Cameroon:Late Hon. Emilia Monjowa Lifaka laid to rest in Bonjongo

Hon,Hilarion Etong, decorating posthumously the fallen Hon.Lifaka 

 By Christopher Ambe                       

 Hon. Emilia Monjowa Lifaka, MP for Fako West constituency and one of deputy speakers of Cameroon’s 180-member National Assembly, who died on April 20, 2021, was buried in her village of Bojongo in Buea Subdivision, Southwest Region.

 She died at Buea Regional Hospital, where she was hospitalized.

During her funeral at the Independence square (Bongo Square), Buea, the deceased MP was raised posthumously to the dignity of “Commander of the Cameroon Order of Valor” by the First Vice President of Cameroon’s National Assembly, Hilarion Etong, who represented the Speaker of the National Assembly, Cavaye Yeguie Djibril, at the ceremony, which was attended by thousands of mourners,coming from within and out of Cameroon.

The Archbishop of Bamenda, Andrew Nkea who was chief celebrant at the requiem at Bongo Square, revealed that he had been serving as the spiritual leader of the late Hon.Lifaka.

 “I have journeyed with Hon.Lifaka as her spiritual leader”, the Archbishop said, noting that the grave is the destiny of all humans. “For, Scriptures tell us that, we are dust and until it we shall return.”

The prelate said when Hon. Lifaka took ill, complaining of difficulty in breathing, she called “me and I prayed with her on the phone”, only to be surprised  shortly afterwards with news of her sudden death.

Nkea Andrew described the deceased MP as a committed catholic and woman of faith, who served the ruling CPDM party loyally.

“She was a politician and patriot with a difference; she was what politicians worth the salt should be”, noted the Nkea, adding that Hon.Lifaka spent all her resources to ensure her constituents were happy.”

MP.s paying last respects  to their fallen colleague ,Hon. Lifaka

The archbishop contrasted Hon.Lifaka with many Cameroonian politicians whom he likened to political scammers, noted for duping their constituents.

Nkea used the funeral to urge politicians to be common interest-driven and ensure that their love for Cameroon must be sincere.

There were seven eulogies  at the funeral ,which  came from Jacob Matike,family head;Mbawo Kenneth,son of late Hon.Lifaka;Joanna Agbor Ntui,representative of elites of Southwest region;Mrs.Ndoh Bertha, representative of CERAC whose founder is First lady Chantal Biya;the Director of Commonwealth in Cameroon’s Ministry of External Affairs who read the condolence message from the Secretary=General of the Commonwealth; former Premier Peter Mafany Musonge,leader of the CPDM Central Committee delegation  and Hilarion Etong,representative of the National Assembly Speaker, Cavaye Yeguie  Djibril,who was unavoidably absent.

In summary, the vari
ous eulogies presented the late Hon.Lifaka as a committed, resourceful, generous, God-fearing, patriotic and development-driven woman, whose death has created a huge vacuum hard to fill.

Among delegations of mourners from abroad were Mola Nathaniel Mosaso, president of Bakweri Elements Cultural and Development Association USA & North America (BECDA –USA/NA) and the association’s Cultural Director, Iya Enanga Lemeh.

“Our association is composed of all Bakwerians residing in the USA and North America. Our different activities are aimed at protecting, preserving and enhancing the Bakweri culture .Hon Lifaka was our beloved sister, mother and iconic development partner.

“BECDA-USA/NA deemed it necessary to participate in her funeral. In so doing, we are acknowledging her contributions in the accomplishments of Bakweri people”, Mola Nathaniel Mosaso told this reporter at the funeral ceremony at Bongo Square.

 

Nathaniel Mosaso,president of   BECDA-USA/NA and  Iya Enanga Lemeh 

                   How Hon.Lifaka will be remembered

 Emilia Monjowa Lifaka he became an MP since 2002 until her death: she was MP for 19 years.

Before becoming MP,she was director of state-owned Intensive Vocational Training Center for Office Employees(IVTC),Buea

Hon Lifaka, looked healthy and cheerful on Saturday April 17, 2021 at Mountain Hotel Buea where she hosted a sumptuous party to celebrate her 62^nd birth anniversary; little did she know it would turn out to be her farewell party.

She was elected Deputy Speaker of National Assembly since 2009. But before ascending to the rank of deputy speaker, Hon Lifaka was Vice-President of the ruling CPDM Parliamentary Group and National Coordinator of Cameron’s female MP’s.

A native of Bonjongo in Fako and mother of two, Lifaka was considered by Fako chiefs and elites, and her constituents as a duty-conscious, committed and development-focused MP

The deceased MP, noted for her gorgeous dressing, carried out development projects aimed at empowering constituents- especially rural women and school children

  Socio-economic Works

The late MP was frequently in touch with her base; made material and financial donations to needy schools and other groups in her constituency;  supplied  farm equipment and seedlings to women; sponsored some underprivileged but deserving  children  in schools and vocational training centers.

