Politics
We understand that whenever a child is being raised in a family where the dad dictates everything, there is the tendency that when freedom finally comes at 18, it will be abused.The case of Brenda Biya, daughter of our chief executive President Paul Biya has already been internationalized since its appearance on social networks. Indeed, having been ejected from a taxi in the United States, the young Brenda Biya claimed she was a victim of racism. A Student at the University of California some 60 km from Los Angeles, Brenda in her tussle with a US taxi man revealed that she spends over 800 dollars round trip (about 500,000 CFA francs) per day to attend classes.
When you consider that Brenda has university classes four times a week and should make this trip once or twice a day, we can deduce that the daughter of the head of state spends about 1 to 2 million CFA francs each week. A local statistician placed the annual taxi fare at 48 to 96 million CFA francs. The video posted on Snapchat has angered many Cameroonians mindful of the fact that 60% of Far North residents live below the UN poverty line. Correspondingly, many Cameroonians are dying because they have no means of livelihood.
There is an urgent need for Etoudi to sound a note of caution to this little girl. The recent happenings in the US has revealed that nothing has been taught to the little girl on the code of conduct of children from presidential families. Let alone the conduct of Cameroonian students abroad noted for their good behavior. The warm blood which she demonstrated in that video should also be properly examined. Instead of wasting time changing from one funny hair style to another, First Lady Chantal Biya should go back to the black board and begin again. A stitch in time saves nine.
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- Ngwa Bertrand
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The Minister of Youth Affairs and Civic Education, Mounouna Foutsou has announced the creation of a National Youth Observatory to harmonize national information targeting the youth in the country. Minister Mounouna Foutsou made the announcement on the of 3rd January 2016 in Yoko in the Mbam and Kim Division of the Centre Region during the second ceremony to launch activities ahead of the National Youth Day on 11th February.
The Minister encouraged the youth of Yoko to work hard and join in the fight against insecurity, drugs and alcohol addiction. At the end of the ceremony, the Youth Affairs Minister and his team gave gifts and farm tools to youth groups in the area. In the South West region, after the launch in Tiko, the so called CPDM minister visited but inmates at the Buea Central prison.
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- Ngwa Bertrand
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Debate over election calendar in Cameroon has suddenly heightened with the supporters of the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement calling on their party President to stand in 2018. Such calls must have awakened supporters of the opposition to start thinking of how best to play their own cards when time comes. Yet, some of the motions from frontline CPDM supporters are even calling for anticipated presidential elections. Those observing such a political climate must be wondering why the clarion calls for President Paul Biya to stand as presidential candidate for the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) during the next elections. Could this just be the usual show of dynamism within the party or there is something else? What, with the recent reorganisation of leadership positions in the basic organs of the party that saw the Party Chairman open the electoral process to grassroots supporters and not only to officials as was the case in the past? Such questions and more may not be completely out of place, given that the country is still in principle two years away from the next presidential election. Sustaining such a momentum within two years could lead to a boiling point!
In addition, a key provision of CPDM by-laws in paragraph three of Article 27 requires that; “The National Chairman of the CPDM shall be the party’s candidate for presidential elections.” Could these motions be the dragon fly that announces a change of season? While analysts speculate for answers, the fact remains that the calibre of CPDM party supporters who have been signing the motions of support has led to varied interpretations, with other political parties taking turns to voice their opinion. However, supporters of the CPDM party argue that they believe in constant occupation of political space, especially within a multiparty setup like in Cameroon. The recent reorganisation of the party that ended in December 2015 saw the renewal of grassroots organs of the party, thereby creating room for fresh blood with new ideas to propel the party to more victories. Thus, since CPDM supporters in the South Region started the call for their party Chairman, Mr Paul Biya to stand as candidate for the next Presidential election, it has taken the entire country by storm, with virtually all frontline supporters looking for how best to envelop the same message and be counted when time comes. Also, the bylaws of the CPDM hold that the party should elect its chairman during the party congress.
The last Ordinary Congress of the party took place from 15-16 September 2011, during which Mr Paul Biya accepted another mandate as party Chairman, thereby indirectly, giving a favourable response to previous calls for him to stand as party candidate for presidential elections. Moreover, Article 18 of the CPDM basic text states that, “The Congress shall elect the National Chairman of the Party, members of the Central Committee on the basis of the list system, and the alternate members of the Central Committee.” The current trends by CPDM supporter across the country not only to support their party Chairman in the fight against insecurity but also to call for his candidature for the next presidential elections is equally a mark of the confidence they have in the ability of their party leader to ensure victory for the party in case of any early elections. The motions have in no mistaken terms underlined some of the reasons that the supporters think Mr Biya should valuably represent the party in future polls and the days ahead should definitely speak of the political agenda in the country. While the other political parties figure out what options they have, the ruling CPDM has, as usual thrown their dice for the Founding President of the party as their winning ticket. Supporters of the ruling CPDM party have been upbeat about President Paul Bya leading them to victory in future presidential elections.
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- Ngwa Bertrand
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Cameroonian youths living close to the border with Nigeria are benefitting from the efforts of a man who left his administrative duties in a well-established company and created an information technology training center to empower youths and reduce the chances of them joining the Boko Haram terrorist group.
Wakil Idi, 34, said he decided to help when he found out unemployment was leading young people in his town of Kousseri, which borders Chad and is close to Nigeria, to join Boko Haram.
