Consultative talks to designate a replacement for the paramount chieftaincy stool in Limbe has ended in a deadlock last Friday October 20, 2017 forcing the Senior Divisional Officer for Fako, Engamba Emmanuel Ledoux to postpone the talks to a later date – Friday, November 3, 2017.
In a tense atmosphere on Friday, October 20 at the Limbe city council hall, Down Beach, the three main families in Limbe; the Carrs, Mukebas and Manga Williams couldn’t agree on the choice for a successor to the late chief Ferguson Billa Manga Williams, who passed away some 11 years ago.
According to a representative of the Carr family, David Nanjia Carr, late Ferguson Billa Manga Williams and his father who have ruled Victoria for almost a century were not traditionally designated chiefs. He argued that Chief Johannes Manga Williams, Ferguson’s father, was a district officer in 1908 who was imposed on the Victoria community by the Germans because he was literate.
He added that the Manga Williams family has never been a royal family and cannot be permitted allowed to continue to rule in Victoria, now Limbe.
Chief Samuel Ekum of Dikolo on his part cited historical references to indicate that the Manga Williams are the rightful owners of the Limbe paramount chieftaincy throne. He argued that their royal lineage could be traced to Bimbia, true owners of the Land that later became Victoria after offering it to Alfred Saker in 1858.
Chief Ekum maintained that the Limbe chieftaincy is hereditary and not rotatory as claimed by the other protagonists. He cited how Late Chief Johannes Manga Williams ruled Victoria from 1908-1958 when he died and the throne was inherited by his son, Ferguson Manga Williams who ruled from 1958 till his demise in 2006.
“It is only normal that the throne be given to another member of the Manga Williams family, I don’t know where all these other people are coming from with their claims”, Chief Ekum stated.
Other speakers during the talks asked the SDO to consider giving each division within Limbe its own paramount chief since the administrative unit has been split into Limbe I, II and III.
On the other hand, another speaker urged the SDO to consult the ‘Beele commission’ which was constituted after the demise of Chief Johanness Manga Williams in 1958. The commission requires that the three main families in Victoria; Carrs, Mukebas and the Manga Williams to deliberate and come with a new chief in the case of a vacancy.
As the atmosphere became more strained, the Senior Divisional Officer for Fako Engamba Emmanuel Ledoux told the three different families to go back and have pre-consultative talks and produce a single candidate for the Paramount chieftaincy stool. He adjourned the matter to November 3, 2017 for broad consultative talks that will finally select the new heir to the Limbe chieftaincy throne.
The consultative talks that held last Friday, October 20 came on the heels of another family event that saw a major endorsement last Friday, October 6 of Prince John Elufa Manga Williams by a cross section of Limbe Kingmakers to fill the vacant stool of the Limbe paramount chieftaincy.
This was done in the presence of other Limbe elites at the Johnny Manga Williams residence in Mbonjo, amongst them was the member parliament for Fako East, Hon. Etombi Gladys, Mayor Nseke Luma of Limbe III, The Divisional Officer of Limbe III and former government delegate, Lifanda Samuel Ebiama. There was also the noticeable presence of the Chief of Batoke, HRH Molungu Otto.
The six kingmakers who endorsed Prince John Manga Williams and promised to present him to the Fako SDO as their choice for the Limbe paramount chieftaincy stool include, Chief Samuel Ekum of Dikolo, Pastor Monjimbo of Bonagombe, Isaac Nanjia Carr, a representative of the Mukeba family amongst others.
The endorsement comes a year after Johnny Manga Williams (as he is fondly called) was officially nominated by the Manga Williams family as the one to replace the late Chief Furguson Billa Manga Williams, who passed away some 11 years ago.

Thesunnewspaper

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Rita Akana

25.Oct.2017

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An Inter urban transport agency plying the Yaounde-Douala road-network has been banned from circulation after one of its buses was involved in a deadly accident in which over 20 civilians lost their souls with many others severely injured.General express voyages was suspended for 3 months by Cameroon's Minister of transportation on Tuesday, October 25th 2017. The passenger bus of General express collided with a trailer which was coming from the opposite direction. The driver of the bus is accused of poor driving and his drivers licence has been suspended for 12 months.The burden of road traffic injuries on heavy traffic roads in Cameroon calls for urgent interventions.Every day, people die in road collisions. So many variable factors are linked to accidents on the road. But statistics have shown that driver errors account for over 80 per cent of all fatal and injury crashes on Cameroon roads. Just like years past, accidents are still being caused today by careless drivers. Many die as a consequence of inexperience, speeding intoxication through drink or drugs or just plain recklessness. The worst part is that, a driver can only control his own actions and not those of the drivers next to him.

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Rita Akana

25.Oct.2017

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Speaking to the BBC on Saturday, the Minister of Labour and Social security said the Cameroonian government will not dialogue with people who want to pass orders to them.

The Minister of Labour told the BCC that, citizens do not give injunctions to their authorities and that there can be no dialogue with such people. He further said that, secession has never been easy anywhere in the world. Gregoire Owona even said he has never heard of successful secession in any country.

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24.Oct.2017

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NIAMEY (Reuters) - A group of four West African presidents said on Tuesday they planned steps to accelerate the creation of a shared currency for the 15-country ECOWAS bloc by 2020, according to a joint statement

The future currency, whose name is yet to be determined, would replace the dominant CFA Franc introduced by former colonial power France in 1945 and whose treasury still backs it.

“Our region needs this unifying instrument, symbol of our shared destiny, to consolidate our customs union,” ECOWAS chairman and Togolese President Faure Gnassingbe said on Twitter.

The statement was from the presidents of Togo, Ghana, Niger and Ivory Coast who form part of a task force on the envisaged currency. A committee is planned to lead the efforts, it said.

But the president of the biggest economy in the region, Nigeria, urged caution, citing difficulties in the euro zone.

“Nigeria will caution against any position that pushes for a fast-track approach to monetary union, while neglecting fundamentals and other pertinent issues,” said Muhamadu Buhari.

West African leaders have for decades held meetings on creating their own currency in order to promote regional trade and investment, but little progress has been made.

Popular anger over the CFA franc, which stands for African Financial Cooperation in French and is seen by many in the region as a symbol of unwelcome French paternalism, dates back to at least 1994 when Paris suddenly devalued the currency.

Establishing a new currency would involve dissolving the Dakar-based West African Central Bank BCEAO for the eight countries within the zone that use it and creating another one.

The remaining seven countries in the ECOWAS bloc include English-speaking countries like Gambia and Sierra Leone as well as Portuguese-speaking Guinea Bissau. Each has its own currency.

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Rita Akana

24.Oct.2017

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US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley is on her first Africa tour. But, with President Donald Trump's foreign policy plans for the continent unclear, nobody is really sure how Africa will feature on the US agenda.

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Rita Akana

24.Oct.2017

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An estimated 300 Ambazonians have fled their homeland into Cross River State Nigeria over the past 20 days, according to Nigerian immigration authorities. The Nigerian government says they are expecting more than 40,000 more refugees as the numbers keep climbing The speed and scale of the influx has triggered a press briefing from the Nigerian authorities.The refugees now depend on humanitarian assistance for shelter, food, water, sanitation and other life-saving material. A delegation from the Ambazonian Governing Council, led by its Chairman, Sissiku Ayuk Julius paid a visit to the refugees. Ambazonians on the diaspora have been mobilizing donations to support the refugees.

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Rita Akana

24.Oct.2017

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