded buttocks of a worker caused by a gunshot and multiple lacerations of two workers.

Informed about this, CDC Management rapidly conveyed the injured workers to the Corporation's Cottage Hospital in Tiko where they are currently receiving intensive medical attention. 

The release further states that though the giant agro industry is apolitical, her workers and property have unfortunately become the target of dozens of unidentified armed men in the recent past. 

While workers have been advised to be calm and avoid panic while the crime is being investigated, speculations on the possible hands behind the heinous crime have been coming forth from different from different quarters.

Many sources have indicated that armed bandits have been taking advantage of the sociopolitical unrest in the two English Speaking Regions to carry out criminal activities. Meantime many have been prompt to point accusing fingers at pro Ambazonian Separatist fighters.

With the continuous killings not restricted to workers of the Cameroon Development Corporation but to other parts of the two Regions affected, many possibilities speculating the identity of those behind the killings have touched on different possibilities.

Firstly, killings have occurred from stray bullets from confrontations between Regular Cameroonian troops and separatist fighters in different parts of the two regions. Secondly killings have come from sudden attacks typical of guerrilla attacks already seen in other parts of the continent. These attacks have been attributed to separatist fighters albeit without clear cut proofs.

Most recently, Ni John Fru Ndi, Chairman of the Social Democratic Front SDF stated that some groups were being sponsored by Ministers to wreak havoc in the various communities though he didn’t identify the Ministry in question. John Fru Ndi has also called on the separatist fighters to think about the welfare of the people first if they truly have them at heart. He was speaking recently shortly after the destruction of his residence at Baba I.  He frowned at the behaviour of those who were behind these acts of violence.

Still fresh in the memories of Cameroonians is the burning of houses and the shooting of a cripple on his wheel chair in Rom village in Nwa Sub Division in Donga Mantung Division. Insecurity is increasingly on the rise accompanied by a disturbing silence and a quasi absence of efforts towards putting a stop to it. At publication time, the faces behind the crime on CDC workers still remained a matter of conjecture. Investigations however were still going on.

OPINION: Moderates of Anglophone and lessons learned from Presidential Elections!

 Filed in from Ben Ashu (Arthour unknown)

 

What some of us, the moderates of the Anglophone Crisis learned from the last Presidential Elections and the meltdown at the Constitutional Council.

Let me begin by defining some of the terms I will be using in this prose. In the Anglophone struggle, I have identified four categories of Anglophone protagonists:

1. The Independentist/Restorationists. 

 These are those who want an independent country (Ambazonia) as it was prior to joining La Republic du Cameroon. That is, as part of the British mandate administered from Nigeria, but not joined to Nigeria. This is the meaning of restoration, but I am sure what they really want is a new country.

2. The Federalists/Moderates.

 These are those who want the country to return to the 1961 Federal Constitution of either two states (as it was), or ten states (as some want it today). These are those who have a strong feeling that autonomy is our goal and not independence. For independence can come without autonomy but autonomy comes with independence. They are still divided on the issue of the number of states.

3. The Regionalists/Decentralizationists. 

 These are those who believe in their guts that decentralization will deliver the required autonomy. They have argued that federalism is a form of decentralization. Most of the members in this group and pro-Biya loyalists. They still haven't voiced-out the sticking point about the voting or appointing of governors. The disappearance of DOs and SDOs.

4. There are the Status-quoists.

 These are those who believe or better put, don't believe there's an Anglophone problem in Cameroon. They believe the current crisis is a fabrication by a few individuals abroad in a bound-to-fail attempt to destabilize the country.

As an Anglophone you should be able to identify yourself in one of these four groupings, otherwise, you fall in a statistically insignificant group of people that we shall not bother to categorize. For the purpose of full disclosure, the writer of this prose is a moderate, therefore, there could be an inherent bias in his/her style of writing.

Elections in Cameroon have come and gone like a weak wind, nothing changed at all. Mr. Biya is still in power, the crisis in the NW/SW is still looming and the same acts of violence, killings, school boycotts, ghost towns, and kidnappings are still going on. However, the wind, even though weak, exposed a lot of new cracks in crevices of the fabric in our justice system in Cameroon:

 

1. The debates in the Constitutional Court (CC), fiery sometimes but intellectually enriching above all, showed clearly that, there's no justice in Cameroon. If anyone ever doubted the weakness of the Cameroon Court System, the videos that were streaming on CRTVWeb and stored for posterity on YouTube are there to prove it.

