Life

6, September 2017

Crop-eating army worm hits Northern Cameroon, Worsening Food Crisis ⁰

Crop-eating fall army worms have attacked nearly 37,000 hectares of maize in northern Cameroon, officials said on Wednesday, accentuating an already dire humanitarian crisis provoked by the Islamist militant group Boko Haram’s cross-border insurgency.

More than two dozen African nations have reported outbreaks of the invasive Central American variety of the pest, which is harder to detect and eradicate than its African counterpart.

They have now spread to all of Cameroon’s 10 administrative regions, though maize crops in the Extreme North region have only been heavily affected since July, Deputy Agriculture Minister Clementine Ananga Messina told Reuters.

“The army worm attack endangers the entire maize sector and is creating serious risks of food insecurity, because it’s the most commonly grown cereal in Cameroon,” she said. The Extreme North region bordering Chad and Nigeria has been hit hard by Boko Haram, whose campaign of violence and cross-border attacks has sent more than 93,000 Nigerians fleeing into Cameroon where some 235,000 people have also been displaced.

Across the Lake Chad region around 1.5 million people are confronting a food crisis, according to the United Nations. Cameroonian authorities have launched an action plan to fight against the infestation, but so far pesticides have failed to contain it.

“There are no effective means to fight armyworm currently existing in Cameroon,” said Agriculture Ministry expert Andre Marie Elombat Assoua. “The chemical products now being used by farmers are ineffective and too expensive.”
Around 12 million Cameroonians, more than half of the national population, regularly consume maize. It is also an important ingredient for the central African nation’s breweries and in the production of feed for livestock. Though the fall armyworm prefers maize, it also attacked sorghum and millet, two of Cameroon’s other staple crops, earlier this year.

Source: Reuters

31, August 2017

Oroko-USA National Convention: Setting the agenda for future accomplishments! ⁰

In September 1-3, 2017 the Orokos in the United States will converged in one of America`s historic and UNESCO protective heritage city of Boston in their annual cultural assemblage, in a public display of the rich Sawa cultures, unique in its identity.The event which is the most celebrated, brings together all the Orokos in the United States of America to communion as a family by show-casing its cultural grandeur, traditional regalia and delicate traditional dishes.

The Orokos are an ethnic indigenous Sawa tribe in the Southwest region of Cameroon under the administrative unit of Ndian division. It stretches its cultural and linguistic similarities with the Grand Batanga of the resort city of Kribi in littoral and neighbouring Nigeria. With two newly created additional sub divisions, Ndian currently has four sub divisions namely Mundemba, Isangele, Ekondo Titi and Kombo-Edinti. The Orokos are span across two other divisions in the Southwest region namely Meme and Manyu. Some of the major clans include; Batangas, Bimas, Bakundus, Ngolos, Ekombe, Balondo-Banagas, Balue, Mbonge and Bakokos. Ndian is also considered the largest division in the region in terms of its geographical size.

The growing numerical strength of the Oroko population and the emerging new demographics of future American-Oroko kids became a social call and responsibility to bring all the Orokos under a mother association.In effect, the Oroko Cultural Association-OCA-USA was a dream come-true ostensibly out of the euphoria to unify the Orokos in the United States. And in September 1997, OCA was born in Atlanta Georgia. After the inception and the birth of OCA, it has produced five democratic elected impact presidents in this sequential ascendancy; pioneer president Tata Rev. Sam Esala who reigned from 1997-1998, Tata Awanjo Felix 1998-1999, Tata Louis Etongwe 1999-2005, Tata Fred Bebe 2005-2009, Iya Dr. Mercy Mabian 2009-2013 and Prince Ferdinand Mediko 2013-2017.

The 2017 convention which is an election year is special. And whoever is going to occupy the highest office of the association will have the onerous task of providing constructive and responsible leadership to all Orokos in the diaspora and at home, of every social background, gender, education and belief and above all, he/she must answer the call for socio-economic regeneration and take the destiny of Ndian division in his/her hands.

Despite the fact that Ndian division is one of the richest constituencies in Cameroon, it has benefited little or nothing from its God-given resources. Perhaps it is deliberate perhaps it is accidental, but this political and economic backwardness of Ndian division is a classic example of why all the Orokos must reinvent themselves, by creating new visions and mobilising themselves to develop their own resources. A natural resource is a source of blessings. But those found in Ndian division leaves behind a record devastating poverty stricken population with no signs for things to get better even in the near future.