 For example, in 2008 she paid tuition fees for 25 female children at the Buea Women’s Empowerment Center and did same for same number children in subsequent years,

In 2016, Hon.Lifaka offered scholarship worth about seven million Fcfa to thirty-six (36) underprivileged youths from her constituency to undergo training in different trade areas at Cameroon Opportunities Industrialization Center (COIC) Buea. In In September 2010, Hon.Lifaka donated 100 plastic chairs and FCFA 500,000 to the Southwest Chief Conference to help them equip their secretariat in Buea, whose conference had inadequate seats and other office equipment.

She was hailed for what many of her constituents likened to her transparent use of parliamentary micro-project grants.

Lifaka as Peace Advocate

The deceased who was also leader of the CPDM Central Committee to Fako Division, was a peace advocate. She often used party events to reiterate President Biya’s appeal to separatist fighters to lay down their arms for the sake of peace and unity.  For instance, in 2019 in Buea at the 37^th anniversary of President Paul Biya’s ascension to power in Cameroon, she made this appeal to separatist fighters:

““My children in the bushes, I am speaking to you like your own mother…

“The government has heard and noted your worries; please leave the bushes and return to the comfort of your homes, because there is no other better place like home.

 “Please don’t terrorize your own mothers. Today mothers are even scared to go to their farms, markets or to do anything. Our children are now school drop-outs. You cannot build a community without educated people.”

Friendly to Constituents

Hon Lifaka was conscious that her rise to political prominence was largely dependent on her constituents. As such she made it a tradition after electoral victories, to go back and say “Thank You” in various forms, to her electorate.

The Politician at Work

 Hon. Lifaka was a substantive member of the Central Committee of the ruling CPDM. In 2007, she became a parliamentary group leader. In 2009, she was elected deputy speaker the National Assembly, a position she held till her demise.

In her 19-year duration in parliament, other positions she held included:  of member of Finance and the Budget Committee and Constitutional Laws Committee; member of Good Governance Committee.  She also represented the legislative chamber at the then National Commission for Human Rights and Freedom; represented the National Assembly in the National Decentralization Council from 2007 to 2014.

Her Commonwealth Prominence

Hon Lifaka since 2017 to her demise was voted chairperson of the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, CPA. (She was first African to occupy the chairmanship).

She once served as CPA Executive Committee Regional Representative for West Africa Sub-region.

In 2014, when Cameroon hosted the CPA 60th parliamentary Conference, Hon. Lifaka was Conference Coordinator.

Educational Qualifications

She was an MBA student in Human Resource Management at Anglia Ruskin University in the United Kingdom.

Hon.Lifaka had a diploma in Secretarial and Business Studies, from Crown Secretarial and Business Studies College, London; had a diploma in Administrative Management from University of Maryland Eastern Shore USA.

State Honours

While alive she received honors from State of Cameroon: Knight of the Cameroon Order of Valour, Officer of the Cameroon National Order of Merit, and Knight of the National Order of Valour.

Buea: FOWEC-CAM urges Pupils to embark on creativity

Yuven Juliana, Director of FOWEC-CAM addressing pupils of Morning Dew School

By Christopher Ambe

Pupils of Morning Due Nursery and Primary School, Sandpit Buea, have been urged to be creative and develop their talents in order to increase their chances of success in life.

The call was made by Yuven Juliana, Director of Footsteps for Women and Children –Cameroon (FOWEC-CAM) on April 21 on the occasion of World Creativity and Innovation Day.

 The day, celebrated every April 21, was designated by the United Nations, to raise awareness on the role of creativity and innovation in all aspects of human development.

FOWEC-CAM is a Buea-based non-governmental organization, whose motto is “Taking Education to the Needy and Transforming lives.”

Addressing the pupils on campus,  Yuven Juliana  said everybody has talents, adding that “we need to do is to discover and develop them”

“Whatever talent you have, please use it very well. Endeavor to be creative and innovative. We all have the potentials to be great achievers.

“Creativity leads to wealth and job creation. If you develop your talents you can create jobs for yourselves and for others”, said the director of FOWEC-CAM to the pupils, who excitedly watched the performances of their school mates in various extra-curricular activities that animated the day.

 FOWEC-CAM officials awarding gifts to pupils of Morning Dew School

The pupils, under the supervision of their teachers, performed activities such as cultural dances, fashion parade, poem recitation, drama, drawing/art and craft and wrestling.

 FOWEC-CAM appreciated the activities of the pupils by awarding prizes to them.

The head master of Morning Due Nursery and Primary School, Mr. Leke Marcellus, expressed happiness that FOWEC-CAM chose his school for the celebration of the World Creativity and Innovation Day.

