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| Passionate Cameroonian Human Rights Defender: Christopher Tambe Tiku |
By Christopher Ambe
Christopher Tambe Tiku is a Cameroonian multi-tasker. He is a law lecturer- University of Buea (Cameroon), Board member of Elections Cameroon (ELECAM) and pioneer Southwest Regional Secretary of Cameroon Human Rights Commission, among other functions.
Smartness, outspokenness, professionalism, generosity, diligence and decency are among his traits.
He is rated as highly productive at work by his employers and loved by his service users, especially in the Southwest region of Cameroon, where he has worked for 16 years in various capacities.
But Tambe Tiku is most prominent in the field of Human Rights Protection and Promotion.
So passionate about rights issues is this mover and shaker that he is disliked by rights violators and held in high esteem by law-abiding citizens.
Tambe Tiku told Africa Excellence :“When I returned in 2003 from South Africa where I spent six years as an advocate, I found that the human rights situation in the Southwest region was dismal.I had personal challenges with respect to violation of my rights and I told myself that whatever you achieve, if there is no rule of law you can lose everything in a second; so when I had the opportunity to study in the UK,I had to make very tough decision, whether to study International Business Law, International law or International Humanitarian Law.
“Finally, I decided to study International Human Rights Law in the University of Hull,one of the most prominent universities when it comes to International Law and International Human Rights Law.”
Childhood Experience
This 55-year-old, who hails from Manyu Division, Cameroon and is noted for his elegance was nostalgic about his upbringing when Africa Excellence asked him whether his fashionable life is not a reflection of his opulence.
“Growing up, I knew the value of clothes but I didn’t have them to wear. I used a rope as a waist belt while attending Presbyterian School, Mamfe,” recalled Tambe Tiku whose parents had divorced. He said he grew up with an aunt who barely provided his school needs. “I was always sent home because of non-payment of school fees and I would go home and spend 2-3 days before the fee was paid.”
He later found out that “I was just a victim of divorce and had to live with my aunt and my brother was taken to Ekondo Titi, where my father was working to live with him.”
After passing his First School Living Certificate and visiting his father, Tambe Tiku’s living conditions improved. “Each holiday my father bought each boy in the house had four trousers, four shirts; my father was very concerned with our dressing and our hygiene, paying impromptu visits to our room and if our things were not in order we received some trashing; so I became used to cleanliness and developed a sense of organization and decency”
Elegance as a Value
Tambe Tiku holds elegance is a value and that “when you occupy a public office this is the type of representation you have to show”. He added that he’s been advising his students to dress decently.
“I tell my students that the business of law is the way you present yourself to a client. If you present yourself as a wretched man, that’s your fee will also be meager ; your dressing, the way you smell, the way you look and speak, and also the demonstration of some intelligence makes your clients comfortable with you.
“There are clients that whatever amount you request they will tell you. You hear them say, ‘Don’t worry about the amount I just want the job done’. If you are result-oriented, you start achieving and building a good reputation for yourself.”
Leisure Time
Although a workaholic, Tambe Tiku finds time for leisure. “When it comes to leisure, I make sure I keep myself very comfortable with it and when it comes to work I give it my best; that is my life”, he said. “If I want to eat I make sure I have good food; if I’m with friends I make sure we have quality wine or whisky to drink. So life is a balance.”
Hatred for Injustice
Tambe Tiku has quite some societal vices he dislikes. “What I dislike most are injustice and blackmail… I hate to see when people maltreat others. I also hate people who blackmail others and cut bridges for people to fall.”
He is against envy. “I dislike envy”, he said, noting that envious people are fond of putting road blocks for achievers to fall. “But they fail to understand one thing- that we have an overseer who is God.”
Misconceptions
Tambe Tiku admitted that people say a lot of things about him out of ignorance “People have testified that before they had a negative impression about me until when they came closer to me only to realize that I am a rights defender.
“But when people mistakenly take you for who you are not, because you have principles it is a cause for concern.
“In society, once you have attained a certain status you should be prepared to accept some minimum amount of criticisms. So once you have attained a certain level people talk about you. What is important is whether what they say what is the truth or not.”
Assisting the less-privileged
Tambe Tiku, who is a devout Presbyterian Christian, delights in assisting the underprivileged in society. He says sharing with others is a Christian value.
“It is just a practical measure, conscious that God has blessed me .When I look at other people I ask myself, “What merits do I have that they do not have?” There are people who have proven to be hard-working more than me; there are people who are more intelligent than me; people who are skilled in various fields but they are still poor. So I ask myself, “What criteria did our Lord Almighty use in putting me where I am?” After all the evaluations and analyses, he pointed out, “the only way is to be humble and share with others, for God dislikes proud and stingy people.”
The Family Man
Although a divorcee, Tambe Tiku is still very supportive to his family, especially his four children, one of them soon to defend her PhD in the UK.
“It is no secret that I am a divorcee but I am a very happy dad. I have a very special relationship with my four children,” he declared. “My children are a special gift from God and I want to also thank them for the love they have shown me over the years.”
Re-appointed SW Rights Boss
Tambe Tiku’s outspokenness and duty-consciousness as a rights activist earned him a lot of admiration from authorities and the populations of the Southwest region of Cameroon, where for years he has determinedly defended community land rights and rattled land grabbers.
When he was transferred to Yaounde as a senior official of the Cameroon Human Rights Commission, he made just a year in the new office and was on August 18, 2022 sent back to continue heading the Southwest Regional Branch Office.
“My transfer to Yaounde provoked protests-even from personalities like Southwest Governor Bernard Okala Bilai, who thought it was necessary for me to stay back and give assistance in resolving the [socio-political] conflict we are facing
“That was the more reason the Chairperson of the Cameroon Human Rights Commission decided, after intervention also from the Prime Minister, to have a meeting with me -and felt that I was too useful in the Southwest region and therefore decided to send me back here.”
Education Profile
Tambe Tiku did his primary education at Presbyterian School, Besongabang (1981 – 1986); then passed his First School Leaving Certificate at Presbyterian School, Mamfe Town; he attended Cameroon Protestant College (CPC) Bali from 1986-88, Bali where he passed the GCE Advanced Level
From 1988 – 1992, he studied in the then University of Yaoundé, obtaining a Bachelor’s degree in English Private Law.
From 2003 – 2005, he studied International Human Rights Law in the University of Hull, UK -obtaining a Master’s degree ( LLM. in International Human Rights)
Career Profile
Tambe Tiku practiced in a law firm in Lesotho (B. Sooknnan and Associate) from 1997 – 2003. From 2005 till date: Assistant Lecturer, Department of law, University of Buea; from 2006 – 2021 - Pioneer Branch Head, Cameroon Human Rights Commission (South West Branch).
Courtesy:
AFRICA EXCELLENCE magazine,Cameroon,November-December 2022
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