Why Many Family Businesses In Cameroon Do Not Survive Their Founders (Part 10)

What Became Of The Thriving Family Business That Chief Dr HNA ENONCHONG Left Behind in 2008?

As mentioned in an earlier article before this, a heated dispute sparked off over the designation of the Administrator of the Estate of Late Chief Dr HNA Enonchong by the family in the village. Some of Late Chief Enonchong’s children, as well as the wife who was living him at the time he passed away, and the designated Administrator of the Estate (Prince Charles Abi Enonchong), got involved in very bitter and costly legal battles in the  Littoral and Southwest Regions, and even in the Centre Region,  over the assets and money that the Founder of the Family Business  left behind.

The real estate enterprise, SCI – Abane Sarl , for example, disappeared after the death of the Founder, Chief Enonchong.  Some of the children, backed by their lawyers, fought each other in and outside the courts, to grab houses that belonged to the real estate, SCI – Abane  Sarl .  The fight in most cases were against the Administrator of  the Enonchong Estate, Prince Charles Abi  Enonchong, who was designated  by  the Enonchong Family at home, but contested by his step brothers  and sisters, including the woman in the house.  The designated Administrator of the Estate of Late Chief Enonchong, also  made a modification in the name and status of SCI – Abane Sarl, which led  his step –brothers and sisters  to accuse him of having hijacked  the enterprise.

The Abane Global Bank Project 

Meanwhile even the President of some courts that did not have jurisdiction over the cases, forced their way in. For example in 2009, the then President of the Yaounde Court of First Instance, Administrative Centre, forced in his court. In that 2009, the then  President of the  Yaounde Court of First Instance (Administrative Centre), issued a decision that was used by a group of persons  and their lawyer, to rapidly withdraw the  one billion francs CFA that Chief Enonchong  preserved as the capital of the commercial  bank, ABANE  GLOBAL BANK, that he wanted to create.

As required by the Central Africa Banking Commission, COBAC.  Chief Enonchong put the money in an account that was created for that purpose at the National Financial Credit, NFC Bank at Bonanjo, Douala as the capital for the creation of a commercial bank, Abane Global Bank, with headquarters in Limbe.  In fact the total amount of money in that account  which Chief Enonchong created  at the NFC Bank in Douala, was  1, 127,000,000 FCFA (One billion , one hundred and twenty seven million francs CFA, at the time of his death.  The money was withdrawn from the NFC Bank in Douala within four days. A complaint was launched at a court in Douala by  the designated Administrator of  Late  Chief Enonchong’s Estate,  and an order was given for the sealing of the bank accounts of all those that shared the money. But then there was very little money in almost all the accounts, as the persons that withdrew the money definitely knew that there would be trouble when it would be discovered, and so did not leave the money in their bank accounts.  The long and short of it, was that the Abane Global Bank Project did not survive its Founder.

But again, this unfortunate situation would have been avoided if Chief HNA Enonchong, the Founder of the Family Business chain that included SCI – Abane Sarl, FREFOCAM, the Abane Global Bank Project among others, had designated and groomed one of his children or close and trusted family member, as administrator of his estate while he was alive.

As for the rubber plantations in Tiko Sub –division, they were after the passing away of Chief Enonchong initially run by the Administrator of the Estate that was designated by the family in the village. But the legal battles over the assets of late Chief Enonchong   by his children and the women in the house, led to the then Southwest Attorney to appoint an Administrator of the plantations.  But when later there was the eruption of the Anglophone Crisis which went on to escalate, the management of the rubber plantations was abandoned by the court due to insecurity.

The Fight Over Assets And Money Is Still On 

Suffice to say, today (2025), that is 17 years after the death of Chief HNA Enonchong,  some legal battles  are still going on between the children, over some of the assets he left behind, which include a building at Akwa , Douala, among others.  It should be noted that along the line, Prince  Charles Abi Enonchong , the designated  next – of – kin and Administrator of the Estate of Late Chief Enonchong , was thrown into the New Bell Prison in Douala where he spent quite sometimes,  in matters related to the fight over the estate of  Late Chief Enonchong.

However upon his released from jail, he did not give up the fight.  The Mentor News learnt that Prince Charles Enonchong succeeded to recover some of the houses of the Enonchong Estate.  Also, the matter over the one billion francs CFA that was meant for the Abane Global Bank Project, that was withdrawn from the account of the National Financial Credit, NFC Bank, is still dragging.  The Mentor News learnt that the designated Administrator of the Estate of Late Chief Enonchong, decided to leave aside those that withdrew the money from the account, and dragged NFA Bank to court for the money. He and his lawyers argue that it was NFC Bank’s fault to have wrongly paid out the money.  They argue that the account was opened by Chief Enonchong, and the money was put in the account by him.  And that following his death, only the legal Administrator of the Estate of Late Chief Enonchong, was legally supposed to have access to the account.

But again, all these troubles, all the acrimonious  disputes or fights  that have split the  family of Late Chief HNA Enonchong, would have been avoided, at least to an extent, if the Founder of the  Family Business (Chief Enonchong), had  while  alive groomed  one of his children  or trusted family member to succeed him  as Administrator of the Estate.  He failed to that, and thus left the door open to what unfortunately happened to the thriving Family Business after he passed away on June 26, 2008.