He noted that his school is educating and preparing children to be instrumental not only in their own development but also that of society as a whole.

 

Mobile money operator under investigation for money transfer to separatist fighter.

By Joe Tanji

 In a country where unemployment is so rife, getting employed is a herculean task. In Cameroon, for instance, where unemployment is high many university graduates are now resorting to telephone call box and mobile money transfer business for survival.

Before now many had thought this business was suitable for college dropouts or the less educated.

 The mobile money business is supposed to relieve their operators from financial stress, but many of them in the two restive English-speaking Northwest and Southwest regions of Cameroon have, since the eruption of the Anglophone Crisis in late 2016, sent remittances to criminal suspects, subjecting them to arrests and judicial investigations.

Fresh reports said a certain Sirene Nwani – a Cameroonian university graduate who was eking out a living from the mobile money business was   arrested, late April 2021, in Buea for allegedly sending an undisclosed amount of money to a separatist leader.

The Cameroon government has accused mobile money dealers of facilitating the funding of separatist activities in the country, reiterating the criminal consequences   that would befall those implicated.

When contacted, Barrister Fombon Jerry, counsel for the accused Sirene Nwani, said

 “We are doing everything  legally possible to ensure her release…because we are convinced that she could not have knowingly carried out the purported transfer of money to a separatist ….”

Although the arrested suspect was born in May 1998 in Bali Kumbat, Northwest region of Cameroon, she did her secondary education in Tiko and proceeded to Buea for her post-secondary education before gaining admission into the University of Buea in 2016.

It would be recalled that when separatist fighters had attempted to disrupt the smooth functioning of the University of Buea in the heat of the Anglophone crisis, by kidnapping lecturers and students, Cameroon forces of law and order raided neighborhoods near the university believed to be hideouts for separatist fighters and suspects who included students like Sirene Nwani   and they were reportedly rough-handled, detained and later released following the interventions of their lawyers.

That encounter with the brutality of security forces is said to have traumatized Nwani who was reportedly still being monitored by security agents.

 With the escalation of the Anglophone crisis, security agents have been working round the clock to identify mobile money kiosks that transfer money to separatist leaders.

And it was during such investigations that Sirene Nwani was identified by security agents and whisked off for sending money to separatists, whom the Cameroon government has tagged as terrorists, threatening the unity of the country.

President Paul Biya, who has ruled Cameroon since 1982, has insisted Cameroon is “one and indivisible” and has likened the separatists to terrorists whom he promised to neutralize

 

 

 

Cameroon:Tiko IDPs Receive Assistance from “Reaching Out International”

Tiko IDPs receiving gifts from Reaching Out International

By Christopher Ambe

Over 40 Internally Displaced People (IDPs), in the morning of Sunday March 21, at the Holt Forth Field, Tiko benefitted from the generosity of Reaching Out International, a philanthropic group of Cameroonians in the diaspora.

The beneficiaries, who included men, women and school children, smiled home with gifts such as food stuff/items, farm tools, seedlings, mattresses and cash, estimated to cost over one million Fcfa.

The brain behind “Reaching Out International is Enowmpey Besong, a Cameroonian resident in France,who said he thought they could not sit back and fold their arms while many Cameroonians were suffering back home as a consequence of the ongoing Anglophone crisis, which erupted in  2016 and has resulted in the deaths of thousands of people and hundreds of thousands of others internally displaced.

Mr. Enowmpey, who grew up in Tiko, had persuaded his friends who chipped in their widow’s might so that the donation to the IDPs could be possible.

Presiding at the ceremony, Nchamukong Stanley Babila (friend of Mr. Enowmpey), lauded Reaching Out International for the concern they have for suffering Cameroonians. He advised the beneficiaries, who were some of the most desperate IDPs in Tiko,to be thankful to God and remain ever hopeful for  brighter days .

He advised them to share whatever food stuff they received with any other IDP who could approach them. Nothing is too small to share, Mr. Babila remarked.

According to Miss Ebaisem, out of the forty-four(44) beneficiaries,33 received food stuff and material things while eleven (11) who were school children received school fees.

Tiko IDP woman publicly thanking God for the gift of mattress she received

The beneficiaries were all thankful to the donors.

“Everybody here is happy with what they have received. I received a bag of rice and other food items. God should continue to bless the donor”, said Ashwembom Syndy Bright, student of Sure Foundation Comprehensive college, Tiko,who fled from Muyuka.

One woman, who received a mattress, was in tears of joy.She was particularly thankful to the donors, regretting that her own family seemed to have abandoned her at a time she needed their support most.

The donations included: thirty bags of rice, two cartons of soap, three cartons of groundnut oil; five cartons of tomatoes, two cartons of Maggi, farm tools and seedlings, as well as five mattresses.