The local economy paralysed due to in accessibility of road linking two major divisions [Ndian & Meme]. Educational infrastructures and healthcare facilities are deplorable. The inconvenient truth is that there is still the existence of breathtaking rise of personal vilification within the Orokos and the absence of receptiveness. And no matter what, this convention in Boston is special in the sense that it will produce a new presidential team to pilot the association for another deserved mandate. More to that, it is in Boston where American revolutionary ideas were conceived. It is in Boston where the revolution started. And therefore it should be in Boston where the Orokos will set the agenda for future accomplishments. Welcome to the city of Boston.

Prince Etukeni Agbaw-Ebai

Secretary General, Boston

25, August 2017

CRTV: So fed up with mediocrity, Charles Ndongo calls veterans back on active duty ⁰

The general manager of the Cameroon Radio Television (CRTV), Charles Ndongo has launched a one-week exercise to push journalists to perfection. The operation dubbed, “La Radio des Icônes” or the Radio for Icons begins 28th August through 3rd September 2017.

During this time, fifteen former CRTV journalists who won the admiration of the Cameroonian people will present prime time news bulletins and programs on radio. Detailing the project to CRTV National Station newsroom staff, Charles Ndongo encouraged all to follow the footsteps of the icons that are being celebrated till date.

Renowned names in Cameroonian journalism like Abel Mbengue, Peter Essoka and Jean Claude Ottou hailed the Director General’s initiative calling it an opportunity to encourage the younger generation.

One of the media gurus on schedule, Peter Essoka advised the young journalists to be inquisitive, intuitive and humble. CRTV’s audience will therefore get another opportunity to listen to inspiring voices of the 80’s and 90’s.

Below is the program schedule:

Monday 28th August 2017
– One PM News Presenter: Jean Claude Ottou
– Sports Page Presenter: Abel Mbengue
– Three PM News Presenter: Peter Essoka

29th August 2017
– Les Matinées de la CRTV Presenter: Jean Marterne Ndi
– Seven PM News Presenter: Gideon Taka

30th August 2017
– One PM Presenter: Zacharie Ngniman
– Luncheon Date Presenter: Paul Kode

31st August 2017
– Les Matinées de la CRTV Presenter: Sally Messio
– Luncheon Date Presenter: Victor Epie Ngome

1st September 2017
– Five PM News Presenter: Barbara Etoa
– Weekend Sports Presenter: Njomo Kevin

2nd September 2017
– One PM news Presenter: Pascal Mebe Abah
– Saturday Evening Request Presenter: Mweng Meombo

3rd September 2017
– Dimanche Midi Presenter: Antoine Marie Ngono
– CRTV Afternoon Edition: Ngyetiko Musi

Source: CRTV

23, August 2017

Brother of legendary singer Petit Pays dies ⁰

The King of Makossa Love and Cameroonian music legend, Petit-Pays and his family have been mourning since Monday. Didier Moundi Mpoupe, one of the artist’s younger brothers died on Monday, August 21, 2017 in Paris apparently due to an illness. Cameroon Concord News gathered that the mega star got the news upon his return home from a tour that took him to the USA, Canada and in Essen in the NordRhein Westphalia province in Germany.

Information filtered at the time of filing this report that Petit Pays was back in France from where he will transport the remains of his little brother to Cameroon. Our attempts at getting to his US based manager, Eyong Eyong Ebot were futile.

The deceased had been a footballer. He joined Caiman of Douala in 2010 when Petit Pays was CEO of the Akwa Township club in Douala. He managed to score a goal from his first match in the first division championship as a substitute. The rest of his stay proved a little tumultuous. The coaches preferred to relegate him to the sidelines-a situation that placed Petit-Pays at daggers-drawn positions with the technical staff.

Didier Mpoupe was made famous by his renowned elder brother whose popular hits from the early 90s chanted his name in his songs. Music lovers will certainly remember Petit Pays always saying « Mpoupe Didier, la star d’Hollywood ».

By Rita Akana with files from Cameroon Info.Net

21, August 2017

Biya supports campaign to get children back to school in Southern Cameroons ⁰

The French Cameroun dictator, Paul Biya has announced a financial package to entice religious leaders and some proprietors of private schools in Southern Cameroons to open their doors for the 2017 academic year. The Minister of Secondary Education said the sum of 2 billion FCFA has been made available as subvention to private primary and secondary schools in the country.

The Minister of Secondary Education, Jean Ernest Ngalle Massena Bibehe specified that the secondary and basic education sectors will each receive CFA one billion. The envelope will be distributed to both religious establishments and lay private schools that will go through a CPDM audition.

It was also revealed that 658 schools will benefit from the subvention including 28 teachers’ training schools, 508 schools within the general education category, 123 technical schools and 35 school management boards. Education officials have also hinted that payments will depend on the size of the institution and that only schools that had previously applied have been shortlisted for the grant.

The Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium has however rejected the move stating that it remains a vain attempt at stifling the Southern Cameroons revolution. A spokesperson for the Consortium told Cameroon Concord News that the regime is broke and Biya has been unable to provide simple computer laptops he promised students in higher institutions of learning in the country.

By Rita Akana with files from CRTV

20, August 2017

Trumps skip Kennedy Center Honors amid political backlash ⁰

US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump will not attend one of America’s most prestigious art awards, the annual Kennedy Center Honors, the White House has announced.

“The President and First Lady have decided not to participate in this year’s activities to allow the honorees to celebrate without any political distraction,” a statement from the White House read.

The announcement came a day after members of Trump’s Committee on Arts and Humanities unanimously resigned to protest his refusal to condemn last week’s racist rallies in Virginia. Several honorees said they would boycott a White House reception for the awards.

Trump was widely criticized for blaming “both sides” for the deadly violence that erupted at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville.

Kennedy Center Chairman David M. Rubenstein and President Deborah F. Rutter released a statement welcoming Trump’s decision to skip the ceremony.

“In choosing not to participate in this year’s Honors activities, the Administration has graciously signaled its respect for the Kennedy Center and ensures the Honors gala remains a deservingly special moment for the Honorees. We are grateful for this gesture.”

The Kennedy Center also said that the traditional pre-ceremony reception at the White House was cancelled this year.

Trump’s exceptionally turbulent week was capped by his Friday firing of chief strategist Steve Bannon, the latest in a series of high-profile West Wing exits in recent months. Bannon is closely associated with the white nationalism of the “alt-right” movement.

The president also stayed away from the annual White House correspondents’ dinner in April, with then-press secretary Sean Spicer citing Trump’s strained relations with the news media.

Source: Presstv

18, August 2017

Cameroon Red Cross: CPDM barons to fight for Eteki Mboumoua’s seat ⁰

The race to replace the Late William Aurelian Eteki Mboumoua as president of the Cameroon Red Cross has begun in earnest. Candidates contesting for the post have begun campaigns ahead of elections scheduled for the 12th August 2017 at the headquarters of the institution. The date, venue and candidates eligible to take part in the elections were made public by the Minister of Public Health and chair of the Ad hoc Electoral Committee for the election of the president of the Cameroon Red Cross, Andre Mama Fouda and the co-chair, El Hadj Modibo Halodou Ibrahima.

According to the press release, six candidates were retained for the race including Abdousalam Mahaman, Akame Mfoumou nee Mendomo Cecile Leonie, Marie Madeleine Fouda, Feutse Roger, Ousmanou Dawaye and Peh Peh Ebenezer. Of the six candidates only five will be running, Ousmanou Dawaye having passed away.

The kicker for election campaigns was given on Thursday, 17th August 2017 by Feutse Roger during a press Conference in Yaoundé where he launched his manifesto. The Ambassador of humanitarian activities and President of the Red Cross for Mfoundi who has served in the Cameroon Red Cross for ten years said he vision is to build a Red Cross of action and proximity which is able to generate its own income.

He hopes to promote the humanitarian heritage by promoting team work, training of rescuers and to redefine the management model in the institution. He will however be contesting alongside Marie Madeleine Fouda, Former Minister of Social Affairs and member of the outgoing executive. She holds dear the vision of the founder of the Red Cross which is to help the needy and increase the number of rescuers in schools and institutions. She also hopes to use her 25 years experience in the Red Cross to attract more partners and donors.

Retired police Superintendent Peh Peh Ebenezer holds that a soldier remains a soldier even for a humanitarian mission. The retired officer hopes to use his experience as a uniformed man to forge a dynamic, strong and independent Red Cross. Former Vice President of the Management board and member of the ongoing executive, Abdousalam Mahaman and Akame Mfoumou nee Mendomo Cecile Leonie member of the outgoing executive also have convincing reasons why they hope to lead the Cameroon Red Cross. At the end of the elective general assembly at the Red Cross Head quarters on Monday 21st August 2016, the new President of the body will be known after the ballots would have been counted.

Source: CRTV

17, August 2017

La Republique to triple Soybean output, as new estates go effective ⁰

YAOUNDE, Cameroon–Cameroon expects to more than triple its soybean harvest this year in an effort to cut imports of the crop, a top official in the Ministry of Economy said Wednesday.

“We expect to produce 35,000 metric tons of soybeans in 2017 from a new 200-hectare plantation,” Cameroon’s deputy minister of the economy, Yaouba Abdoulaye, told reporters.