2. The Anglophone lawyers gowned in black with their wigs showed clearly the difficulty we will ever face in mixing two culturally and legally dissimilar systems. No member in the Constitutional Council ever spoke or responded in English for over 3 days from 9 am - 10 pm. In fact, it was proven by Barrister Sama (defending the SDF candidate) that the President of the Constitutional Council does not understand English. Barrister Sama had asked for permission for his client to sit down while he was debating his case; that had to be repeated in French for the President of the CC to respond in the affirmative. There can be no justice when there's a language barrier. 

3. For the Anglophone Cameroonian to have his/her place in Cameroon, they need a court, distant from the practices/malpractices of the Justice System of the French Courts in Yaounde. Can this be possible in a Federation? Will a Decentralized Government allow us to vote for our own judges and allow us to sanction them by voting them out of office if found wanting?

4. Elections in Cameroon will never be free and fair. Call it what you may, there's a millstone hanging around the necks of members of the CC that will never go away. The lackluster response of the President of the CC to the requested 26 PV is worrying. Justice must not just be done, but must be seen to be done. In this case, justice was not seen to be done. Is this the kind of court where our Federal Cases would be judged? It bothers me as a federalist. For full disclosure, I also have no affiliation to the MRC.

5. I was a fervent advocate for this election. I encouraged people to register and vote. I chastised my independent friends for opting for a boycott. I argued that with technology things will be different. I flaunted the massive deployment of Facebook and WhatsApp in Cameroon as a game-changer. Boy! I was wrong. I have never hailed the independentist, but I concede this one to them. This elections if nothing else has given legitimacy to the Anglophone struggle. Ignoring all the above, all you need to do is go to YouTube and watch just the debates at the CC, and tell me if those same arguments are translated to any foreign language on earth if what happened there would be considered as justice.

6. If we have to remain as federalists, we not only need new arguments but we need to re-convince each other (with proof) that we will be able to secure more than our courts in a Federal Government.

 

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A LETTER FROM REV. T.H. MBU-ARREY TO CARDINAL TUMI

THE WILL OF GOD FOR SOUTHERN CAMEROON AT THIS POINT IS A REFERENDUM.

Dear Cardinal TUMI,

I am writing this letter to you, hoping that the people of Southern Cameroons will be patient and for once give you and your team a benefit of doubt as you attempt to listen to the different views and opinions as you find Solution to the Southern Cameroon problem during the upcoming Meeting you have convened.

As a moral Authority in Cameroon for so many years, I do not doubt your sense of truth and Justice. I say so because I believe that, on the one hand, God wants to manifest himself to the government of Cameroun as a God of Truth and Justice. On the other hand, he is revealing himself to the People of Southern Cameroon as a God of Mercy. Truth, Justice, and Mercy are all part of the attributes of God, and he chooses how to dispense them to individuals and nations without compromising His integrity.

The people of Southern Cameroon voted in a Plebiscite to join La Republic du Cameroon in a Federal system of Government in 1961. Whether this was a right step or a mistake is not the issue here. It is a historical fact. There were terms binding the two States together in that Federation. Over the years, because of the selfishness and wickedness of one party, it was considered that the other, because she was small in size could be manipulated, marginalized and systematically assimilated into the larger part. That is why, from a Federal Republic in 1961, we mysteriously find ourselves in La Republic, the name of the bigger Party at the time of the Union.

Sir, a lot has happened in Cameroon within the last two years that are facts that are in the public for anyone to read and see for themselves. My concern is to remind you that where we are now, the government of Cameroon has lost its credibility in the sight of the people of Southern Cameroon. The inability of the government to initially dialogue with the Consortium, the torture, the arbitrary arrests, the targeted killings and the War declared on the Southern Cameroonians are a testimony to the hatred of the regime against a part of the Country she wants to make the World believe she governs. Unfortunately, this has only helped to open the eyes of the people to a point where they are all willing to die than to cowardly submit to such slavery. To add insult to injury, the regime while still pursuing its master plan of wiping out protesting Southern Cameroonians, went ahead to organize elections in this parts of the Country where they have practically chased into the bushes or out of the Country the majority of the masses. Using the plight of Southern Cameroonians to their advantage, a miserable 5% (from their own statistics) for most part made up of Soldiers and government officials gave the government Party a crushing majority in S.W. and N.W. Regions. What a shame. What moral and Political injustice. Let me also recall that the government, using the plight of the suffering displaced Southern Cameroonians, made fund raising with a target of 12 billions which was supposed to go to those who lost properties and the displaced. Now that campaigns are over and the military is well equipped to continue the burning of Villages and killing of innocent civilians, I can assure you the project has been realized.