Buea Council honored for development efforts

Buea Mayor  David Mafani Namange displaying awards 

By Christopher Ambe

Buea Council, under the able leadership of Lord Mayor David Mafani Namange, has been honored for its sustained development efforts in the municipality.

The council was honored recently in Yaoundé   during an award-giving ceremony organized by Go-Africa Initiative Cameroon (GAICAM).

Go-Africa Initiative Cameroon is a Yaoundé-based NGO, aimed at transforming lives and promoting growth in Cameroon and Africa at large.

Buea Council was awarded the “CAMEROON HEROES -GAICAM IMPACT AWARD 2020” for impacting on the lives of Buea residents.

“You are indeed a remarkable Cameroon Hero!” reads an inscription on the certificate of recognition awarded to Buea Council.  The certificate was accompanied by a hero’s trophy.

GO-AFRICA INITIATIVE CAMEROON commended Buea Council for its remarkable “contributions to the Growth and Development of our Fatherland (Cameroon).”

The Lord Mayor of Buea has gladly dedicated this award to the peace-loving denizens of Buea for their collaboration with and support to the leadership of Council towards realizing its development objectives.

The Cameroon Heroes-Gaicam Impact Award encourages participation in national growth and promotes the spirit of patriotism among Cameroonians.

 Since assuming the mayoral office in February 2020, Mayor David Mafani’s development drive has been commended by residents of the municipality.

Among other achievements, Buea Council has been at the forefront in the fight against spread Corona virus /COVID-19 pandemic. The mayor has embarked on restoring urban disorder in Buea and promoting hygiene and sanitation.

 The Council too is busy constructing boreholes in several quarters in Buea, to the minimize the negative impact of the on-going water crisis residents of the Southwest regional capital have been facing for several years.

 

 

 

 

Cameroon-SW Governor Reinforces Anti-COVID-19 Campaign in Buea

Southwest Governor Bernard Okalai Bilai distributing face masks

 By Sheron Tita

The governor of the Southwest(SW) region, Bernard Okalia Bilai ,on March 17, 2021, embarked on a one-day sensitization campaign within the Buea municipality, urging the strict application of anti-covid-19 measures adopted by Cameroon government, amid reports that cases of the  pandemic  are on the rise again.

The governor was accompanied by the Mayor of Buea, David Mafani Namange and regional delegates of the region.

The sensitization exercise, which started at the Mile 17 motor park in Buea, ended at the Taxation office.

The governor made four strategic stops- at Mile 17 Motor park, Lycee  Bilingue,Molyko, OIC market and Clerks quarters-and at each stop distributed face masks to  residents.

Emphasizing on the need for  face mask , Governor Bilai  urged   everyone to henceforth  wear  face mask  before visiting  public places.

He regretted that inhabitants of the Buea Municipality were living as though there was no corona virus.

At the OIC market and Buea Motor Park, the governor and his team were taken aback   that people who had the face masks only started putting them on when they saw the sensitizers.

He advised taxi drivers to make wearing of face masks a precondition for passengers to board their taxis

 In an interview with reporters Governor Bilai noted, “To wear the mask is not to please the authorities; but it is to protect their own health and by doing so they protect the other people”.  

Buea residents were advised not only to wear face masks but to tell other people to do same.

 “If I am wearing a mask and you are not wearing you become a danger to me; so let's wear the mask particularly when we are in the public as the Covid-19 for this year is more dangerous than that of last year,” the governor cautioned.

For his part, the Mayor of Buea, David Mafani Namange told reporters that, his council will soon intensify the campaign in order to make people know that the danger is real. He said he will make provision for wash-hand points in public area with detergents and will be putting Covid19 sensitization banners in the days ahead in order to prevent the spread of the deadly disease.

Warned the mayor: “Vehicles - taxis and private cars that are found on the road with people without face masks are going to impounded.   The first fine will be payment of 50,000 FRS for impoundment and as each day passes an additional 3000 FRS.”

 Many residents said that, for the governor to lead the sensitization campaign    was indicative of the seriousness of the pandemic.

At Clerks Quarters, residents were shocked when a mentally sick girl joined the mayor in urging   vendors at Clerks Quarters to always put on their masks for their safety.

Anglophone Crisis: Cameroon Parliament should act now

. By Dr. Namanga Ngongi *

Dr. Namanga Ngongi

The month of February dashed all expectations that there would soon be a respite from the pain experienced by the population of the North West and South West Regions in January over the multiple killings of civilians and soldiers. 

War is brutal but the images of the brutal torture of a civilian in Ndu by elements of the armed forces where shocking. It was not so much the cries of the victim but the pleasure that some of the soldiers seemed to derive from their action.

