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| Professor Michael Yanou :Adieu |
As
Director of Dialogue in the Ministry of Higher Education, Associate Professor Michael
Akomaye Yanou was always on mission to dialogue with complaining lecturers and
or students of higher institutions of learning especially state-owned
universities.
But
little did this former President of the
Higher Education Teachers’ Syndicate, SYNES, University of Buea Chapter, and law
lecturer of same varsity ,know that Death is not always ready for dialogue.
As such, this outspoken Prof. Yanou, whose
lifeless body now lies in the Mortuary of the Regional Hospital, Buea, pending
funeral and burial arrangements, was knocked out of his dialogue/teaching
business by death, which secretly monitored him before striking him: Prof.Yanou
died in a car accident Tuesday, January 27 along the Edea-Yaounde road,
mockingly described by many critical observers as a death trap.
On mission to Buea last Thursday, January 22,
Prof.Yanou, driven by his own wife Musi Nicoline, narrowly escaped death when
their car was involved in a road accident, leaving it damaged. The couple came
out safe.
According to The Post, “He managed to get
[the car] for repair and continued his journey to Buea by public transport”
The Director cum law don, The Recorder
gathered, was coming to Buea to teach University of Buea post-graduate
students.
He is reported to have taught the students
on Friday, Saturday and Monday before embarking ,Tuesday ,on his return to
Yaounde,this time driven by his private driver(since he was still to be
assigned an official one) only to meet his sudden death ,as his car in trying
to dodge a speeding truck, somersaulted into the bush.
“I succeeded in giving passage to a truck
that appeared abruptly in front of me and actually swerved back to my lane. It
was like a dream when I realized that the car was somersaulting in the bush”,
Prof. Yanou’s driver, Joseph Ediaga, who was hospitalized for injuries by press
time), is quoted by The Post as saying.
The deceased was “hated” by some officials
of the University of Buea(UB) for
the several strikes SYNES UB Chapter (under his leadership or instigation) organized ,
pressing for improved work conditions of
lecturers .
The
University administration saw the SYNES strikes as a threat to what it
considered as the smooth functioning of the University, whereas Professor Yanou
was considered a hero by many teachers and students for always defending their rights
to decent work conditions.
It
is widely believed that, because of the deceased’s outspokenness on the
governance of the University of Buea by appointed instead of elected officials
as the text creating the University states, and his fight for lecturers’
rights, Prof. Yanou won the admiration of the Minister of Higher Education,
Prof. Jacques Fame Ndongo, who appointed the former months ago as Director of
Dialogue in the ministry, a post Prof.Yanou held until his demise.
Speaking
to The Recorder on Thursday January 29 at their near-GRA Buea residence, Prof.
Yanou’s wife,Musi Nicoline said his
husband as Director in the Ministry remained true to himself, always expressing
his views on matters of higher education without fear.
Asked if Prof. Yanou as Director ever
complained to her about any threats to his life, a heart-broken Mrs. Yanou answered in the negative, noting that “I was
not only his wife but confidant as well”
Before
becoming a law teacher at the University of Buea, the soft-spoken but critical Prof
Yanou lectured in the faculties of law of the Universities of Uyo and Calabar
in Nigeria respectively.
Prof.
Yanou who bagged his PhD from Rhodes University, South Africa, was also a
fellow of Wolfson College, Cambridge University and a practicing advocate of
the Supreme Court of Cameroon and Nigeria.
He
was not only an admirable law don but a good researcher who published articles
in learned journals.
When
the news of his death hit the university community in Cameroon, both lecturers
and students were shocked to learn of it.
Associate Professor Ernest Molua, who
disagreed often with Prof. Yanou on the approach of handling strike actions in
the University of Buea, expressed regret over the sudden death. Prof. Molua told
The Recorder, “Considering his intellectual stature and caliber this is a great loss to the university
community in Cameroon. Despite his militancy in the teachers’ syndicate, he was
still a fine teacher in Higher Education. It takes years to train somebody up
that level. His death has brought to fore the issue of lack of infrastructure
in our country, where we are losing not only poor Cameroonians but wealthy ones
and intellectuals due to road accidents, due to poor infrastructure, poor
traffic and also the lack of duty consciousness of the police. In fact, our
roads have become death traps. The death of Prof. Yanou is a big loss to the
higher education family in particular and Cameroon in general. My condolences
to his family”
According
to Prof. Victor Julius Ngoh, now Deputy Vice-Chancellor of University of
Bamenda ,who was also Deputy Vice-Chancellor of University of Buea,when
Prof.Yanou was very active in SYNES: “It is not only sad news, it is a
big loss to the Higher Education family
both an Associate Professor of Law and a director in the Ministry of
Higher Education.
“I
recalled there was a general assembly meeting of SYNES in Bamenda three weeks
or so ago and he as Director of Dialogue, representing the Ministry of higher
Education met me and we were talking about SYNES and I told him my position
about SYNES and he said ‘Prof, since 2001 when you told Dr.Fonyam and me about
your position about SYNES you still are consistent’. And I said yes.’ I have
experienced sudden deaths in my family; I know how painful this can be. It is
really sad news”
Dr.
Shu Fontem, a SYNES UB member and close friend of the deceased, described
Prof.Yanou’s demise as a huge loss not only to the higher education community
but also to the judiciary, where he played several roles such as a practicing
lawyer and consultant.
The
Recorder learned that Prof. Yanou’s students and some lawyers have since been
weeping for the irrecoverable loss.
Prof.
Yanou has left behind his wife, three children, relatives, colleagues, students
and well-wishers to mourn and remember him.
It
is worthy of note that in the last several years, road accidents have claimed
the lives of many renowned University of Buea dons such as Dr. Bate Besong, Dr.
Hilarius Ambe and Prof John Ebanja.
(First Published in The RECORDER Newspaper,Cameroon, of February 2,2015)
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