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The agitated surgeons say they will not carry out any surgeries except for emergencies until the regressive and corrupt Director of the Buea Regional hospital, Dr Enow Orock is replaced. After condoling with his excesses for close to three years, Surgeons of the Regional Hospital Annex, Buea have announced that from today Monday 19 December, 2016 they will down tools until the overzealous and repressive Director, Dr Enow Orock George is replaced.

In a strongly worded letter sent to the Minister of Public Health, a copy of which this reporter stumbled on, the surgeons from the Department of Surgery of the Buea Regional Hospital cried out that for the past three years the hospital director has “embarked on various policies not beneficial to the hospital, hospital staff, patients or Cameroonians as a whole.” The surgeons whose role in a hospital establishment cannot be over emphasized recounted that “the said director has perpetually ensured that the cost of laboratory tests, drugs, hospital bed fee among others is on the increase.  

The hospital environment is continuously untidy and filthy with overgrown grass and weeds as well as a foul smell emanating from overfull septic tanks.” The experts task with performing operations in order to remove or repair damaged or diseased body parts in their letter sent to Andre Mama Fouda, Minister of Public Health pointed out that “consumables especially in the operation theater such as gases used for anesthesia are in continuous shortage” while “he collects money from his patients and his secretary’s office for reading histo-pathological slides.” On behalf of his fellow colleges, the secretary at the department of Surgeons, Dr Enoh N. Kingsley who penned the letter stated that “the director, apart from his repressive policies that have put the hospital backward and in a deplorable condition, is aggressively money-minded to the detriment of patients and hospital staff.” The letter which was sent through South West Regional Delegate of Public Health equally highlighted the fact that the hospital staff has little or no benefit at all from the pregnant sums of money pumped in annually by PBF and institutions sending their students to the hospital for internship.

While painting a bleak picture of Dr Orock’s managerial style, the surgeons in clearly spelt out words announced that “our hearts are bleeding to the extent that we have no choice but to regrettably embark on an indefinite strike (for the sake of patients and the general population) effective from Monday 19 December, 2016 by not carrying out any surgeries except for emergencies until the very regressive director, Dr Enow-Orock George is replaced by a more experienced and considerate administrator.” A part of the letter read.

Contacted to comment on the allegations on his management style, Dr Enow Orock George said " I have no comments on that if anyone has anything on me he should address it to my boss "

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Amos Fofung

19.Dec.2016

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Rita Akana

17.Dec.2016

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West Africa's regional bloc ECOWAS must ensure Gambia's President Yahya Jammeh steps down when his mandate ends in January because he lost an election, the bloc's chairwoman, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia, said on Saturday.

Her comments came at the start of an ECOWAS summit in the Nigerian capital aimed at deciding on action against Jammeh in the face of what regional leaders say is a challenge to its principles of democratic accountability.

Johnson Sirleaf did not spell out what measures the bloc would take but they could include sanctions, which could hurt Gambia because ECOWAS member Senegal is the country's only neighbor.


"It's now important that the authority at this summit considers measures to bring the matter to a successful conclusion before January 19 ... when the mandate of the current President expires," Johnson Sirleaf told the summit.

Jammeh's 22 years in power have been marked by allegations of human rights abuses and repression against perceived political opponents. He lost a Dec. 1 election to little-known challenger Adama Barrow and is due to step down on Jan. 18.

Initially, he conceded defeat but a week ago he rejected the results and called for a fresh vote in a move that was widely condemned. His party is now challenging the result in Gambia's Supreme Court.

Johnson Sirleaf's remarks follow a mission to Gambia this week accompanied by the leaders of several West African countries including Nigeria and Ghana, whose President John Mahama lost a Dec. 7 election and said he would step down.

Reuters

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Rita Akana

17.Dec.2016

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MEMORANDUM OF ANGLOPHONE TEACHERS OF THE WOURI DIVISION ON THE ON GOING TEACHERS SIT IN STRIKE AND THE CIVIL STRIFE IN CAMEROON

More than 125 Anglophone teachers working in the Wouri Division of the Littoral region, 23 proprietors (representing lay private schools, 4 representatives of denominational schools, 17 representatives of Parents Teachers Associations met in Douala on Thursday 15 December 2016 in response to an invitation from the WOURI ASSOCIATION OF GENUINE ANGLOPHONE TEACHERS.

Very important statistics came out from the meeting concerning schools that run the anglo saxon system of education in the Wouri
There are 6 Government Secondary High schools existing in the Wouri About 80 Privates Secondary schools
About 312 Primary schools (62 Government and the rest Private by profit driven proprietors)
About 45 Commercial / Technical Secondary schools Private initiative.
Curiously no Government Technical / Secondary school.

We the Anglophone teachers living in the Wouri, with representatives of proprietors and PTA’s are scandalized by the government hypocrisy concerning the memorandum presented by the union of teachers associations of the North/South West. Over the years the authorities have received well drafted proposals on measures to take to stop the adulteration of the Anglo-Saxon system of education and in return we have had officials declare no problem exists leading to senseless killings, rape, creation again of a committee to review the problems, a lot of disinformation etc.

THE MEETING RESOLVED AS FOLLOWS?