The Government acknowledged responsibility and arrested those involved. We await the verdict. 

The 11th of February should have been a happy day, the 60th anniversary of the plebiscite that determined the future of Southern Cameroons, but a photo of a roasted baby was diffused in the social media. The blame game went into high gear, no one accepted responsibility for the fire. Three chiefs were abducted and killed in Lebialem.

 Of course there was a huge outcry and renewed out pouring of grief. Mutual accusations continued. As February drew to a close, news of major fighting and death of civilians and military emerged from Kumbo and Bali.

 In all of these happenings, it was the youths, both civilian and military who were brutally affected. The conflict is now in its fifth year but it does not seem to be any closer to a solution. Appeals have been made by the population, the clergy and the international community but to no avail. Mothers have organized several gatherings for mass weeping and have pleaded to their children to come out of the bushes and for the government to end the war but these cries have also seemingly fallen on deaf ears.

 The social media, newspapers and television stations have discussed the Anglophone crisis ad nauseam, offering in the course of time many plausible paths to a solution but the killing goes on. Despite the persistent calls for the Government and secessionists to work out a solution and stop the war this has not happened

. It may be because a very important segment of national decision making has not been fully engaged in this process, the Parliament. Cameroon has a Parliament/National Assembly that has three principal functions: scrutinize legislation, oversee government action and interact with the public

. These are important roles. The North West and South West Regions have 35 members of Parliament out of the 180 and 20 Senators out of 100. Representatives from the North West and South West Regions have a responsibility to convey to the National Assembly the feelings of the people in the two regions and work with the other representatives to find solutions to the current crisis but there has not been a formal debate on the crisis in Parliament. 

There have been statements and questions from a few Parliamentarians but these have not been well received by the leadership. The few who have attempted to formally introduce discussion of the crisis in Parliament and convey the pain being felt by the population, are hushed down and have had to muster extra-ordinary courage to hold their ground. 

We saw that in the case of Hon. Joseph Wirba, former Member of Parliament from Bui and before him, Hon. Ayah Paul from Akwaya. The images seen on television and the social media are not flattering. Parliament seems to have largely abdicated its role as the repository of sovereignty of the country. 

 To have ignored the Anglophone crisis for this long, except to express support for the actions of government and the recent memorandum of protestation against foreign interference signed by some 60 parliamentarians, does not in any way enhance the credibility of the institution, especially in the eyes of the population of the North West and South West Regions. Among the key roles of any Parliament is the responsibility to hold governments accountable.

 Accountability is not limited to examining government reports on successes and achievements but also to question failures. Even the most ardent supporters of the government cannot in good conscience deny the fact that a serious problem of governance has led to the current situation in the North West and South West Regions of the country. 

These need to be discussed and such a discussion can start in Parliament. Parliament has the responsibility to question the government and hold it accountable for the management of the Anglophone crisis. The earlier this is done the sooner we can expect to live in peace once again. Parliament’s discussion should not be considered a reprimand but an encouragement for the Government to reflect and do what is right. At a minimum, Parliament should have a formal debate on the crisis. At the end of such debate a resolution could be adopted with a view to encouraging the Government and Ambazonia leaders to meet, discuss and agree on a peace settlement.

 Even a non-binding resolution would be to the credit of Parliament. It is not honourable for Honourable Members of Parliament to remain seemingly deaf, blindfolded and mute over the most critical problem faced by the country since unification. 

Most rural based Parliamentarians from the North West and South West Regions are not able to reside within their constituencies. They have themselves become internally displaced. How do they then render services to the people they are supposed to represent? The next parliamentary session has been called for the 11th of March. 

This is an opportunity for Parliament to take on this important issue in the life of the country, discuss it and propose a path to a peaceful solution. Ideally, such a resolution should be tabled by Parliamentarians from the North West and South West Regions but that is not absolutely necessary. Other Regions of the country, especially the West, Littoral and Center Regions are also affected by the Anglophone crisis through the inflow of IDPs and the additional pressure on their already fragile social infrastructure

. The overall disruption of economic activity in the two Regions has had a negative impact on the national economy as resources that could have been used to improve living conditions of Cameroonians throughout the country are now diverted for military use. It is therefore in the interest of all Cameroonians that this conflict be brought to an end.

 The people as a whole should make it known to their Parliamentarians throughout the country that they should do what they were elected to do, hold the government accountable and propose a way forward. As representatives of the people, Parliamentarians should have some degree of moral authority over the secessionists. 

They should appeal to them on behalf of the suffering population and request that a mediated inclusive dialogue without preconditions be given a chance. Parliamentarians should demonstrate that they represent all the people in their constituencies.

 The population is in dire need of peace and Parliamentarians can contribute positively by encouraging discussions between the Government and secessionists. Such action on the part of the peoples’ representatives would generate some degree of hope, faith and confidence in the population. A military solution to a sociopolitical problem is not really a solution.

