Joe Dinga Pefok (Uncle Joe)
The Minister, Rene Emmanuel SADI, On October 2, 2026, Bypassed NCC, A State Institution Created By A Presidential Decree, Directly Wrote To CANAL + Cameroun, And Demanded That The Signal Of VISION 4 TV, Be Reinstated. The French Company Suspended The Signal From Its Bouquet, Following The One Month Sanction That Was Slammed On The TV Channel By NCC.
On Friday, October 2, 2026, the Minister of Communication, Rene Emmanuel Sadi, received a delegation from ‘Groupe L’Anecdote’ (Anecdote Media Group), which is the mother company of Vision 4 TV Yaounde, which was, slammed a one month suspension by the National Communication Council, NCC, as a disciplinary measure, on Tuesday, September 29, 2026. The delegation was led by the Managing Director of Vision 4 TV, Boni Menyene Philippe, popularly known as Bony Philippe. It should be noted that Boney Philippe, who is a journalist by profession, was also sanctioned by NCC. He was slammed a month suspension from the practice of journalism in Cameroon, by the Council.
Meanwhile, the Anecdote Media Group delegation, which was comprised of over half a dozen persons, also included the Deputy General Manager of Vision 4 (Mathew Ekong), as well as Martial Thaddee Owona, who was suspended by NCC from practicing journalism for six months. It should be noted that the initial sanction that was slammed on Owona by NCC a few months ago, was three months. But he refused to respect the sanction. At the Extraordinary Session of NCC on September 29, 2026, the Council decided to sanction him for that. The initial three months suspension was doubled to six months.
As regard the visit to the Ministry of Communication, it was not clear whether it was ‘Groupe L’Anecdote’ that requested to meet the Minister of Communication on that Friday, October 2, 2026, or it was Minister Sadi who invited the media group. The agenda of the meeting was also not made public.
Minister Addresses Correspondence To Anecdote Media Group
Meanwhile, on that same Friday, October 2, 2026, the Minister of Communication, Rene Emmanuel Sadi, addressed a correspondence (No. 001658 / MINCOM / SG /OOP), to the General Manager of the Anecdote Media Group. The subject was on the non – respect of sanctions that were slammed on three journalists of the media group by the National Communication Council on September 29, 2026. It is not clear whether the correspondence was sent to ‘Groupe L’Anecdote before the minister received the delegation that was led Bony Philippe, or whether it was handed to ‘Groupe L’Anecdote’, during the reception.
Whatever the case, in the correspondence, the Minister of Communication said it had been observed that the three journalists of the Anecdote Media Group, that were suspended by NCC on Monday, September 29, 2026, that is, Boni Menyene Philippe (one month suspension), Martial Thaddee Owona (six months suspension), and Jean –Claude Fouda Abega (one month suspension), were still operating as journalists of the media group. In other words, the journalists were not respecting the sanctions slammed on them by NCC, for serious professional faults. The minister warned that the disrespect of the sanctions by the three journalists, constituted an act of flagrant violation of the Law regulating social communication in Cameroon.
Rene Emmanuel Sadi said as the Minister of Communication and guarantor of public order in the media sector, he was asking the management of Anecdote Medial Group, to take measures to ensure that those journalists that have been sanctioned by the National Communication Council, respect the sanctions. He warned that the non – respect of the sanctions, exposed the media group to administrative and judicial sanctions, in conformity with the regulation in force.
Minister Silent On Suspension Of Vision 4 TV
But it should be noted that the Minister of Communication in the correspondence, was DELIBERATELY SILENT on the one month suspension of Vision 4 TV by the National Communication Council. The minister made no reference to the suspension. Thus the minister condemned the fact that the journalists of Vision 4 TV, that were suspended by NCC, were still actively at work for the media house, but ironically enough was silent on the fact that the media organ itself, that was also suspended by NCC for a period of one month, was still functioning (Vision 4 Digital).
Communication Minister Writes To GM Of Canal + Cameroun
Meanwhile, before addressing the correspondence to the Anecdote Media Group on Friday, October 2, 2026, the Minister of Communication, Rene Emmanuel Sadi, on that day first addressed a correspondence (No. 001657 / MINCOM / SG / OOP), to the General Manager of Canal + Cameroun with head office in Douala. Canal + Cameroun, is a subsidiary of Canal + International France.
It should be noted that following the decision that was made public by NCC on September 29, 2026, suspending Vision 4 TV for one month, the signal of Vision 4 TV, was suspended from the Canal + bouquet. The National Communication Council, officially served Canal + Cameroun, a copy of the September 29, 2026 decision that was adopted by the Extraordinary Session of the Council, suspending Vision 4 TV for a period of one month.
Canal + Cameroun had thus gone ahead to suspend the signal of Vision TV from its bouquet. in respect of the Law, or better still, in respect of the terms of the agreement that Canal + International signed with the State of Cameroon, to operate in the country.
Minister Sadi Ask Canal + Cameroon To Reinstate Signal Of Vision 4 TV
But in the correspondence addressed to the General Manager of Canal + Cameroun, the Minister of Communication, Rene Emmanuel Sadi, scandalously criticized the decision that was taken by NCC to suspend Vision 4 TV for one month. “Cette decision qui intervient au moment ou le Gouvenement s’emploie a consolider les acquis de la liberte d’expression et l’Etat de droit, constitue une menace pour le preservation de l’equilibre de l’espace mediatique national, ainsi qu’un prejudice a la fois pour les nombreux emplois des personnel s de cet organe de presse en particulier, et pour l’economie national en general”, the minister said in the correspondence.
