Society

After his high school studies in Bonaberi, Douala, Awafong Julius Teneng was motivated to pick up secretaryship as it offered enormous opportunities to search for scholarships, grants and satisfy his longtime longing to make and connect with friends the world over through Yahoo, Google and other social networks where he made himself visible and shared his ambitions.

At the dawn of year 2000 when he received on-the-job drill in the career of typing, he began with typing his own mails, as well as business letters for his companions. Having established his own workplace, he enjoys earnings from typesetting dissertations, theses and manuscripts for several books, including Peter Essoka’s popular trilogy on his reflections delivered on the national radio. Most of his write-ups as found on some websites betray a man who has enjoyed years of reading through most research works.

In fact, typesetting research works for students and researchers alike has gained him the means to self-sponsor his study of politics at the University of Yaounde II and knowledge on a wide range of topics. For over 15 years, Awafong who is in his thirties has typed more than 150 research projects, including professional projects, M.A. dissertations and PhD theses and has edited and formatted many books, some published and others still to be published. “I started doing this work some 15 years ago, and I cannot say I really attended a computer school before; I did some sort of ‘learning by working’ and with the passing of time I became one of the fastest typists in my neighbourhood,” he told CT. 

He recalls that in the early 2000 the career was highly remunerative and educative as he has been able to pay tuition and assist family members and friends as well. But typing-secretariat is no more profit-making today because many own personal laptop or desktop computers as well as android phones. It is important for youths who want to get involved in secretariat duties, according to him, to expand or widen their horizons in the domain of computing and not limit themselves only to typing. They have to learn how to analyse data for researchers, use Excel and Access, PowerPoint and other contemporary software applications which many people do not yet master.

Cameroon Tribune

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Elangwe Pauline

14.Apr.2016

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With the growing traffic in Bonaberi, Douala, workers, students and business people now leave home as early as 5 am.

Workers, businessmen, students, and drivers who ply the Rond Point Deido-Bonaberi-Bekoko stretch in Douala are going through a trying period with a seemingly indefinite end in sight. Since the beginning of heavy rains in Douala, commuters plying the West Entrance into and out of the port city, have been in trouble.

They take over three hours to reach their various workplaces, which is enough time to travel from Akwa, Douala to Yaounde! April 11, 12 and 13, 2016, saw some of the worst ever gridlocks in the area, compounded by heavy rains. Majority of those who boarded taxis finally gave up and jumped onto commercial motorbikes or trekked to their destinations. Car owners envied pedestrians who walked pass their vehicles stuck in traffic since there was no turning back because both lanes were filled. Other car owners running out of patience quickly parked their vehicles in safe places and climbed onto commercial bikes for Rond Point Deido.

For the first time in the annals of commercial motorbike transport in Douala, passengers were in overwhelming numbers than riders could cope. Such passengers had no option but to accept to be overloaded just to reach their offices on time. These days, many people have resorted to leaving home as early as 5 am in order to avoid queries from their bosses.

Frida Ekema, a car owner, like many others, has decided to park her car in preference for commercial motorbikes. “I live at Ndobo from where I took over three hours on April 12, 2016, to get to Rond Point Deido. From that day, I decided to hire a bike for Rond Point daily before boarding a taxi to my job site at Akwa. Till work is completed on the Bonaberi road, I will not use my car,” Frida Ekema insisted.

The gridlocks observed in most parts of Douala are as result of the widening of the road from River Wouri Bridge to Bonaberi. Work on the project has reached its peak. Many caterpillars, some driven by women, are conspicuous on patches of the stretch, digging, filling, grading and tarring. Though workers are putting in more efforts, a portion of the population thinks that work should be carried out day and night; while others say the company should work only at night since fewer vehicles ply the road.

With the current bad traffic situation, more Traffic Policemen have been deployed on the stretch to maintain order. Meanwhile, authorities in the economic capital are leaving no stone unturned to mitigate the situation. One of the measures is the order by the Senior Divisional Officer for Wouri, Naseri Paul Bea, restricting heavy-duty vehicles from plying the road between 2 pm and 10 pm from Fridays to Sundays. 

Cameroon Tribune

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Elangwe Pauline

14.Apr.2016

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" kilichi " specially prepared dried meat mixed with chili and crushed peanuts , popular in the northern part of Cameroon, could soon be labeled as part of the support program for the development of geographical indicators (GI) of the African intellectual property organization (OAPI), financed by AFD .

French Ambassador to Cameroon, Christine Robichon , just witness the signing of the financing agreement for the second phase of the program between AFD and OAPI amounting to about 2 billion CFA francs . Cameroon's food control authority has been advocating for "Kirichi" especially that produced in the town of Ngaoundere in the Adamawa region ,to be among the beneficiaries of the label " IG " as part of this second phase of the program.