 The concerns that led to the crisis cannot be solved by bullets, torture, kidnapping or the burning of houses. A peaceful solution to the crisis, starting with a ceasefire, is urgently needed. It is important that Parliament takes action now. 

The longer the crisis lasts the more splinter groups will emerge. This will make it more difficult to reach a peace agreement. Should the Government and Ambazonia leadership pay heed to calls from the representatives of the people, there is a good chance that peace could be restored to the country before the 60th anniversary of unification. Parliament, having initiated action could then establish follow-up Committees to keep members regularly informed on progress being made in the implementation of a peace agreement.

 It is not reasonable nor is it honourable for the representatives of the people to ignore, for so long, this crisis that has caused so much destruction, destabilization, death and pain in the restive North West and South West Regions. Parliament should act and should act now before the situation gets to the point of no return.

 *Dr. Namanga Ngongi is a retired Under-Secretary General, Special Representative the Secretary General of the United Nations to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Head of the Peace Keeping Mission (MONUC).

MEDICARE DIAGNOSTIC CENTRE, Buea Launches Sensitization Campaign on Blood Group & COVID-19 Response.

 

MEDICARE testing for Blood Group

By Christopher Ambe

 MEDICARE Diagnostic Centre (MDC), a stand-alone clinical laboratory in Buea, capital of Southwest region of Cameroon, has launched a public sensitization campaign on blood group and COVID-19 response.

According to Edwin Achimbom Minang, Director of MDC and who is a medical laboratory scientist (chemical pathology), the sensation campaign is free and the public is urged to take advantage of the opportunity.

MDC has been operating in Buea for the past two decades.

The laboratory basically operates in the diagnosis of Common Tropical Diseases (CTDs), the Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), Organ Function Tests, and employs the science in Hematology, Serology, Microbiology (Parasitology/ Mycology) & Chemical Pathology   to achieve its goals.

According to MDC,“The ABO grouping is a test performed to determine an individual’s blood type.”

With the present Corona Virus Disease-2019(COVID 19), it argues, “ it is important to understand the relationship between the ABO Blood Group and the COVID 19 susceptibility”

In a study that compared the ABO Blood group distribution in 2,173 patients with COVID 19 confirmed by SARS-CO-2 test from 3 hospitals in Wuhan and Shenzen in China, with that in normal individuals from the corresponding regions, the results showed that blood group A was associated with a higher risk for acquiring COVID-19 compared with non-A blood groups, whereas blood group O was associated with a lower risk for the infection compared with non-O blood Groups.

 The  Centre officials say  that ,Blood type may play a very important role in driving the severity among corona virus COVID -19 patients. Genetic studies (analysis) of COVID 19 patients have shown that people with blood type O seemed to be protected against severe stage of the disease. In contrast those with blood type A may experience complications linked with the viral infection-Associated Respiratory Failure (ARF).

Summarily, people with blood type A seem to be at a particular high risk of a severe course of COVID-19. They might be twice as likely to need an oxygen support supply or ventilation in the event of a corona virus infection as people with blood type 0.Eventhough the blood type 0 people are not protected against an infection with the virus, studies show they have the lowest risk of having a severe(complicated) case of the disease.

Ultimately, the outcome of the studies relating COVID- 19 and blood type may help in developing various drug treatments. Researchers have used similar approaches when searching for medications to fight other diseases. In the case of malaria, scientists have established a link between the disease and different blood types. For example, it is now known that people with blood type O very rarely develop severe malaria and are very-well protected against its most severe form.

The expected accomplishment of the campaign, according to the Center Director, are:

 -To ensure that people living within the Fako Division should have a better awareness on their Blood Group type and are delivered a Blood Group Identification Card.

-Making it possible that people within Fako Division can tell their blood group whenever need arises whether in critical health situations or when to save a life through blood transfusion.

-For a better and quicker response on their Health Care.

-To increase collaboration between Government, Private Sector and the Civil Society in Health Care and particularly the Covid-19 response.

(For more info about Medicare Diagnostic Centre, Contact Tel:(00237) 677932172, Email: medstic@gmail.com)

 

Cameroon: Taku Catherine Bags PhD in African Literature

Taku Catherine A. Ogork talks to the press after PhD defense

 

By Christopher Ambe

Teacher and author of children’s books, Taku Catherine Arrey-Ngang epse Ogork , Saturday February 6, joined the prestigious club of PhD holders, after brilliantly defending a thesis, which reveals that, men just like women are victims of gender-based violence .

But these (African) men, the work points out, are reluctant to report or make public the violence against them by women.

The defense of the thesis, titled “Gender-based violence in Post-Colonial Africa: An Intermedia Perspective” took place in the Board Room of the Faculty of Arts, University of Buea.

