How Appointment Of The Son Of A Division To Replace ‘His Brother’ In Gov’t, Creates Problems In The Division

How Appointment Of The Son Of A Division To Replace ‘His Brother’ In Gov’t, Creates Problems In The Division

The appointment of Prof Elvis Ngolle Ngolle to replace John Ebong Ngole as Minister of Special Duties in the 90s, seriously strained the relationship between the two ‘brothers’

There was also a lot of tension between camps, when Biya appointed four successive Ministers of Forests and Wildlife from two Divisions in the Southwest Region

When Prof Ebenezer Njoh Mouele was appointed in 2006 to replace another son of Nkam Division, Prof Pierre Moukoko Mbonjo, as Minister of Communication, Moukoko and his supporters did not take it in good faith

The SG of the ruling CPDM, Jean Nkuete, who like Jean de Dieu Momo hails from Menoua Division, told a CPDM meeting that the post Momo is occupying in gov’t belongs to Menoua CPDM. Hummmmm!

The way President Biya appointed quite a number of members of his Government in the last two decades and more, looks like his strategy was to cause sons and daughters (elites) of some regions to knock their heads. The worst was even at the level of Divisions. Besides constantly appointing sons and daughters of some regions to head some particular ministries, there were many cases where President Biya also appointed a son of a Division to replace his ‘brother’ in a particular ministerial post.
As regards the Southwest Region for example, in the late 90s Prof Elvis Ngolle Ngolle, who was a lecturer at the school of international relations, IRIC, in Yaounde, was appointed to replace his ‘elder brother’, John Ebong Ngole, as Minister of Special Duties at the Presidency. John Ebong Ngole, who was a former Governor as well as a member of the Political Bureau of the ruling CPDM, hailed from Bangem Subdivision, while Elvis Ngolle Ngolle, a member of the Central Committee of the CPDM, hails from Tombel Subdivision, both in Kupe Muanenguba Division. Worth noting, that Ebong Ngole is now of blessed memory.
Meanwhile, the appointment of Ngolle Ngolle to replace Ebong Ngole in Government, both men used to work closely on CPDM affairs in Kupe Muanenguba. Ebong Ngole as member of Government was head of the CPDM Central Committee delegation to Kupe Muanenguba, while Ngolle Ngolle was the ‘Charge de Mission’ of the delegation. Ngolle Ngolle gave Ebong Ngole all the respect that an elder brother deserved.

Ngolle Ngolle Appointed To Replace Ebong Ngole

But then it happened that President Biya for reasons best known to him, decided in a cabinet reshuffle to drop Ebong Ngole and appoint Ngolle Ngolle to replace him as Minister of Special Duties at the Presidency. But it turned out that it was too bitter a pill for Ebong Ngole to swallow. Ebong Ngole was furious, and he and his supporters drew the conclusion that Ngolle Ngolle worked behind the scene to grab his post in Government. Of course there was no evidence for that, and those who knew Ngolle Ngolle well, knew that he was not such a person. But unfortunately, Ebong Ngole stood firm on that unfounded allegation. What happened was that CPDM elites of Kupe Muanenguba Division split into two camps – the Ebong Ngole Camp and the Ngolle Ngolle Camp.
The relationship between Ebong Ngole and Ngolle Ngolle, got so strained, as a cold war erupted between the two camps and tore brothers apart. As member of Government, Prof Ngolle Ngolle was the one now heading CPDM delegations to Kupe Muanenguba Division. But Ebong Ngole would not show up at any CPDM meeting Ngolle Ngolle called in Yaounde, or that he had to chair even in Bangem. Many of the elite that were in Ebong Ngole’s camp behaved the same way. Prof Ngolle Ngolle could not understand what crime he committed.
Political observers would agree that It was very likely that if President Biya dropped Ebong Ngole from Government, and appointed somebody from another region to replace him, or if the President appointed Ngolle Ngolle to a different post in Government, this problem would not have come up or gotten to this very ugly stage.