Source: Fox business

16, August 2017

Douala: Wife of famous Makossa star Guy Lobe dies ⁰

Patience Lobe Ondoua, wife of the late Makossa star Guy Lobe is no more. The late singer’s wife died on Tuesday August 15, 2017 at the General Hospital in Douala.

Reacting to news of her sudden disappearance, Makossa legend, Sam Mbende said he was very touched by the death of Patience Lobe Ondoua, a well-known woman in the world of show bizz and wife of the late Guy Lobe. We understand, Sam Mbende is very close to the Guy Lobe family.

Patience Ondoua was reportedly ill in November 2016 and was admitted at the General Hospital in Douala. She is originally from the Lekie Division in the Central Region. Her husband, the famous Guy Lobe, died on March 16, 2015 at the Yaoundé General Hospital following an illness.

By Rita Akana with files from CIN

12, August 2017

Contaminated eggs scandal spreads from Europe to Asia ⁰

A scandal involving eggs contaminated with insecticide spread to 15 EU countries, Switzerland and as far away as Hong Kong on Friday as the European Commission called for a special meeting on the growing crisis.

Brussels said the 15 affected EU countries were Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Sweden, Britain, Austria, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Denmark, along with non-EU Switzerland. But in a sign the crisis is going global, Brussels also announced that Hong Kong had received some tainted eggs from the Netherlands, with the southern Chinese city becoming the first place in Asia known to be affected.

Hong Kong health minister Sophia Chan said Saturday authorities were “strengthening” inspections of eggs from Europe Ministers and food safety chiefs from around the European Union are set to meet on September 26 in a bid to get countries to stop “blaming and shaming” each other over the scare involving the chemical fipronil.

Millions of eggs have been pulled from supermarket shelves across Europe and dozens of poultry farms closed since the discovery of fipronil, which can harm human health, was made public on August 1. The issue has sparked a row between Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany, the three countries at the epicenter of the crisis, about how long they knew about the problem.

“Blaming and shaming will bring us nowhere and I want to stop this,” Vytenis Andriukaitis, the European Commissioner for health and food safety, told AFP as he announced the meeting. “We need to work together to draw the necessary lessons and move forward instead.”

European Commission spokeswoman Mina Andreeva said that “this is not, let’s be clear, a crisis meeting” and it is being held next month to get “distance to the events.” Fipronil is commonly used to get rid of fleas, lice and ticks from animals but is banned by the European Union from use in the food industry.

A picture taken on August 11, 2017 shows employees handle eggs at an egg farm in Gaesti. (By AFP)

The EU insists there is no threat to human health, but the World Health Organization (WHO) says that when eaten in large quantities it can harm people’s kidneys, liver and thyroid glands. As well as dealing with the immediate food safety issue, the EU is also seeking to calm tempers over the egg row after a series of divisive crises in the bloc in recent years, from Brexit to migration.

Belgium earlier this week accused the Netherlands of knowing about the fipronil eggs since November 2016 and failing to notify other countries. On Thursday Dutch Health Minister Edith Schippers admitted the government had made “errors” but denied a cover-up.

“We were well aware of a report of the presence of fipronil in the pens of egg-laying hens in November 2016, but there was no indication at the time that fipronil itself was found in the eggs,” said Schippers. A Dutch whistleblower separately said he had told the authorities that Chickfriend, the Dutch company at the center of the scandal, was illegally using fipronil in the treatment of lice in chicken pens in The Netherlands.

“I am the anonymous whistleblower,” Nick Hermens told the NPO public broadcaster. A Belgian company, Poultry Vision, has said it provided Chickfriend with the chemical. Dutch and Belgian investigators carried out coordinated raids on several premises on Thursday, arresting two people at Chickfriend.

However, Belgium itself has been forced to admit that it knew about fipronil in eggs back in June but kept it secret for nearly two months because of a criminal investigation. Fresh discoveries of contaminated eggs have continued daily. Denmark said on Friday it had found two tons of fipronil-tainted scrambled eggs, bringing the total of contaminated eggs to 22 tons, mainly from Belgium. Poland said it had discovered about 40,000 eggs imported from Germany.

French Agriculture Minister Stephane Travert said that since April the country had sold nearly 250,000 contaminated eggs, imported from Belgium and the Netherlands, but the risk for consumers was “very low” given French eating habits. The food scare is one of the biggest to hit Europe since the 2013 horsemeat scandal when equine meat was falsely labelled and mis-sold.

Previous food scandals include contamination of chickens and eggs by dioxin in 1999, which began in Belgium, and mad-cow disease — cattle feed contaminated by the ground-up carcasses of animals infected with a deadly brain disorder — which ran from roughly 1986-1998 and started in Britain.

(Source: AFP)