Taku Catherine’s successful defense   qualified her for the   award of a PhD in African Literature.

The five- member defense jury that assessed and approved   the research work for the PhD award   was chaired by Professsor Emmanuel Yenshu of the University of Buea.

 Other members were: Professor Kashim I. Tala(as internal examiner),Professor Eunice Ngongkum  from Yaounde ( External Examiner),Professor Nol Alembong of University of Buea (as supervisor) and Associate Professor Charles Teke of University of Buea (co-supervisor).

The research work, which took the candidate close to five years to complete, portrays that both men and women suffer violence, contrary to the   belief that it is women who are victims of gender-based violence.

According to the work, quite a significant number of men are victims of gender-violence but their situations are rarely brought to the light (even by the men themselves).

Before recommending the candidate for the PHD award, the Prof Yenshu-led jury was unanimous that Taku Catherine’s work was quite interesting and a worthwhile contribution to science. The jury admitted that claims in the work were founded, her approach excellent, the thesis clearly focused and organized.

Taku Catherine, in her work, advised that men should report cases of violence against them.

 “It is only by reporting violence against them (men) by themselves that solutions can easily be found.

“We should start training males and females as early as when they are still toddlers to know that, no sex are greater than the other. If boys are trained to respect girls I think violence will greatly reduce,” Taku   Catherine noted.

She also advised that when victims of violence report cases to authorities for remedy the latter should take it seriously.

Taku Catherine   observed that, there is a lot of violence in society.

“But what actually pushed me to work on this topic was a scene that I witnessed in which a wife actually packed her husband’s things and threw them out of the house; and the man came around for two days consecutively begging his wife; but what touched me more was the fact that, no one in society talked about it-because it was a woman in this case.

“I realized that men are going through a lot of tough times and someone needs to talk about it”.

The work, the jury agreed, would also let the public know that men are victims of gender-based violence, most of who are suffering in silence.

Taku Catherine Arrey gang, who is the Chief of Center for Teachers’ Resource Center in Buea, is the wife   of Dr. Bessong Ntui Ogork, General Manager   of Southwest Development Authority (SOWEDA),Buea , who  among other dignitaries, witnessed her spouse’s defense. She is also president of Manyu Women’s Association (MOHWA),Buea

Taku Catherine has authored several Children’s books and plans to publish her research work so to reach a significant section of the public with it.

ANGLOPHONE CRISIS: NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE

A mediated, inclusive dialogue without preconditions is needed.

Dr. Namanga Ngongi

By  Dr. Namanga Ngongi*

Most Cameroonians had expected that the terrible happenings of 2020 would be left behind and we would start a new year with renewed hope and expectations that peace would be restored in 2021. 

Last January, a convoy returning from the installation of a Divisional Officer fell into an ambush and five Cameroonians lost their lives, four military and a young lady, Mrs. Liwusi Jeme Musonge, the Divisional Delegate of Communications, Momo Division. There was an outburst of calls from political, religious and traditional authorities and from the population at large for peace to return to the Country. 

There was genuine pain in Buea, home town of Mrs. Rebecca Liwusi Jeme Musonge. She had spent Christmas with family in Buea and returned to work only a few days before the bomb explosion. As we mourned her in Buea so did the families of the four young soldiers.

The incident in Momo was followed by the killing of a plantation Manager in Lobe, Ndian Division, an attack on a petrol tanker that led to the loss of three Cameroonians and an atrocious incident that occurred in Mautu village, near Buea in Fako Division in which 10 innocent villagers including women and children were slaughtered. To crown the killings for the month, four young boys were killed in Bamenda for being found in an uncompleted building. How much cheaper can human life get?

At the end of the homily of the Pastor who officiated at the funeral service for Mrs. Rebecca Liwusi Jeme Musonge, he made the following statement: “there is no peace without justice”. I am sure most people do understand what he said. 

If injustice is at the base of the lack of peace in Cameroon then we should focus our attention on identifying the cases of injustice and work on resolving them. This would require the complainants (Secessionists) and the accused (Government) to meet and agree on the specific complaints and work out solutions. This approach is called for given that the Head of State had acknowledged that some of the stated concerns (unspecified) expressed by Ambazonians were valid. To have justice there must be honesty and to have honesty there must be a sense of integrity and courage.

Decades and centuries from now, these killings and slaughter will be cast as part of nation building but for now the people affected can only feel pain and betrayal. Pain for the dead, the wounded, the displaced and refugees and the many millions who have lost their livelihoods.

 Pain also as they see those profiting from the conflict moving around calling for a peace they do not want, a peace that will put an end to their sources of illegitimate wealth. 