1- From January 2017 all Anglo Saxon style schools in the Wouri and the Littoral will join the sit in strike in solidarity with our brothers and sisters of Anglophone regions.
2- Call on all parents and proprietors to follow the peoples call and respect the sit in strike
3- Congratulates the Union of teachers associations at the forefront of this challenge to remain resolute and no retreat.
4- Reminds the union leaders that any solutions to salvage the Anglo-Saxon system of education must be extended to schools operating the same system in East Cameroon.
5- Calls on the GCE Board not to associate school officials be they principals who have not been groomed up in the GCE spirit not to have anything with the conduct of our exams. The Office de Bac does not empower Anglophones in their exams.
6- Calls on the Government to avoid hypocrisy and stop the training at ENS Yaounde, Maroua Latin, Spanish and now Chinese teachers when Anglo-Saxon schools lack teachers of basic subject like English, French, etc...
7- Calls on the eventual Education Board to be created to have the right to VISA/Approve and CONTINUOUS FOLLOW UP for the creation of Anglo- Saxon schools as proprietors this way are only interested in profit and recruit any tom and dick as teacher.
8- Reject the call for the recruitment of 1000 bilingual teachers as another ploy to pollute our school system. Where are bilingual teachers trained in this country and what obliges one to teach in the second language?
9- Thousands of University graduates of the GCE system are jobless and can be recycled in two months after a special recruitment in Bamenda and Buea to make up for the lack of science, technical, commercial teachers to salvage our school system.
10- Note that during the recruitment of 25000 teachers, francophone’s were recruited (with no knowledge of the Anglophone sub system education) to accelerate the assimilation in Buea, Kumba, Bamenda.
11- A representative of Anglophone PHD holders without jobs announced that there are more than200 of them in Cameroon who are ready to teach as volunteers in Buea, Bamenda, Kumba to preserve our system of education. He also announced that thousands of Anglophones in top Universities in America, UK, CANADA, already provide video conference classes or come as volunteer teachers and stay each for two months to lecture.
12- Calls on Teachers Trade Unions to stand strong to fight to few francophone adventures who use the radio, television to say what teachers have not said and to put fear/doubt in the minds francophone’s.
13- Congratulates our francophone’s brothers who in their numbers are standing along with Anglophones by publicly affirming that the English Sub system of education should remain intact.
14- No to harmonization of the two systems of education, Canada is talking to Cameroun.
Signed :
- Representative of teachers
- Representative of parents
- Representative of Proprietors
- Representative of volunteer lecturers with PHD

Douala, 15th December 2016

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Peter Nsoesie

17.Dec.2016

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In northwestern Nigeria, a lethal conflict between the authorities and the outlawed Islamist group IMN continues one year after hundreds were killed in clashes. The group refuses to register as a religious movement.

Muhammad Abdulhamid is standing in front of the ruins of what was once his primary school in a residential district in the northern Nigerian university city of Zaria. Only the remains of a child's swing and a few colored stones testify that a school once stood here. The building was demolished by bulldozers sent in by the Kaduna state authorities in late November. Four weeks later, 23-year-old Muhammad still can't believe what has happened. "We are angry at the way the state is behaving," he said. "A school is a place of learning. How could one destroy a place where knowledge is being handed down to our generation?" He finds it particular frustrating that the state authorities themselves devote so few resources to education.

Muhammad Abdulhamid believes the destruction of the school is yet another attempt by the state to destroy the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN). This minority Shiite Muslim group made headlines when 347 of its members were killed from December 12 to 14, 2015. The death toll of 347 was established by a subsequent judicial inquiry. The fighting began when supporters of IMN leader Ibrahim Zakzaky refused to allow the army chief of staff's convoy to pass through the city.

In a report on the incident released in April this year, rights group Amnesty International accused Nigeria's military of shooting dead some 350 Shiite Muslims, burying them in mass graves and destroying evidence of the crime.  

The military has claimed that IMN wanted to kill Nigerian army chief, Lieutenant-General  Tukur Yusuf Burati. Abdulhamid Bello, a senior IMN member, says this  accusation is outrageous. "Everybody knows that there is no proof that we have resorted to the use of armed force since our group was founded 40 years ago," he said.

Banning IMN

The Kaduna State government disagrees and banned the IMN as an illegal group in October 2016. Kaduna State governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai gives his full backing to the move. "The fact that the IMN has a military wing which conducts military training, and the fact that they possess weapons, was a warning sign. We had to nip the group in the bud before it turned into a monster," he said.

But critics of the state authorities say it is incomprehensible why the house belonging to the mother of IMN leader Ibraheem Zakzaky and the cemetery had to be destroyed. No streets in the vicinity were blocked. Zakzaky himself has been in prison for a year.   

Such questions have been preoccupying Pastor Yohanna Buru who is endeavoring to promote harmonious relations between Muslims and Christians in Kaduna. He believe the state authorities are guilty of overreacting in their handling of the Shiite Muslim  minority. "Just because somebody blocks a street, you can't denounce them immediately as insurgents," he said. Buru believes that allegations the group pursues a particular ideology need to be backed up evidence.

IMN is often accused of failing to respect the law in Nigeria. It has never registered itself as a religious movement, which Nigerian legislation says is mandatory. Supporters of this legislation say it makes it easier to identify extremist groups. Opponents warn of too much surveillance. State governor El-Rufai said if IMN were "to accept our constitution and legislation and abide by them - as other groups do - then we wouldn't have a problem."

Abdulhamid Bello is opposed to "full registration," saying it would impose too many restrictions on his work.  He didn't elaborate, other than to say that there were areas within the IMN that were registered with the authorities. "Our schools, for example. They have been registered."

Violence rumbles on

That won't suffice for a compromise with the Kaduna authorities over the thorny question of registration of religious movements. Bello has given up hope that anything will change in the near future. But he does see a glimmer of hope. At the beginning of December, a federal high court ordered Zakzaky's release within 45 days.  

Zakzaky has previously been imprisoned for calling for an Iranian-style revolution to create a Shiite Islamic state in northern Nigeria.

Last month, at least 10 people were killed and several injured when police opened fire in clashes with the IMN during a religious celebration in Kano.                 

DW

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Rita Akana

15.Dec.2016

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Rita Akana

15.Dec.2016

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