Ministry of Forests and Wildlife — Four Successive Ministers

For a period of over 15 years, President Biya appointed four successive Ministers of Forests and Wildlife from Manyu and Kupe Muanenguba Divisions in the Southwest Region. Chief Tanyi Mbianyor Oben Clarkson of Manyu Division was the first to be appointed Minister of Forests and Wildlife. Then in the reorganization of Government on December 8, 2004, another son of Manyu Division, Egbe Achuo Hilman, was appointed to replace Chief Tanyi Mbianyor as Minister of Forests and Wildlife. In the next cabinet reshuffle which was on September 22, 2006, the post of Minister of Forests and Wildlife left Manyu Division to neighbouring Kupe Muanenguba Division, with the appointment of Prof Elvis Ngolle Ngole to the ministerial post. Minister Ngolle Ngolle survived two cabinet reshuffles that followed. That of September 7, 2007 and June 30, 2009. But in the cabinet reshuffle of December 9, 2011, another son of Kupe Muanenguba, Ngole Philip Ngwese, was appointed Minister of Forests and Wildlife, to replace Ngolle Ngolle.
Ngole Philip Ngwese held the post of Minister of Forests and Wildlife, until the March 2, 2018 cabinet reshuffle, when Jules Doret Ndongo of Ocean Division in the South Region, took over the office, bringing to an end the Southwest occupation of the ministerial post since 2002.
Meanwhile without any surprise, the relationship between the two sons of Manyu Division, Chief Tanyi Mbianyor Oben Clarkson and Egbe Achuo Hilman, was not good, while the relationship between Chief Tanyi Mbianyor and Ngolle Ngolle was perfect. Just like in Manyu, Elvis Ngolle Ngolle and Ngole Philip Ngwese had a strained relationship. The poor relationship between Ngolle Ngolle and Ngole Ngwese started back during the cold war between Ebong Ngole and Ngolle Ngolle. Ngwese who is from Bangem Sub –division, took side with Ebong Ngole against Ngolle Ngolle.

The Way The Local People Saw These Things

When Prof Elvis Ngolle Ngolle was appointed Minister of Forests and Wildlife, there was ecstasy in his native Tombel, when he had to visit home for the first time after the appointment. The local people said Kupe Muanenguba had caught an elephant. I was among the few journalists that travelled to Tombel with the minister. In the evening, I left the hotel and went down to the minister’s residence. When I entered the compound, I saw the minister’s bodyguard fuming. I was surprised. For the couple of years I had known him, I knew him like a jovial guy, always putting on a smile. I wondered what could have offended this jovial guy. When I asked him what was amiss, he narrated to me a scene that had just happened, involving some local notables that were waiting to take their turn to be received by Minister Ngolle Ngolle.
Worth noting that Minister Ngolle Ngolle’s bodyguard was a Bayangi guy, which meant that he was from Manyu Division. Considering the nature of the work of the Minister of Special Duties, he and his boss used to regularly visit the nooks and crannies of Kupe Muanenguba, especially Tombel Sub – division, when Ngolle Ngolle was Minister of Special Duties. During that period, the bodyguard had learnt quite a number of words in the local dialect (Bakossi). Though he could not speak Bakossi, he could however pick out two or three words from a sentence, and be able to have an idea of what was being said.

Local Suspicion That Bodyguard Could Become A Spy For Manyu

Meanwhile that evening at the Minister Ngolle Ngolle’s residence in Tombel, there were many groups that showed up to meet the minister, including the group of local notables. When the bodyguard came out of the house and the local notables saw him, he became the focus of their discussion. Their view was that since the minister’s body guard was a guy from Manyu Division, and Kupe Muanenguba had taken that post of Minister of Forests and Wildlife from Manyu, it would be very unwise for Minister Ngolle Ngolle to maintain him as bodyguard. They said Manyu Division would definitely be struggling to take back that juicy ministerial post (the elephant) from Kupe Muanenguba, and that the minister’s bodyguard could likely serve as a spy for his Division (Manyu). The notables then quickly concluded that when they meet the minister, they would strongly recommend that he should replace his bodyguard, because the Manyu guy was very likely to become a spy for his Division.
Interestingly enough, the bodyguard picked out some words from what the local notables were saying, and was able to have a good idea of what they were discussing. He then turned to the local notables and gave them a piece of his mind. The local notables who were embarrassed to realized that the bodyguard understood what they were discussing, got so a shame of themselves, and could not look at him in the face.
Meanwhile that incident also gave an idea of how many local people see the situation whereby President Biya appoints an elite from one Division in a region, to replace an elite of another Division of the same region, in government. In that incident, the local notables saw the appointment of a son of Kupe Muanenguba Division to replace a son of Manyu Division in Government, as Kupe Muanenguba having TAKEN the post from Manyu. And that is how tension can spark off between local people of two Divisions. A fight can even spark off in a bar over such an issue.

