*Archbishop Andrew Nkea attributes their marital success to Perseverance, love and forgiveness
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| Dr and Mrs Namanga Ngongi renew Marriage vows before Archbishop Andrew Nkea at the Holy Trinity Catholic church-Bota ,Limbe |
Dr. Amos Namanga Ngongi,
aged 77 and Rebecca Ngongi renewed their marriage vows, to thunderous applause,
as the couple celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.
The vow renewal was done,
on Sunday December 18, 2022, during a crowd-pulling mass at the Holy Trinity
Catholic Church,Bota-Limbe, officiated by the Archbishop of the Bamenda
Ecclesiastic Province, His Grace Andrew
Nkea,
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| Dr and Mrs Namanga Ngongi pose for the camera |
One could hear “I
love you till death do us part”
as the spouses reaffirmed their
commitment to each other before Archbishop
Nkea who beamed and then blessed them, wishing them many more years of divine
health and happiness together.
The golden jubilee
was staged in the couple’s 52nd year in marriage because plans to
celebrate it when they actually clocked 50 in marriage had been delayed by restrictions on free movement and assembly ,provoked
by the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Namanga Ngongi is
a Cameroonian and retired senior UN official who holds a PhD in Agronomy from
Cornell University (USA), among other certificates. He served as Special Representative of the UN
Secretary-General in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and as Head of UN
Peace-keeping in DRC (from 2001-2003); worked with the World Food Program for
17 years and even became its Deputy Executive Director for seven years(1994-2001),
managing more than ten thousand workers spread in over 84 countries.
Dr. Ngongi also
served for several years as Member of the United Nations Management Board.
He retired in 2003 as a senior UN staff but
was quickly contracted as President of Alliance for Green Revolution for Africa
(AGRA), an Africa-led and Africa-based independent organization for food
security -headquartered in Kenya, where he served for five years(2007-2012).He
was member of the Board of the international Institute of Tropical
Agriculture(IITA) from 2013 to 2020 and served as Chair from 2018-2020..
The wife, Rebecca
Ngongi, with whom he has several successful children, is now a retired civil servant.
Officiating at the Golden
Jubilee Mass, His Grace Andrew Nkea said “When we are celebrating the 50th
anniversary of marriage we are celebrating the Grace of God; we are celebrating
the power of the sacrament of matrimony.”
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| Dr and Mrs Namanga Ngongi about to cut their golden jubilee cake |
The Archbishop noted
that the couple must have seen all kinds of “for better and worse” but as true
Christians held on, conscious that “better
vows unmade than vows unkept”
He said clocking 50
years and above in marriage was as a result of “perseverance, love and
forgiveness”, noting, “This golden jubilee teaches us that with God all things
are possible; that marriage is not an impossibility”
He urged all couples
having difficulties in marriage to emulate the example of Dr. and Mrs. Ngongi
and live together till death separates them
Commending the couple
for their loyalty to each other, the Archbishop prayed God to grant them many
more fruitful and healthy years together until such a time that God himself
will call them to His Kingdom.
However, he regretted
that today the rate of divorce is so high. “There is so much divorce in society because
of the lack of perseverance, love and forgiveness”, the prelate observed.
He further lamented
that today young people are quick to say “I love you but divorce sooner than
later”
The Archbishop warned
those intending to get married that it is not the proclamation but the
perseverance that makes marriage.
The Golden Jubilee party
took place at Atlantic Beach Hotel-Limbe and was chaired by Professor Dorothy
L. Njeuma, former Vice-Chancellor of University of Buea,former Rector of
University of Yaounde 1 and currently
Board member of ELECAM. At the well-attended reception, Archbishop
Andrew Nkea handed to Dr. and Mrs. Ngongi a Congratulatory Message for Golden
jubilee of Marriage from his Holiness Pope Francis.
Prof. Njeuma thanked God for enabling the
couple to live together for over 50 years and for giving the multitude of
guests and family members an opportunity to join them celebrate.
She lauded Dr.
Ngongi’s humility in spite of his enormous achievements and the leadership role
he played as diplomat not only in the area of agriculture where he served for
many years in Rome, but also as Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations
in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). She paid special tribute to Mrs.
Rebecca Ngongi for being the pillar in the house as her husband globe-trotted
serving humanity in different capacities. “Mrs. Ngongi has been the pillar that
has brought up very successful children”, Prof. Njeuma pointed out.
In his response, Dr.
Ngongi reiterated his love for the wife as the latter beamed .He particularly thanked
Archbishop Nkea for taking time off his busy schedule to grace the jubilee.
Dr. Ngongi was very
elated with the presence of some of the people who mattered during his wedding
.They included the Best man , the Master of Ceremony , the Chief Bridesmaid and
the protocol man.
“It is rare in life
to get to my age, celebrate more than 50 years of marriage and you have so many
of your friends celebrate with you”, remarked Dr. Ngongi as he acknowledged the
presence of many of his long-time friends and invoked sweet memories of their past.
Other dignitaries who
took part in the jubilee celebrations included the Mayor of Buea, David Mafani
Namange and Chief of Great Soppo, Buea,His Highness Etina Monono.
Dr. Amos Namanga
Ngongi was born in Buea in 1945
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