In the face of all of these, what message do we have again as Servants of God to the people of Southern Cameroon? What message does a Pastor have for a Slave under the yoke and burden imposed on him by the Slave driver, if not to stand with him and seek his liberation. Or should we ask him to remain under the yoke of slavery and die so that God will receive his Soul. Any true man of God with a conscience in Cameroon at this moment should know that our real assignment at this moment, is to stand with the oppressed in their quest for Justice. This should be done not only by Prayer, but by proclamation as well. We should speak the truth.Nobody should be fooled, the way to true Peace in Southern Cameroon is by going back to the roots. There is injustice, craftiness, pride, and deceit buried in the root of the Union. A system and a pattern of evil by the government geared towards Suppressing and Marginalizing the Anglophones for fear that they should not grow and become a bigger threat in the future. This has manifested in different ways, at different times, in different places all over Cameroon, until lately the time of full occupation was rife. Otherwise, what can even remotely explain the fact that even English Common Law Courts were already taken over by French Civil Law Judges, and English Schools were taken over by French teachers who do not understand English. Why is it that our Bilingualism only understands the French Language and only considers the Francophones?

Some people will want us believe that we were one nation in German Cameroon before the French and English came and divided us. This is a week argument and a hypocritical attempt to escape from reality by the party that always seeks to marginalize. In German Cameroon we were more than 250 ethnic groups brought together by the  colonial power, in most of the cases against our will, to serve her own interest. We were only one in the sense that we are all created by God, whether Black or White, Jew or Gentile. God requires all men to repent and be united with Christ so that we can be one family here on Earth. Nevertheless, from the scattering of the Human race at the Tower of Babel, God permitted diversity. Every Nation (people) have a right to self-determination. The government is there to facilitate and protect this right. The government exist because of the people and not vice versa. That is why the quest for independence made sense. Now, when independence was granted for those who were colonized, lines were drawn, not by God but by the Colonial Powers. God created the Earth and He still keeps the title deed (Psalm 24:1). However, it is not God that drew the lines over Nations to demarcate them and set boundaries between one nation and the other as it presently stands. This was done by man. God just stood as a witness. The name Cameroon was given by man, and when it was given so many parts of the present Cameroon were not included. Also, when the Germans were in charge, the map was different from what it is today. So, the Union between Southern Cameroon and La Republic is a Historical fact, but not a Gospel Truth. The map of any nation on earth is not static but dynamic, depending on what God decides to do with that nation. That is why there are so many nations and Kingdoms that no longer exist today on Earth. God can decide to use His Sovereign Power as the Owner of the Earth to separate two people who do now agree to walk together (Amos 3:3). 

In view of the facts above, and taking into consideration the devastation brought upon the people of Southern Cameroon by the Government of La Republic du Cameroon, recognizing also that the will of God in this matter is for Truth and Justice to be established(reconciliation can only come after), it is my humble opinion that the next step for the Southern Cameroonians is a Referendum. This Referendum will determine whether or not Southern Cameroonians still want to continue with the Union with La Republic. Another reason why a Referendum is the solution is because the government claims that those who are advocating for Secession are a negligible minority. The Referendum then will check the veracity of that claim. Therefore, if we are to revisit the root of the problem of Cameroon as recommended by many, we must realize and recognize that the root of our problem is a Union which has not worked. It has resulted into a situation where one party, having all the Political, Judicial, Economic and Military might, with all its numerical Strength is about to wipe out the other from the face of the Earth in which only God has the title deed. If there will be any All Anglophone Conference at all (and I think we should give it a chance), the wisdom of God demands that the people of Southern Cameroon be given a chance in a REFERENDUM to determine their future. Anything short of that will be tantamount to trying to treat a serious wound lightly. 