The Islamist terror group has increased attacks in the area in the past seven years.
He said many of the youth left but never returned, and those who escaped from suspected Boko Haram strongholds told stories of how they were sent to loot, kill and burn at schools and churches.
Idi said he learned the terrorist group was offering up to about $5,500 for each person kidnapped or killed, and that was tempting to poor, suffering and jobless youths.
Since 2013, Boko Haram has kidnapped scores of people from Cameroon, including a French family of seven, a German citizen, 10 Chinese road construction engineers, as well as traditional rulers and clergy.
Cameroon's government has said it refused to pay ransoms for their release but said it negotiated their freedom.
Idi said he was able to flee to Cameroon's economic capital, Douala, to learn information technology with the hope of returning to help his fellow Cameroonians by educating them on the dangers of joining Boko Haram and, more importantly, by providing jobs for the youth.
He said even though he has only four desktop computers before returning to Kousseri, he has not been discouraged from his plans to help young people in his hometown.
Among the hundreds who have been trained at the computer institute is 36-year-old Hassa Abbashmir.
(VOA)
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- Ngwa Bertrand
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Cameroonian youths living close to the border with Nigeria are benefitting from the efforts of a man who left his administrative duties in a well-established company and created an information technology training center to empower youths and reduce the chances of them joining the Boko Haram terrorist group.
Wakil Idi, 34, said he decided to help when he found out unemployment was leading young people in his town of Kousseri, which borders Chad and is close to Nigeria, to join Boko Haram.
The Islamist terror group has increased attacks in the area in the past seven years.
He said many of the youth left but never returned, and those who escaped from suspected Boko Haram strongholds told stories of how they were sent to loot, kill and burn at schools and churches.
Idi said he learned the terrorist group was offering up to about $5,500 for each person kidnapped or killed, and that was tempting to poor, suffering and jobless youths.
Since 2013, Boko Haram has kidnapped scores of people from Cameroon, including a French family of seven, a German citizen, 10 Chinese road construction engineers, as well as traditional rulers and clergy.
Cameroon's government has said it refused to pay ransoms for their release but said it negotiated their freedom.
Idi said he was able to flee to Cameroon's economic capital, Douala, to learn information technology with the hope of returning to help his fellow Cameroonians by educating them on the dangers of joining Boko Haram and, more importantly, by providing jobs for the youth.
He said even though he has only four desktop computers before returning to Kousseri, he has not been discouraged from his plans to help young people in his hometown.
Among the hundreds who have been trained at the computer institute is 36-year-old Hassa Abbashmir.
(VOA)
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- Ngwa Bertrand
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Prof. Titus Edzoa, leader of the progressive wing of the ruling Cameroon Peoples Democratic Movement, an organization dedicated to protesting the Cameroon's government’s policy of legalizing corruption was released in Yaounde after 17 year in prison.
Believing that non-violent measures would be successful, Edzoa and a host of other former barons of the ruling CPDM party intend to challenge the Biya government in the 2018 presidential elections. Titus Edzoa was arrested and sentenced to 17 years in prison. He was convicted a second time for corruption. He received another 20 years sentence and was held at the National Gendarmerie Headquarters in Yaounde.
On the notorious Gendarmarie Headquarters in Yaounde,Prof Titus Edzoa lived in a tiny cell, received meager rations and performed hard labor like the Great Nelson Mandela. The Cameroonian people now believe that his 17 years in prison became the crucible which transformed him. Through his intelligence as a Professor of Medicine, charm and dignified defiance, Edzoa intends to assume the Cameroonian leadership and bring about the intensive and productive change badly required in Cameroon.
Many senior Cameroonian elite including the leader of the main opposition party, Ni John Fru Ndi, led an international movement to free Edzoa. Many countries including the United Nations stated that he was a political prisoner. The Cameroonian dictator offered to release Edzoa, who had been moved from Komdengui Central Prison in Yaounde to the National Gendarmerie Headquarters on the condition that he renounced revealing secrets of the ruling CPDM hegemony. Edzoa, like Nelson Mandela refused, saying, “Prisoners cannot enter into contracts. Only free men can negotiate.”
In France, Hollande became president and began to dismantle the policies of President Biya's victimization policies and pressed for the release Prof. Titus Edzoa. Edzoa was realeased after 17 years in prison. In this exclusive interview with Cameroon Concord's Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai, Edzoa believes now is the time to intensify the struggle on all fronts. Edzoa says to relax our efforts now would be a mistake which generations to come will not able to forgive.
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- Ngwa Bertrand
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Biya Article Count: 73
# Paul Biya and his regime
Explore the political landscape of Cameroon under the rule of Paul Biya, the longest-serving president in Africa who has been in power since 1982. Our Paul Biya and his regime section examines the policies, actions, and controversies of his government, as well as the opposition movements, civil society groups, and international actors that challenge or support his leadership. You'll also find profiles, interviews, and opinions on the key figures and events that shape the political dynamics of Cameroon.
Southern Cameroons Article Count: 549
.# Southern Cameroons, Ambazonia
Learn more about the history, culture, and politics of Ambazonia, the Anglophone regions of Cameroon that have been seeking self-determination and independence from the Francophone-dominated central government. Our Southern Cameroons section covers the ongoing conflict, the humanitarian crisis, the human rights violations, and the peace efforts in the region. You'll also find stories that highlight the rich and diverse heritage, traditions, and aspirations of the Southern Cameroonian people.
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