Breaking News

5, July 2016

University of Bamenda raised 150 million FCFA for infrastructural development ⁰

Efforts by the University of Bamenda to step up its infrastructural development were boosted on July 2, 2016, with the launch of the University of Bamenda Development Fund, UBaDEF. The ceremony in the university campus at Bambili saw the collection of 150 million FCFA from North West elite and friends of the university. The University of Bamenda thus becomes the second State-owned higher educational institution in Cameroon to run a development fund after the University of Buea some years ago.

It was indeed a great moment during which guests demonstrated generosity towards the university that is in dire need of classrooms, an ICT Centre, Main Library, student hostels, multi-purpose sports complex, health centre, etc. The Pro-Chancellor, Prof. Dominique Mvogo, brought a message from the Minister of Higher Education, Jacques Fame Ndongo, commending what he described as “a brilliant initiative to supplement State subventions.”

It was all cheers for the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Therese Nkuo Akenji, who conceived the idea to create UBaDEF. The Vice Chancellor revisited the birth of the University in 2010, stressing its mission of teaching, research and service to the community. Prof. Therese Nkuo Akenji urged guests to stand by the institution whose 16,000 student and staff population requires huge investments to function properly.

She saluted the government, North West elite, friends of the institution and traditional rulers for offering land to the nation’s youngest State university. The chief launcher, Alhadji Baba Ahmadou Danpullo and co-launchers set the tone, giving cheerfully. Meanwhile, an independent Management Committee for UBaDEF was commissioned with Tumban Manfred at the helm. It has as mission to source private and public funds to meet the infrastructural and academic needs of the university.

Cameroon Tribune

5, July 2016

Biya expected in Kribi ¹

The presidential security and some elements from the civil cabinet department of the presidency of the republic have been moved to Kribi pending a visit by the head of state to the newly constructed deep sea port project. Cameroon Concord News understands a long line of all-terrain vehicles of the Cameroon army have been stationed at Mboro at the sea port site whose first phase was completed since 2014.

We gathered that the visit of the Head of State will be to inaugurate the industrial port complex. A highly placed government official who sued for anonymity quoted the Director of the Civil Cabinet at the Presidency of the Republic that “everything is ready for the arrival of the head of state”.

Sama Ernest (Cameroon Concord News Group)

4, July 2016

Adieu Professor Tazoacha Asonganyi ⁰

The late Professor Tazoacha Asonganyi had a PhD in Biochemistry in 1980 from the University of London (UK). He did his PhD research in a Laboratory at Gower’s Street some few meters from Dillon’s Bookshop London, which he visited on a regular basis. During the same period he also worked with a Negritude Community Group (“Headstart Books & Crafts” London N15) which dealt in books on the history of peoples of African origin.

These two contacts outside his area of specialization caused a profound change in his education and did influence him principally. He was a fan of Cheikh Anta Diop whose books and many others with the same thrust he read during that time. He taught in the Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences of the University of Yaoundé 1 since 1985, training medical students for over 30 years. He was a visiting lecturer at many universities and published in many international academic journals including some 90 peer-reviewed articles.

His scientific research interests were in Sleeping sickness/Trypanosomiasis, River blindness/Onchocerciasis, HIV/AIDS. Following the inception of multiparty politics in Cameroon in the early 1990s, he emerged and became Secretary General of the SDF from 1994-2005. He then became the Permanent Secretary of the opposition CNRR in 2004.

He parted ways with the SDF in 2006 and published over 100 articles in newspapers and other media analyzing the political situation in Cameroon and many other African countries. He observed elections for the Carter Center USA in Ghana, and for the National Democratic Institute (NDI) of Washington DC in Nigeria. He was one of the highly solicited guests on CRTV programs like Press Hour and MORNING SAFARI.

CRTV

4, July 2016

MTN Cameroon suspends over 600,000 unidentified subcribers ⁰

Barely a day after the deadline for the identification operation of mobile phone subscribers initiated by the CPDM Government, the mobile phone operator MTN Cameroon has suspended lines of subscribers who have not met the rules. Cameroon Concord News has learnt from local media sources that nearly 600,000 unidentified numbers were put out of the MTN Cameroon network. A spokesperson for the South African operator was quoted as saying it is matter of making the operator’s database reliable and to respect the orders of the guardianship.

The Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, Likeng Minette Libom Li announced that every mobile phone subscriber must be identified. It was in line with government policy that MTN Cameroon is committed to working with the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications to make the environment even safer and increase customer confidence in the network and take all appropriate measures, such as to guarantee security. MTN has also advised that after six months if the unidentified customers failed to submit make available the rightful documentation, they will be permanently disabled.

Sama Ernest (Cameroon Concord News Group)

4, July 2016

Ethiopian authorities release Camair Co’s Boeing 767 ⁰

After spending six months in Ethiopia for maintenance and unpaid bills, Camair Co’s Boeing 767 landed in Douala on Saturday July the 2^nd. The Boeing code named the Dja was flown to Addis Ababa for repairs but had to stay put for a six months period because Camair Co was unable to pay for the technical maintenance work. A source who sued for anonymity told Cameroon Concord News that it needed the intervention of the Minister of Transport for the Ethiopian authorities to release the plane.

Welcoming the crew at the Douala International airport, the general manager of Camair Co, Nana Sandjo, assisted by members of his staff said the Boeing 767 was ready for business, “everything was refurbished. It can resume flying.” Nana Sandjo added that, “There is just some small checks to be done in Cameroon and Camair-Co, as well as paperwork.” The Dja has a 220 passenger capacity.

Rita Akana (Cameroon Concord News Group)

4, July 2016

Charles Ndongo says Biya is his savior and messiah ⁰

Appointments in CPDM Cameroon are not often seen as a virtue but as a reward from the head of state. This is the favor that Charles Ndongo recently got from the Cameroonian dictator when he was appointed general manager of the state owned radio and television.

Immediately after his installation, Charles Ndongo, publicly expressed gratitude to the president of the republic painting him as his “savior” and “messiah”.

Said Ndongo; “Biya has fundamentally and literally saved my life. I had only two months and some days to go on retirement but Biya has saved me. He is my savior and messiah. Thank you Mr President”. In Cameroon, retirement is seen by many CPDM militants as a kind of punishment.

Rita Akana (Cameroon Concord News Group)

4, July 2016

CPDM awards 20 medals to some Senators ⁰

Shouts of joy swept across the Yaounde Conference Centre yesterday, June 30, 2016 as 20 medals were awarded to some Senators and personnel of the Senate. The ceremony that took place in the lobby of the Conference Centre was chaired by Senate President, Marcel Niat Njifenji, in the presence of the Vice Prime Minister, Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of Relations with the Assemblies, Amadou Ali.

Three categories of State honours, notably, the National Order of Valour, National Order of Merit and Public Force medal were affixed on the chests of 20 beneficiaries by Senate President on behalf of the Head of State. The medals awarded to the recipients were part of the 2016 20^th May national distinctions to meritorious citizens.

Senators, staff and family relations who witnessed the solemn ceremony could not hide their joy each time the name of a recipient was called for the honour. Senators Ntube Agnes Njock and Mbella Moki Charles expressed satisfaction to the Head of State and said they would continue to serve the nation with loyalty. In an atmosphere of ecstasy, family relations handed bouquet of flowers to medal recipients. Meanwhile, the Senate Chairmen’s Conference met prior to the medal award ceremony to decide on the agenda of today’s plenary sitting.

CAMTRIBUNE

3, July 2016

Obama accepts Ambassador Etoundi Essomba’s letter of accreditation ⁰

US President Obama has accepted the letter of accreditation from Ambassador Etoundi Essomba. The Minister Plenipotentiary officially took office on the 27^th of June 2016 as Cameroon ambassador to the USA after the traditional ceremony of presentation of credentials that held at the Oval Office of the White House.

Etoundi Essomba who served as Cameroon ambassador to Israel for two decades was appointed to US by a presidential decree on Monday, April 11, 2016. The Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Republic of Cameroon to the United States of America with residence in Washington DC now has the onerous task of uniting the US Cameroonian Diaspora and defend the interest of Cameroon. He replaced his kinsman, Charles Foe Atangana.

Chi Prudence Asong (Cameroon Concord News Group)

3, July 2016

Russia sending aircraft carrier to Syria ⁰

Russia is sending the flagship of its navy, the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier, to join the battle against the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group in Syria.

