Politics

The uproar caused by a swarm of mysterious bees at Government High School (GHS) Buea Town in the Southwest Region of Cameroon has been raising eye brows in the Region.

The mystical incident came hours after an inexplicable fire gut GHS Bonadikumbo still in Fako Division and razed the GCE examination papers in that college.

Tongues are already wagging that the tragedies are a pointer to the fact that Anglophones are unhappy with the way Government is coercing them to send their children to school to sit for an exam they did not prepare for, given that they have been out of school for over five months, after their teachers downed their tools in protest.

Some people equally think that the mysterious incidents may be intended to teach some administrators like South West Governor, Bernard Okalia Bilai, a lesson on how to choose their words in public.

Governor Okalia Bilai had on May 8, taunted the Chiefs of Fako by questioning them why they cannot use their juju and witchcrafts to stop those he claimed were disturbing their children from going to school.

According to him, the Chiefs are only quick to use their ‘juju’ on administrators and civil servants who grab their land. The May 8 taunting was similar to that he gave to Chiefs of the West Coast, during his visit to Limbe.

He had told the Chiefs to use their dreaded Malaye and Nganya dance to fight against Ghost Town.

However, many think that the mysterious fire incident at GHS Bonadikumbo and the bees at GHS Buea Town are meant to tell the Governor that traditional rulers, who once played a pivotal role in the decision making process in Southern Cameroons through the West Cameroon House of Chiefs, will use their jujus and witchcrafts to fight against annexation, which they have been subjected to.

The case of GBHS Nguti

Both the GHS Bonadikumbo and Buea Town incident happened barley a week after Governor Okalia Bilai referred to the teachers of GBHS Nguti as terrorists and accused them of burning down the school.

But the Divisional Delegate of Nguti, told the Minister of Secondary Education during a working visit to the South West Region that students who were not coming to school suddenly appeared on campus in their numbers when it was announced that the Mock Exams were to begin.

“The Principal was happy that students are finally in school, but the students rallied themselves and marched towards the Principal’s Office and set it on fire, together with the mock examination question papers,” the Delegated narrated to the Minister.

In a futile attempt to defend himself, the Governor retorted; “why did the students not burn down the church of Nguti...?

The burning down of GHS Bonadikumbo GBHS Nguti and GS Atua Kom in the North West Region, and the mysterious bees attach at GHS Buea Town is testament to the fact that Anglophone Regions are resisting the 2017 GCE Exams as the clamour for the release of members of the banned Anglophone Civil Society Consortium and other Anglophone detainees, who were arrested and ferried to Yaounde in the wake of the Anglophone Crisis.

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Abeh Valery

18.May.2017

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Some disenchanted staff of the Buea Council will today, Thursday, May 18 embark on a hunger strike over what they described as Mayor Ekema Patrick’s intransigence.
The workers also want to strike for their accumulated unpaid salaries, spanning from 17 to 22 months.
They bemoaned that the Mayor treats them with scorn and denigrates them even in front of their wives, husbands and children.
“So we want to start this hunger strike today, so that if our problems are not resolved, we will continue on May 20 for the entire nation to see what we have been going through,” one of the disillusioned worker, Monono Hans, said.
The Council staff said the Mayor has refused to tell them why he has suspended their salaries. “We have written several letters to the Mayor and he has never replied any of the letters. When we write to him, he doesn’t receive. When you go to his office, he doesn’t receive you no matter how long you stay there. It is as a result of this that we had to be writing through the Post Office so that the letter would come directly to him, and when he sees them, he sends them back to us,” Monono explained.
Other workers like Charles Moki Toni, Martin Njie Evakise and Elizabeth Ngowo Mbua, are all going through this ordeal.

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Abeh Valery

18.May.2017

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The population of Mile 3,Nkwen  in Bamenda was startled when shops including a snack bar in the neighbourhood were discovered burning. This happened besides Guinness depot at mile 3 Nkwen. Inhabitants have termed the incident “ghost visit”.

Sources say, the beer snack bar burnt to ashes because the owner disrespected ghost town. The fire later spread to 3 neighbouring shops. It happened at the early hours of yesterday and the cause of the fire is yet to be known.

According to some residents of the area, they are suspecting the fire to be a criminal act. Reports say before the incident some five men were sported around the area. Fire fighters succeeded in quenching the fire before it could spread to other buildings. However it had already consumed a good number of goods in these shops.

According to some inhabitants of mile 3 Nkwen the bar owner deserved what happened to him.

“This man is very stubborn. He doesn’t respect the ghost town. This serves him right. Others are not fools to respect the ghost town” says an angry inhabitant.