The Case Of The Northwest Region

Such a situation did not only occur in the Southwest Region. It happened in other regions too, including the Northwest. The post of Secretary of State to the Minister of Justice and Keeper of the Seals in charge of Penitentiary Administration has been in the hands of the Northwest Region since 2004, that is, for some 20 years today. In the reorganization of the Government on December 8, 2004, Emmanuel Ngafesson who hails from Donga and Mantung Division, was appointed Secretary of State to the Minister of Justice and Keeper of the Seals in charge of Penitentiary Administration. He held the post until the cabinet reshuffle of December 9, 2011, when Doh Jerome Penbaga, who hails from Bali Nyonga in Mezam Division, was appointed to replace him. Before being appointed into Government, Doh Jerome who is a civil administrator by training and is former DO of Kumbo, Bui Division, was a senior official at the Presidency of the Republic, and thus one of the collaborator of President Biya. Both Ngafesson and Doh Jerome are CPDM bigwigs. I simply saw the appointment of Doh Jerome to replace Ngafesson Emmanuel as a decision by Biya to replace one of his men with another one, perhaps influenced by a network. Biya alone knows why he decides to appoints A or B into Government, and whether an appointment is influenced by a powerful network in the regime that he cannot ignore.
Meanwhile I was surprised that some ‘Northwesterners’, instead saw the appointment of Doh Jerome to take over from Emmanuel Ngafesson as Secretary of State to the Minister of Justice and Keeper of the seals in charge of Penitentiary Administration, as Bali having taken over the post from the Wimbum tribe. Even some colleagues of the profession saw it to me that way. I was scandalized that after the appointment of Doh Jerome to replace Ngafesson in Government, even some colleagues of the media in the Northwest Region, called to congratulate me, saying that Bali had taken over the post from Wimbum. I could not understand how the appointment was been seen by some people as that of one tribe having taken over a ministerial post from another tribe. How did tribe find its way into this whole thing! These are all manipulations by some politicians or political elites for selfish reasons.

Similar Cases In Other Divisions

As afore mentioned. what happened in Kupe Muanenguba Division in the Southwest Region between John Ebong Ngolle and Elvis Ngolle Ngolle, has also happened in a number of Divisions in some regions, where a similar situation came up. When for example in the September 22, 2006 cabinet reshuffle, the former CPDM Scribe, Prof Ebenezer Njoh Mouele, was appointed to replace his ‘brother’ from Nkam Division in the Littoral Region, Prof Pierre Moukoko Mbonjo, as Minister of Communication, the relationship between the two suffered a nose dive. Camps emerged in Nkam, and the relationship between the two men got so strained.
At the last cabinet reshuffle on January 4, 2019, President Biy appointed a son of Menoua Division in the West Region, Barrister Jean de Dieu Momo, of PADDEC Party, to replace another son of Menoua Division, Jean Pierre Figui (CPDM), in the post of Minister Delegate to the Minister of Justice and Keeper of the Seals . Jean de Dieu Momo who before the appointment into Government was based in Douala, disclosed in a programme over Canal 2 international that before his appointment into Government, he had a good relationship with Jean Nkuete, the Secretary General of the CPDM, whom he said he considered as a big brother. Worth noting, that Momo and Nkuete both hail from Menoua Division.
But Momo disclosed that after his appointment into Government which made him to take up residence in Yaounde, he called Jean Nkuete a number of times in order to take a rendezvous to pay him a courtesy visit, as a big brother. But Momo said kept giving excuses, and also soundied lukewarm, and so he gave it up. But Momo said to his greatest embarrassment, Jean Nkuete travelled to Dschang for a meeting of the Menoua CPDM, and declared that post that he (Momo) is occupying in Government, is a post that belongs to the Menoua CPDM. Momo said he then understood why Jean Nkuete had been avoiding him. The controversial declaration by a political figure like Jean Nkuete, was also considered as a call to Menoua CPDM elites and others, to steer clear of Minister Jean de Dieu Momo, who is considered as an enemy, though he was not the one that appointed himself to replace Jean Pierre Figui in Government. Here we see how political elites of some Divisions or regions, manipulate the local people to hate or avoid other elites, claiming that they had allegedly manipulated or lobbied and grabbed ministerial posts, that were supposed to go to others.

Appointments In Cameroon Is Mostly Influenced By Networks

THE MENTOR has said it time and again that appointments into Government in Cameroon are not influenced by election results, tribes or regions, but by NETWORKS (RESEAUX). Paul Atanga Nji headed the CPDM list in Mezam Centre at the 2007 Legislative Elections. The CPDM list was crushed by the SDF in the elections. A few weeks later, there was a cabinet reshuffle, precisely on September 7, 2007, and Paul Atanga Nji was appointed Minister of Special Duties at the Presidency. It was clear that his appointment had nothing to do with the results of the legislative elections as many had thought would happen in appointments after the elections.
Also, in 2018,, Dr Manaouda Malachie was in searched of job. He applied for a teaching job at the University of Douala. But then in the cabinet reshuffle of January 4, 2019, Dr Manaouda Malachie was appointed Minister of Public Health. Imagine! By the time the University of Douala published a list of the new lecturers that had been recruited, which included Dr Manaouda Malachie, he was already, ‘Monsieur le Ministre’. This meant that if the job applicant of yesterday, Dr Manaouda Malachie, had to pay a visit to the University of Douala after the January 4, 2019 appointment by President Biya, the Rector and his close collaborators would put on their suits and well – polished shoes, and wait for him at the main gate of the institution with a bouquet of flowers. That is Cameroon. Don’t ask what experience that Dr Manaouda Malachie who is not a medical doctor, but rather has an academic doctorate decree, had, to be appointed to a senior and strategic or sensitive ministerial post. Again, in this country, all depend on networks (reseaux).