Man who condemns the Consortium had once championed case for a return to federalism ¹

Caven Nnoko Mbele who recently joined forces with former Prime Minister Peter Mafany Musonge and launched a vicious attack against the North West people and the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium has been uncovered as the most inconsistent Southern Cameroons political figure. Cameroon Intelligence Report understands that during Nnoko Mbele’s time as Secretary General of the South West Elites Association, he made the case for federalism-a position recently adopted by the Consortium.

To be sure, in November 1994, Caven Nnoko Mbele made SWELA’s case for  a ten-state federation. Caven Nnoko Mbele’s speech worried many political leaders including the leadership of the Anglophone separatist movement- the Southern Cameroons National Council.  Inside sources deep within the Buea province of West Cameroon say, Caven Nnoko Mbele’s dramatic U-turn against the demands made by Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium for federalism is frightening. Below is a synopsis of the Nnoko Mbele 1994 presentation:

1-That a ten-state federal structure in the Republic of Cameroon gives room for the authentic recognition of the genius in each ethnic group. It recognizes the capacities and potential in each culture, climate, history, language and tradition of thought and habit of Cameroon. It galvanizes all these traits into possibilities in the tasks of nation-building. It calls for a wider loyalty, a larger legitimate aspiration than any that has ever animated the Cameroonian. It repudiates the views of excessive centralization on the one hand and blights all attempts at apparent uniformity on the other. Indeed unity in diversity on a transparent administrative basis is better than unity in deception.

2-SWELA reaffirm that a Union of States in a federation along the carvings of the present 10 provincial structure should be our spring-board for the future and provide the solution for Cameroon to lay the foundation for national unity and prepare the way for peace and security-conditions vitally needed to release the potentialities buried in Cameroonians and to make a definitive step towards the full measure of our collective and individual destinies.

3-To the doubtful, skeptical and fearful of a Federation, we wish to reiterate that the ultimate goal of any government is to provide opportunities, possibilities and resources required to raise the quality of life of all its citizens through the judicious and efficient use of national resources, both human and natural.

Culled from CIR