While others are supporting what happened others are strictly against it. They say that it is not the best way to correct a wrong.

“What a punishment. I think before punishing someone, the person needs to be judged.

Those congratulating this wicked act do not know what it means to lose a life-depending asset” says an observer angrily.  

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Ndi Modeste

18.May.2017

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The National President of the Cameroon People’s Party (CPP) Edith Kahbang Walla and his Vice President are on war path over the party’s decision to boycott May 20^th celebrations.

Kah Walla recently signed a press release, indicating that her party will not take part in this year’s National Day celebrations, following the callous management of the Anglophone crisis by the Biya Government.

“We cannot participate in official festivities when we do not agree with the current management of the Anglophone Crisis. No celebration of national unity in exclusion, violation of fundamental rights and repression,” the CPP President wrote.

Kah Walla had informed the CPP militants not to partake in the festivities because the national unity which Biya’s song birds were singing was just an illusion, while the country was gradually plunging into a civil war because of bad governance.

She advised Cameroonians to use this year’s National Day to reflect on how to unite and look for   a way forward.

“Instead of participating in this superficial ceremony that increasingly resembles a personality cult, we should instead come together to define ways to build a nation truly united, strong, just and prosperous,” Kah Walla said.

Meanwhile, after issuing her press release, the CPP executive was stunned on, May 16, when the State-owned broadcaster (CRTV) read a communiqué purportedly signed by the CPP Vice National President, calling on militants of the party not to respect the President’s boycott call.

In his release, the Vice President said the National Day boycott decision was unilaterally taken by the National President and was contrary to the vision of the party which stands for nationalism and citizenship.

On his part, the Secretary General of the CPP, Frank Esi, issued a disclaimer, deflating the Vice President’s release. Esi also accused CRTV of manipulation in a bid to cause division in the party.

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Rita Akana

18.May.2017

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The Minister of Secondary Education, Jean Ernest Massena Ngalle Bibehe, has reported the Archbishop of Bamenda, to Prime Minister, Philemon Yang, for refusing to meet him while on a visit to Bamenda.

The Archbishop of Bamenda, Mgr. Cornelius Fontem Esua, allegedly avoided meeting him during his visit to Bamenda last week. The Post learnt that the Minister, in briefing PM Yang, after his mission to the two Northwest and Southwest Regions last week, backbit Archbishop.

The Post learnt that, while in Bamenda on May 10, together with Northwest Governor, Adolphe Lele L’Afrique, the Minister was surprised by a communiqué, signed by the Secretary General of the Bamenda Provincial Ecclesiastical Conference, Zephrinus Yem Mbuh, addressed to the Registrar of the Cameroon GCE Board, relating to the organisation of the 2017 GCE Exams.

The Secretary General stated, “unequivocally”, that Bishops of the Bamenda Provincial Episcopal Conference, comprising the Bamenda, Buea, Kumbo, Mamfe and Kumba Dioceses, had finally given their consent that all Catholic colleges that were earmarked to serve as accommodation centres for the 2017 GCE sessions, will be available for both the practical and written parts of the examinations in the Dioceses.

The Registrar of the GCE Board, Dr. Humphrey Ekema Monono, was also in Bamenda on that day accompanying Minister Ngalle Bibehe in the assessment of preparations for the exams.

The GCE Board Registrar was reportedly handed the communiqué after a working session that the Minister held with Principals of colleges, including those of confessional schools, related to the organisation of the 2017 GCE Exams.

Closed Door Meeting

The Post leant from a reliable source close to the entourage of the Minister that a closed door meeting was held at the Northwest Governor’s Office to discuss the communiqué.

The Minister, Governor and the GCE Board Registrar found the communiqué not only surprising, but also confusing, due to a number of reasons.

One of the reasons was that the communiqué was received by the GCE Board Registrar, shortly after the Minister of Secondary Education ended the working session with principals, including those of Catholic Colleges.

Some Reverend Sisters and Priests who are principals of these Catholic colleges that attended the meeting, were opposed to the idea that the GCE Exams should take place when students have not been adequately prepared.

Due to the strike by Anglophone teachers’ trade unions as well as the ongoing Anglophone Crisis, Anglophone pupils and students in the two Anglophone Regions have, generally, been away from school since November 21, 2016. If the principals and students who have not been going to school sit for exams, there will certainly arise a question of credibility about the certificate.

Our source said the Minister could not reconcile the communiqué and the pronouncements that were made by Catholic Education principals at the working session earlier on that day.

The Minister wondered how the Bishops could have taken the decision that Catholic colleges earmarked as accommodation centres for the 2017 GCE Examination sessions would be available, without the knowledge of the principals.

