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| The remains of former Mayor of Buea John Mokake Endely being buried at his Residence in Buea |
By Christopher Ambe
The no-nonsense former Mayor
of Buea,John Mokake Endeley,who died on July 5,this year was last Saturday
August 24, buried at his Likoko-membea ,Buea residence following a funeral
church service, officiated by pastor, Kelly Agahowah of Winners’
Chapel International ,where the deceased was an elder.
Mokake Endeley, aged 69,
died at Baptist Health in Mutengene after a protracted illness. He was born on
February 10, 1950 at Mokunda,Buea Town,to Ursula Ngowo and Mbella Endeley.
At his funeral, his
various efforts to enhance development in Buea and improve the living
conditions of Buea denizens were variously extolled.
The funeral and burial
were also attended by a good number of dignitaries including Senator Charles
Mbella Moki.
Mokake Endeley, who was
elected Mayor of Buea in 1996 on the SDF ticket, served a five-year mandate
plus a one-year prolongation and was on several ceremonies honored with
different awards for his development drive.
He was replaced in 2002 as
mayor by Charles Mbella Moki, of the ruling CPDM.
Eulogies at the funeral,
which came from the National Chairman of the SDF Fru Ndi, Senator Charles
Mbella Moki, former SDO of Momo Division Ngale Kinge Jacob, Mayor of Buea Ekema
Patrick,and the Chief of Likoko Membea, Fende Ngeke,among others, described the
deceased as an honest, selfless and development-focused person, whose loss is highly regretted.
In his eulogy, Senator
Mbella Moki, who replaced the deceased and served as Mayor of Buea for eleven
years admitted that “we learned a lot from the deceased”, adding that his
predecessor was truthful, humble and “governed Buea with the fear of the Lord”
The SDF National chairman
Fru Ndi (who was abroad for medical attention), was represented at the funeral
by George Likiye,a NEC member, who extended the SDF party’s Condolences to the
bereaved family and Buea municipality.
Likiye, alluding to the visible
projects realized by the fallen mayor, said Mokake Endeley was a development
pillar and that “the history of Buea will not complete without reference to his
achievements.”
Likiye was corroborated by
John Efokoa,Buea SDF Vice President who
noted that Mokake Endeley “ would be
remembered as the mayor with the highest number of executed projects so far.”
Speaking for the current
Mayor of Buea Ekema Patrick -unavoidably absent, was the Secretary-General of
Buea Council,Njie Ewome,who also acknowledged that “ during his mandate, Mayor
Mokake demonstrated a mastery of local government administration” and “ knew how to blend politics and
administration to bring about the much-desired development”
He added: “We still find
today footprints of this great man through his infrastructural developments in
Buea”
For his part, Chief of
Likoko Membea,Fende Ngeke , disclosed that it was thanks to Mayor Mokake that
the village enjoys a stretch of tarred road.
Retired SDO for Momo
Division, Ngale kinge Jacob, who spoke as a SOBAN and classmate of the deceased,
described him as principled and disciplined personality.
Projects realized during
his tenure of office that attracted the
commendation of council supervisory authorities and the Buea public, include: bridges, roads,markets,
slaughter houses and meat slabs such as those at Clerks’ Quarters-Buea and Buea
Town;the laboratory building of Buea Town Health Centre. He also supported
schools and other organized communities in the municipality in different ways
Late Mokake Endeley , who was a civil servant
occupying the position of research officer at IPAR Buea before becoming Mayor of Buea , had, among
other academic qualifications, a Master’s degree in Education, from University of Ibandan.
The deceased has left
behind his mother, wife, children, two brothers, other relations, and a host of
friends, as well as a large Christian family to mourn and remember him.
The deceased was the eldest
grandchild of late Chief Gervasius Mbella Endeley, late Paramount Chief of the
Bakweris(1925-1982).
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