“I am not doing anybody’s bidding. I am doing Manyu’s bidding”  Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai ⁰

Over the last few weeks, Manyu and its development issues have been in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons and many people of Manyu descent have been asking if Manyu will ever know better days, especially as its divisional groupings such as MOHWA which are supposed to be development agencies have been collapsing. MOHWA had given the people of Manyu a lot of hope but in recent times, the organization has been caught up in scandals which have caused the organization to explode into multiple pieces with new organizations such as EYUMEMA and NYENE MAWN popping up. The Cameroon Concord News has been a committed spectator of the MOHWA drama and its Group Chairman and Editor-in-Chief, Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai, has focused on MOHWA’s unfortunate downward spiral. To let the readers of Cameroon Concord News gain a better understanding of the issue, our staff man, Alain Agbor Ebot, reached out to Mr. Agbaw-Ebai who shed more light on those issues which have put MOHWA in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons and he had this to say.

Cameroon Concord News: Mr. Chairman, you are always passionate about Manyu development and you hold that only the people of Manyu can engineer their own development. How do you think such development could be brought about?

Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai: Thank you for granting me the opportunity to share my thoughts with our readers. I am used to asking questions but this time around, I am bound to answer questions from another journalist. As you may know, Manyu Division is blessed with fine intellectual and academic minds but despite the availability of these resources, the Division is not making giant strides forward in terms of development. In many parts of the world, educated human resources represent a huge development of assets but in Manyu Division, education has unfortunately become a huge liability which is hurting the Division in a big and bad way. It is hard for people of Manyu descent to actually pool their resources to achieve something meaningful in their division. It is one Division in Cameroon wherein almost everyone thinks he is more intelligent than the other and this makes it hard for our people to work together. This unfortunate situation has really gotten worse over the years as a bunch of Ph.D holders and those with traditional titles like Seseskou have become a bane on the Division. Having a title in Manyu Division unfortunately implies that the title holder is the most intelligent. This is not true and the people of Manyu must change this mindset if they have to engineer real development in their own part of the world. Groupings like EYUMEMA, NYENE MAWN, MOHWA and others must step up to the plate to play their development roles. They need selfless and unassuming leaders who can unite the people for development purposes.

Cameroon Concord News: This leads us to the issue of MOHWA which has been your focus over the last week. What is the issue with MOHWA?

Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai: MOHWA has been the hope of the people of Manyu for decades. When created some decades ago, it was to enable Manyu women to socialize and for the older women to share their wisdom with the younger ones. This made it possible for traditional wisdom to be preserved and used for a limited development purpose. But over the years, following the migration of many women of Manyu descent to many parts of the world, MOHWA had to go global and many people saw it as a key development instrument. Under previous leaderships, scandals were rare and the development function was executed smoothly. Unfortunately, this seamless operation cannot continue for too long as greed, manipulation and self-aggrandizement have taken centre stage. MOHWA’s current leadership has been involved in unholy and undemocratic ways of running an association and this has caused outrage among the people of Manyu. The current MOHWA president, Comfort Beyang Ojongmpot, has been accused of financial malfeasance, dictatorship and manipulation by some current and former MOHWA members who are totally disappointed with the way MOHWA is being run. Despite our attempts to get MOHWA, which has been diminished by multiple breakaways, to clear itself of these allegations, the MOHWA president and her surrogates, have demonstrated that they do not care about the disaster they have engineered for MOHWA. True leadership is selfless, attentive and responsive. From their behavior, it could be deduced that they are only concerned about the money that is being generated abroad and sent back home for them to manage and that governance means little or nothing to them. The formation of EYUMEMA and NYENE MAWN are great testimonies to the chaos playing out in MOHWA and, from every indication, the worst is yet to happen. Many MOHWA members have left the organization and they are talking. Those who hold that MOHWA can still be relevant are looking forward to the day the current leadership will yield to the enormous pressure that is on Comfort Beyang Ojongmpot who has fallen short of the people’s glorious expectations.

Cameroon Concord News: I have read some reactions from some people who hold that the Cameroon Concord News Group is doing someone’s bidding and that you, in particular, have been paid to run down the image of MOHWA and its president. What do you make of this?

Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai: Thanks indeed for this important question. As you know, journalism is not a business wherein journalists go to seek love. A journalist is a whistle-blower, a teacher, an informant and, in an organized system, he could be an undercover agent.  A journalist does not create stories, he reports events and ensures that the voiceless have a platform on which they can tell their stories. A good journalist should have great sources and it is his duty to protect those sources. If anybody says that I am being paid, then that person already acknowledges that I am a good writer and a journalist whose work is attracting readers and attention. People just don’t distribute money if they do not find your services useful.  I think that those who think I am getting paid for rendering such quality services should rather demonstrate their innocence by providing evidence which will make mincemeat of the allegations leveled against MOHWA and its president. The onus is on MOHWA and its president to demonstrate that all the allegations are unfounded. Leaving the issues unaddressed and chasing shadows will not, in any way, rebuild MOHWA’s shattered image. I am not doing anybody’s bidding. I am doing Manyu’s bidding. Things must be done differently in Manyu if that division has to make giant strides forward. 

 Cameroon Concord News: Some of your critics even say you are unemployed and that may be why you have the time to be writing.

Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai: My dear friend, ignorance is bliss for the stupid. I am running a media empire which keeps me busy. If journalism is not a job, what then is it? Do I need to be found in a nursing home taking care of old or mentally sick people for me to be considered a worker? The world has changed and many of our people are unfortunately not adjusting to the changing times. With technology, certain professionals do not need other people’s offices for them to do what they like. A translator, a technical writer, a journalist, an editor and many others do not need to be running around like neckless chicken to make a living. Having a strong and good pen these days can deliver to you the best possible life. I happen to be working for an organization which knows how to raise funds online and I would like to hail the Board Members of Cameroon Concord News Group, especially Board Chairman and majority shareholder, Dr. Joachim Arrey, whose ability to bring money to the organization I lead is mind-blowing. The Board of my organization has structured the organization in such a way that many advertisers get attracted to what we do and the quality of writing is exceptional. We have correspondents across Cameroon and sometimes we pay journalists in other parts of the world to cover events for us. We do sometimes pay sister organizations to get any information we find useful on their websites. During the Southern Cameroons Crisis, the Cameroon Concord News Group was the only organization which had correspondents in the two English-speaking regions of Cameroon and we brought news about the horrors taking place in Southern Cameroons to our audiences in real time. We were admired by many and those who think today that journalism is not a profession hailed us when we were criticizing the government of Cameroon for its atrocities on English-speaking Cameroonians. Those who are casting slurs on me and my organization are simply unaware of how we operate. If they can criticize the work I do, then it implies that they are reading what I am writing. Instead of disliking them for their insults, I think I should admire them for their insatiable quest for the knowledge I am sharing. They should know that each time they click on our website; they only make it possible for my organization to make more money.  I will not trade my job for anything else. Journalism is a lucrative venture and writing comes to me easily. I don’t need to be a nurse or a factory worker for me to earn money.

Cameroon Concord News: So, what is next?

Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai: We are going to continue with our coverage of Cameroonian organizations and we will continue to encourage those who are doing the right thing while exposing those who engage in irresponsible behavior. We have given MOHWA the opportunity to share its perspective with us, but all of its members who have been protesting are media-shy. Either they do not know how to draft their story or they do not have much to say, and such behavior is symptomatic of guilt. We have even sent messages to some of their objective and responsible members but they have not replied to our messages. Are they hiding anything? Next weekend, our correspondent in Belgium will be covering the launch of NYENE MAWN which may be that proverbial nail into MOHWA’s coffin and we will be bringing the stories to our readers in real time. We will also focus on MOHWA whose leaders have yet to come to terms with the fact that they are no longer relevant.  They have to do the right thing or they will end up with an empty shell on their hands as the bad press is diminishing their ranks.

Cameroon Concord News: Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for your time. Any last word?

Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai: Thank you once more for granting me this opportunity for me to share more insight into the MOHWA saga with our readers. As a journalist, I would like to point out that writers neither hate nor love people just because they are close to them. As journalists, we have a key role to play – exposing those things which retard progress in any society. Those who think I hate MOHWA and its president are mistaken. If they organize any major event today, I will send my writers there for them to cover the event free of charge. They need to be media-friendly and this implies doing the right thing. Once more, thank you!