Archbishop Allegedly Avoids Meeting Minister

Amid the confusion, the authorities at the closed door meeting resolved that Minister Ngalle Bibehe meets with the Archbishop of Bamenda, His Grace Cornelius Fontem Esua, to get clarification on the communiqué.

The GCE Board Registrar was asked to call the Archbishop and fix a rendezvous for the meeting. Monono succeeded to get to Archbishop Esua by phone, but the Archbishop was quoted as having told Monono that he was out of town, precisely in Widikum, and would only return to Bamenda the next day.

Monono’s attempt to convince Mgr. Esua to cut short his pastoral mission to Widikum and return to Bamenda on that May 10 and meet with the Minister, failed.

However, our source said, the Minister who was supposed to return to Yaounde early on May 11, decided to delay his trip till later in the day, in a bid to meet with the Archbishop. But all attempts on that May 11 to get to the Archbishop by phone allegedly failed.

With the Minister having failed to meet with Archbishop Esua, to get confirmation that Catholic colleges earmarked as accommodation centres for the 2017 GCE Examination will be available, the authorities resolved that it would be wise for the Government and the state media to be silent about the communiqué.

The Post leant that the Minister assigned some persons in Bamenda to monitor the situation in the two Catholic colleges in town; Sacred Heart and Our Lady of Lourdes, which are both earmarked accommodation centres, to see if there were any preparations going on.

At the end of Friday, May 12, the message that Minister received back in Yaounde, was that there were no signs of any preparations in those schools.

Government Threats

Meanwhile Reverend Fathers and Sisters who are principals of Colleges in the Bamenda Provincial Episcopal Conference, and whose schools were earmarked as accommodation centres for 2017 GCE Examinations, have been strongly opposed to their schools being part of the controversial examinations.

The May 10 communiqué reportedly took the Catholic Education principals aback as they were allegedly never consulted or hinted.

The Post learnt that the Bishops were reportedly under strong pressure and repeated intimation by Government, with the latest one being a threat that any school earmarked to serve as accommodation centre for the 2017 GCE Exams that fails to open its doors, will be banned by Government.

Another threat is that if the Catholic schools refuse to serve as accommodation centres for the GCE, all Catholic Missions will not get a franc as State subvention for the 2017/2018 school year.

Indignation Of Principals

The Post also learnt that there was a stormy meeting between some Bishops and some irate principals of Catholic colleges in the evening of March 11 in Bamenda, following the May 10 communiqué.

At the end of the day, the principals said all what they will do to respect the order of the Government will be to open the doors of dormitories as well as the doors of their laboratories and classrooms, but vowed that they will not be party to the 2017 GCE Examination for which they did not properly prepare their students.

Catholic Education principals are arguing that their students were registered for the GCE as a precautionary measure, hoping that Government react to the demand of the Anglophone population and end ghost towns and restore peace and security for effective resumption of schools.

They had hoped that if a conducive environment returns, Government will extend the academic year in Anglophone Schools.

THEPOSTNEWSLINE

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Rita Akana

17.May.2017

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About 8 of the 10 students who were stung by a mad swamp of bees at GHS Buea town, Monday have regained their homes after   treatment at the Buea Regional Hospital and Integrated centre.  Some parents of the GCE candidates were at these hospitals to ensure that medics provided the necessary treatment to their kids who suffered from the violent bee rampage.  Cameroon Concord confirmed from a nurse at the Integrated centre  that the other two cases were serious and victims could not return home . They are being monitored closely by medics.

The dramatic incident  is still making news in the South West region with many insinuating that the bees were diabolically sent to disrupt  the controversial  GCE Exams. But the principal of the school has debunked  claims that the "Ambazonian bees" as they are popularly refereed to were sent through black magic.
“You know in any school environment we try to make sure that the place is clean and we don’t have any other people to do the cleaning, so students were assigned to clean the areas behind the school. A valley, to make it clean and then the students being who they are, thought that, they saw the bee hive and they thought that if they can do something and then come and tell us that bees have attacked us they wouldn’t continue working. So they have to throw stones at the bee hives and then the bees came out and as the bees were attacking them, they too were running back and coming,” the Principal explained
The Principal further went on to assure parents and students that they will resume school tomorrow at 7:30 AM;
At the moment exams have resumed hitch free, with tight security  though we cannot confirm whether the medically released students have continued with  the exams. Parents and guardians fear,  the incident could traumatize their children and jeopardize their success chances in the exams.   But school authorities claim there is no cause for alarm.

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Rita Akana

17.May.2017

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