To recap, Cameroon already has been the biggest winner of the first phase of this program with its two products namely : Oku-honey produced in the village of Oku-Nkambe in the Northwest region, and Penja-pepper from Penja plantations in Littoral region.

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Elangwe Pauline

13.Apr.2016

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A Belgian NGO known as the International Organization for Development Projects is organizing a five day seminar to better equip youths in the rural areas on the knowledge of agriculture and livestock farming.

The seminar which ends on the 15th of April 2016 will lay a platform on the second phase of a training program billed for 2017 to 2026.

The training is targeting youths from the Rural areas ranging from 12-25 years particularly School dropouts and holders of the First School Leaving Certificates.

They will be granted employment opportunities after having obtained a 3 year training.

During the first phase of the training which ran from 2014 to 2016, the Belgian International Cooperation Organization for

Development Project was able to train 3000 youths.

The second phase of the training will begin from 2017-2021 and thereafter the last phase will take off from 2021 to 2026.

The International NGO is a partner with 17 other NGOs in the Nation’s 10 Regions, with recommendations from the Ministry of Youths and the Ministry of Secondary Education.

CRTV

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Elangwe Pauline

13.Apr.2016

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The following is a statement from the Delegate General for National Security:

 The Delegate General for National Security hereby informs applicants for biometric ordinary passports that complete files are received in all the ten Emi-Immigration Police Stations, opened in each regional headquarters.

To that effect, appropriate measures have been taken at the Direction of Frontier Police in Yaounde for the rapid treatment of files. Consequently, he recalls that there is no special procedure for the acquisition of the so called “Express” passports.

Finally, apart from civil status documents duly legalized by competent authorities, the following expenses are payable while depositing a file:

• 1 000 FCFA fiscal stamp on an application form freely distributed by the service;
• 2 000 FCFA fees for (5x5) passport size photographs;
• 75 000 FCFA fees for ordinary passport stamp.

The Delegate General for National Security counts on everyone’s understanding and collaboration.

For the Delegate General for National Security and by delegation

The Director of Frontier Police

Dr. MESSING Jean Louis

Commissaire Divisionnaire

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Elangwe Pauline

11.Apr.2016

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The seizure was made at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos-Nigeria. The Tramadol which was hidden among camera items was intercepted during pre-shipment inspection. The consignment was destined for Congo Brazzaville in central Africa. Another suspect was also caught with 1.8kg of cocaine in his boxer shorts on his way from Dubai. Both suspects are being investigated.

Nigerian Anti Drug Unit NDLEA commander at the airport, Ahmed Garba gave the names of the suspects as Afube Izuchukwu Henry, 27 year-old automobile parts dealer and Chijioke Chukwuemeka Raphael, 36 year-old factory worker in Dubai. According to Garba, “Chijioke who deals in automobile parts was arrested for attempting to export 21.99kgs of Tramadol hidden inside a DJ rack box meant for export to Congo Brazzaville. Another suspect, Chijioke Chukwuemeka Raphael, a Dubai based factory worker was arrested with 1.8kgs of cocaine packed inside socks and concealed in his boxer shorts during the inward screening of passengers on an Emirate flight from Dubai”.

Afube who hails from Anambra and married with two children said that he only acted on his elder brother’s instruction. “I am an auto parts dealer. My brother who lives in Congo asked me to send a DJ Rack box to him. Unfortunately, when I took the box to the airport, NDLEA discovered tramadol inside it during search and I was arrested in the process” he stated.
Chijioke said that he was offered four hundred and fifty thousand (N450,000) naira to smuggle the drug to Nigeria. In his words, “I am a factory worker in Dubai forthe past six years. I am married with three children but I cannot take good care of my family. I work from hand to mouth and I am tired of working without seeing the benefits of my labour. I met a man seven months ago in Nigeria who introduced me into drug trafficking. He promised me a better job in Nigeria and offered me N450,000 naira. I accepted the offer because I wanted to come back home and start a better job”. He hails from Enugu State.
Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLE.A, Col. Muhammad Mustapha Abdallah retired in his reaction promised to adopt better strategies to disrupt drug trafficking in the country. “The NDLEA will continue to target criminal organisations for regular seizure of drugs, arrest and prosecution of drug barons. We shall continue to enhance capacity of the Agency to dismantle drug trafficking organisations through training, improved welfare, confiscation of illicit drug proceeds and sustained collaboration with stakeholders” Abdallah stated.

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Simon Ateba

09.Apr.2016

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