The path to peace is clear but we do not seem to see it or want to see it. Cameroon needs a mediated, inclusive dialogue without preconditions. This will be facilitated by a ceasefire declared by Government and respected by the Ambazonia leadership. Release of imprisoned Ambazonia leaders and appointment of an independent mediator will enhance the chances of a positive outcome. This is not so difficult if there is political will and courage to restore peace.

Cameroon hosted the Secretary of State of the Vatican, His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin, from 28^th January to 3^rd February. He was here officially to place the Pallium on the shoulders of His Grace, Archbishop Andrew Nkea of the Bamenda Ecclesiastical Province. By any standards, the ceremony was a great success. The Archbishop and the Cardinal deplored the suffering of people in the North West and South West Regions and called for peace to be restored. 

The Papal Envoy called for dialogue, peace and justice and in Yaounde he said peace depended on prayer, hope, faith and actions of man. It would appear that prayer, hope and faith being not so visible are difficult to measure while the actions of man can be measured but so far these have centered on the prosecution of the war, calls for surrender, organization of a non-inclusive Grand National Dialogue and an unorthodox DDR but peace seems to be far off in the horizon.

The Vatican does not normally get directly involved in conflict resolution except when protagonists in a conflict have turned deaf ears on the cries of populations and attempts by the international community to broker peace. The Vatican has no army and no vote on the Security Council with which to enforce its views. The Vatican on the contrary has very strong moral authority. 

The Vatican’s Secretary of State will report to His Holiness Pope Francis on the outcome of discussions held with High Officials during his visit to Cameroon and will keep the big powers informed. I do believe he left behind a follow-up mechanism to ensure that his efforts would yield fruit. It will be clear in a few months whether or not the visit of Cardinal Pietro Parolin had any influence on the Anglophone sociopolitical crisis.

The window of opportunity for a locally driven solution is narrowing. The Security Council and the international community cannot sit, arms folded, five years into a conflict that has led to over five thousand deaths, a million displaced and the loss of sources of livelihood for millions more. 

The Security Council and the international community are likely to initiate consideration of measures that would encourage or constrain the protagonists to sit around a dialogue table. Knowing the hardships associated with an externally driven scenario, I would encourage the Government and Ambazonia leaders to agree on a mediated process as soon as possible. The war has already dragged on for too long. Everything should be done for peace to be restored.

Five years into a war, even erstwhile friends start to worry about its utility. Hunger spreads and weakens the spirits of the population. Access to services declines and people lose their lives for minor illnesses. The grip of hopelessness on the population would make it even more difficult to engage in socioeconomic development efforts when the war ends. When children in villages start producing toy guns and killer helicopters, we should be worried because the trauma of war and death will remain with them for a very long time.

 The general sense of frustration of youths in the North West and South West Regions due to the derailment of their education, and especially so for girls; the very high rate of unemployment, harassment, arrest and extra-judicial killings should come to an end and be replaced by hope and faith in a future that is commensurate with the developmental potentials of the country. Concrete actions that will generate hope, build faith and incite enthusiasm in youths are awaited.

As I conclude this article, today the 11^th of February, 2021, the 60^th anniversary of the plebiscite to determine the modality for independence of Southern Cameroons, I feel very sad. I remember the great expectation with which my father waited for the counting of votes and declaration of the result.

 A general climate of peace prevailed despite the two diametrically opposed choices: independence by joining with the Republic of Cameroon or independence by integration with Nigeria. The campaign had been noisy and dire warnings had been pronounced by political leaders on the consequences that awaited the Southern Cameroons if it chose one option or the other. 

When the Biafra war broke out people in the former Southern Cameroons rejoiced that they had been spared the pain of that war. Little did we know that our turn to weep lay ahead of us and that the prophetic words of Dr.  Emmanuel Mbella Lififa Endeley, former Premier of Southern Cameroons, would come to pass. We should now work towards redressing the fears he raised.

A span of life of sixty years is a long time for a human being but not so long for a country. However, it is long enough to recognize that mistakes have been made in our nation building effort. 

We need to recognize, discuss and reach agreement on solutions, not necessarily perfect solutions but those with which we can live. Not to strive to find a peaceful solution is worse than the mistakes themselves. A Government that admits to the existence of mistakes, especially when many of them were inherited from a previous leadership, ends up being strengthened, not weakened.

 A lot of energy and financial resources are being spent on humanitarian assistance in support of displaced families and on ceremonies to honour and bury the war dead. The best form of assistance to IDPs would be to end the war so families can pick up the pieces and restart their lives and the best way to honour the war dead is to stop the killing. 

A mediated inclusive dialogue without preconditions should be convened and peace restored before the 60^th anniversary of Cameroon’s unification. This is urgent. Now is the time for peace!

*Dr. Namanga Ngongi is a retired former Senior Official of the United Nations.