The approximate translation being: “This decision which comes at the moment that the Government is using to consolidate the gains of liberty of expression and the State of Law, constitute a threat to the preservation of equilibrium (balance) in the national media landscape, and also a prejudice to the several employed personnel of the press organ in particular, and the national economy in general”.
The Communication Minister called on the General Manager of Canal + Cameroun, to upon the reception of his correspondence, immediately reinstate the signal of Vision 4 TV in its bouquet, so that subscriber could once more start receiving the images of Vision 4.
Vision 4 TV And The Biya Regime / Vision 4 The Untouchable
It should be noted that, the Minister of Communication, Rene Emmanuel Sadi, in the correspondence was not explicit on what he meant by equilibrium or balance in the media landscape in Cameroon. It is an argument that some members of the regime, do say off record, in defense of Vision 4. They do consider Vision 4 TV as the only big private TV Channel in the country, which strongly supports the regime, and daringly y fight in defense for President Biya and regime. That has made Vision 4 an untouchable.
That has been the main reason why since the period that Peter Essoka (Uncle P) as President of the National Communication Council, the Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji, who is a frontline member of the Biya regime, has never accepted to instruct the SDO of Mfoundi to implement any sanction that NCC slams on Vision 4, like the sealing of Vision TV House, even for one day. And that is why since the period of Peter Essoka as President of NCC, journalists of Vision 4 TV rarely respect any sanction slammed on them by NCC, and nothing happens to them. Not only do they not respect the sanctions, but some go on air and blast the leadership of NCC, and dare them to do their worse. It was a very frustrating situation to Peter Essoka and his team, and it will certainly be the same to Joe Chebongkeng and his team.
Amougou Belinga’s Comrades
It should also be noted that besides the aspect of Vision 4 being a big defender of President Biya, the media mogul, Jean – Pierre Amougou Belinga, who owns Vision 4, and who is on a pre-trial detention at the Yaounde Central Prison in the Martinez Zogo Case, is a member of one of the two major camps in the CPDM regime. Members of the camp in which he belongs, try in all ways possible to protect his businesses at all cost, during this period of detention.
It is even very likely that the Minister of Communication, Rene Emmanuel Sadi, addressed the correspondence to “Groupe L’Anecdote’ on Friday, October 2, 2026, to ‘criticize’ the non –respect of the NCC sanctions by some journalists of Vision 4, only because Vision 4 too was sanctioned, and he wanted the sanction lifted. It should be noted, that Minister Sadi first addressed the correspondence to Canal + to reactivate the signal of Vision 4, before addressing the correspondence to the Anecdote Media Group.
Other Media Organs Sanctioned By NCC, Are Obliged To Respect The Sanctions
It should as well be noted that Vision 4 is not the first audio visual media organ in Cameroon to have been suspended. Some years ago, Equinoxe TV was shut down for a number of months, with no member of the regime complaining. In recent years, NCC has a number of times, suspended the Editor –in –Chief of Equinoxe TV, as well as some senior staff that coordinate certain programmes, not because of what they said or did, nut because invitees to a programme, said something that some members of the regime did not like. Even a few years ago, Severin Tchounkeu, the Proprietor of the ‘Groupe La Nouvelle Expression’, to which Equinoxe TV belongs, was sanctioned by NCC, and he respected the sanction despite the fact that he argued that it was unfair. Afrique Media TV was suspended in 2015. Quite a number of newspapers have been sanctioned suspensions by NCC, and they sanctions respects.
But when it comes to a TV channel, a radio, a newspaper, or better still, any media organ in the Anecdote Media Group, sanctioned by NCC are flagrantly ignored of disrespected with impunity.
Minister Sadi Could Have Done Better
Meanwhile, the reaction of the Minister of Communication, Rene Emmanuel Sadi, to the suspension of Canal 4 TV has embarrassed many observers. The problem is not Minister Sadi’s position against the suspension of Vision 4 TV. The problem is rather the way the minister reacted. Minister Sadi would have instead invited the leadership of the National Communication Council, to discuss this issue, than to write to write to a private company (Canal +), more so a foreign or international company, to criticize a State Institution. Also, the minster in the correspondence, gave the impression the State institution, or the official media watchdog, the National Communication Council, is against freedom of speech, is a threat to jobs or employment of youths in the country, or a threat to the progress of media organs which are enterprises.
Vision 4 Thanks Government
Meanwhile, the signal of Vision 4 TV was reinstated by Canal + on late on Monday, October 5, 2026, barely one week into the one month suspension. This followed the intervention of the Minister of Communication, Rene Emmanuel Sadi, who publicly humiliated, and thus weakened the National Communication Council. The minister bypassed or ignored the NCC, and instructed Canal + to reinstate the signal of Vision 4 in its bouquet.
When Vision 4 TV resumed normal operation on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, the Anecdote Media Group issued a communiqué in which the group repeatedly thanked the Government, or expressed profound gratitude to the Government, for the intervention which led to the reactivation of the signal of Vision 4 TV.