According to the TASS news agency, the ship will leave for the Mediterranean Sea in October and serve as a platform for carrying out airstrikes against the terrorists until at least February 2017.

Presstv

2, July 2016

Cardinal Sarah says Poverty is a Christian value ⁰

His Eminence Cardinal Sarah recently opined that Poverty is a Christian value. In his book God or Nothing, the Cardinal stressed that ambiguities on doctrine can lead to dangerous opinions. The book as reviewed by Lifesitenews contains excellent teachings for our times. It is indeed a MUST READ!!

Clearly Cardinal Sarah’s comments here address the very misguided, heavily politicized and ideological efforts of many Catholic international aid agencies as well as government and other agencies that tend to emphasis elimination of the poor through contraception and destroying family cultures.

He says:

p.140 I remember being disgusted when I heard the advertising slogan of a Catholic charitable organization, which was almost insulting to the poor: ”Let us fight for zero poverty” .… not one saint – and God alone knows the tremendous number of saints of charity the church has brought forth in two thousand years – ever dared to speak that way about poverty and poor people.

– Jesus himself had no pretension of the sort. The slogan respects neither the gospel nor Christ. Ever since the Old Testament, God has been with the poor; and Sacred Scripture unceasingly claims “the poor of Yahweh”. A poor person feels dependent on God; this bond is the foundation of spirituality.

– Yes, poverty is a Christian value. The poor person is someone who knows that, by himself, he cannot live. He needs God and other people in order to be, flourish, and grow. On the contrary, rich people expect nothing of anyone. They can provide for their needs without calling either on their neighbors or on God. In this sense, wealth can lead to great sadness and true human loneliness or just terrible spiritual poverty. If in order to eat and care for himself, a man must turn to someone else, this necessarily results in a great enlargement of his heart. This is why the poor are closest to God and live great solidarity with one another;

p.141 The church must not fight against poverty but, rather, wage a battle against destitution, especially material and spiritual destitution. It is critical to make a commitment so that all men might have the minimum they require in order to live. “The spirit of poverty and charity is the glory and witness of the Church of Christ”

– But we do not have the right to confuse destitution and poverty, because in doing so we would seriously be going against the gospel. Recall what Christ told us: “The poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me” (Jn 12:8) Those who want to eradicate poverty make the son of God a liar. They are mistaken and lying.

p.142 The language of the UN and of its agencies, who want to suppress poverty, which they confuse with destitution, is not that of the church of Christ. The Son of God did not come to speak to the poor in ideological slogans! The Church must banish these slogans from our language. For they stupefied and destroyed peoples who were trying to remain free in conscience

Truth is charity

Below he addresses the many influential or small-minded critics who insist that we must just pray and remain silent about the damaging programs and statements we see and hear and not speak out in order to protect life, family, faith and truth.

p.143 It is a lack of charity to shut one’s eyes. It is a lack of charity to remain silent in the face of confusing words and slogans!

The atheistic West is endangering the whole world

Cardinal Sarah is aware of the great dangers to the entire world of today’s situation in especially the European Union, the United States and Canada.

p.146 I think that the immense economic, military, technological, and media influence of a godless West could be a disaster for the world. If the West does not convert to Christ, it could end up making the whole world pagan; the philosophy of unbelief feverishly seeks followers in new parts of the globe. In this sense, we are facing an atheism that is proselytizing more and more. The pagan culture is determined to extend the domain of its struggle against God. In order to bring about their rebirth, the former countries of the old Christian tradition need to re-energize by embarking on a new evangelization.

P.148 Following Benedict XVI, I am convinced that one of the most important tasks of the church is to make the West rediscover the radiant face of Jesus. If the Old Continent cuts itself off from its roots definitively, I fear that it will cause a major crisis for all mankind, and I see some beginnings of it here and there.

 The absolute need to defend the traditions and doctrines of Catholicism

p.147 we have an urgent obligation, says St. Athanasius, to study “the ancient tradition, teaching and faith of the Catholic Church, which was revealed by the Lord, proclaimed by the apostles, and guarded by the Fathers. For upon this faith the church is built, and if anyone were to lapse from it, he would no longer be a Christian either in fact or name.”

Prayer is the tool to reform the world

p.150 Prayer is the greatest need of the contemporary world; it remains the tool with which to reform the world.

p.153 The start of the reform must concentrate on Catholic schools and seminaries.