By hook or by crook, there is a people who exist here on Earth and who see and identify themselves as English Speaking Cameroonians from the Southwestern and Northwestern Region of Cameroon (They have recently identified themselves as Ambazonians; which is also their right), the former British Colony of Southern Cameroon. These people, whose language, education, training, and values have been impacted by the British, are in a way different from those of the other part of the Country called Cameroon, who were impacted by the French. This is the difference between the Anglophone and the Francophone in Cameroon, but this is not what is bad or bringing problem. I will like our Francophone brothers to take note of this. What is bringing problem is the fact that over the years, since the two parties came together, there has been a systematic plan orchestrated by the Government and Sponsored by the French Colonial Masters, to marginalize and consequently assimilate the Anglophones thereby eliminating all that he represents in the Country. The proof is vivid in all sector of life in the Country. This is the Gospel Truth about Cameroon, and the almighty God will not allow this injustice. I love my French brothers and Sisters on the other side. I do not preach hatred and division. But I have a duty to speak the truth. I also thank God for their passion in standing to defend the truth in condemning what they see as fraud in the present Elections of October 7, 2018. This means they too have the same instinct against injustice. I only hope that they will understand and see reasons with Southern Cameroonians when they stand up to say enough is enough. 

To conclude this epistle, dear Cardinal, I will like to remind you and your Team who have offered to serve as facilitators and Moderators of this event that History and above all God, stands as your Judge. The government of Cameroon, who has only accepted this Conference reluctantly because of pressure and lack of no better alternative, will try to influence it by infiltrating with its agents to have the last say. That will be counterproductive and will lead to even more bloodshed than we are experiencing now. The People of Southern Cameroon are between Federation and Separation, and only a Referendum held in Southern Cameroon for Southern Cameroonians can be a Just bargain.

May God help the people of Southern Cameroon.

Rev. T. H. Mbu-Arrey

Fru Ndi Breaks The Silence!

Filed in By Denis Nkemlemo

Ni John Fru Ndi has accused some government ministers for invading and transforming into arm robbery, the Anglophone struggle which he has described as a genuine cause.

According to the SDF Chair, different groups of bandits have been created to terrorize and extort money from population.

« The population have suffered a lot since this struggle began and they are still suffering…you cannot be fighting to liberate a people, yet, they are the victims of human right abuses daily and injustice… » John Fru Ndi told the press as he visited Baba II, after his house was set on fire.

Ni John Fru Ndi condemned what he called intimidation and threats from purported Amba boys.

« They fired in the air thinking it will scare me. Let me tell you….I will only die, when God says so… » he said.

Ni John Fru Ndi visited Baba II, to see for himself, the rate of damage after his home was visited by arsonists.

He is also worried about the population who complain of constant threats from the armed men.

« Since these boys came to the village two months ago life has been made difficult for us. We cannot go to our farms freely. They have been beating us in the sole of our feet. They got one of our brothers who is a hunter well beaten” an inhabitant told Mimi Mefo Info.

“If you are fighting because you want to restore anglophones then you have to protect them,” Fru Ndi told Amazonian captain known as captain Die Man at his Baba 2 residence when he met with them.

Ni John Fru Ndi added that his home was attacked because he was accused of working with local authorities.

« After my arrival in Bamenda, my driver, Salifu Waziru, was shot in the ankle at the fish pond hill towards the Bamenda food market as he returned home after dropping me…I saw this as an attack on the people because this was recurrent…so I went to see the governor to warn him about the actions of the military….since these boys have their agents all over, they reported to them that I went to the governor for him to send soldiers to fight them. That night they relocated from their hide out. Next day they decided to burn my house. I’m told before burning they looted property,” Fru Ndi revealed.

The over five roomed building and property worth over 120 millions of Ni John Fru Ndi, was reduced to nothing.

« My only Joy is my green house was not touched. » Chairman Fru Ndi declared.

Construction works have begun to erect a new building at the site.

According to the chairman, spending the end of year feast in the village has been a routine and this year will not be an exception.

Speaking to press men upon returning to his Ntarinkon residence, the chairman urged the Ambazonian leaders to put the people’s interest first.

“The leadership of Ambazonia should re-orientate what they are fighting for because they cannot be fighting to restore Anglophones and the Anglophones are suffering much more from them” he said.

He called on the government whom to him has failed to address the Anglophone problem when it escalated, to take urgent measures before things get out of hand.

Ni John Fru Ndi also told the press that Biya’s victory came as a surprise.

« I don’t see Cameroonians that dump, voting for Mr Biya, talk less of the anglophone regions…it is only in Cameroon that a candidate campaigns for 22minutes and wins an election, » he added.

This is the second time the residence of the national chairman is being attacked since the crisis began in the North West and South West regions of the country. First it was an attempt to put fire at his Ntarinkon residence and now his Baba ll residence burnt to ashes.

 

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