Xenophobia Grips Nkwen: Nso Community, Others Targeted

Benjamin Ngah in Bamenda

Barely two years on the throne of Nkwen, HRH Fon Azefor the III facing one of the most precarious situations in the modern history of the area. Some bona fide youths of Nkwen, in what has been described as a premeditated action, on Thursday October 22, 2015 took the law into their hands and started attacking ‘stranger’ especially the Nso community  accusing them of wanting to buy the whole of Nkwen including their palace.

According to some of the protesting youths who spoke to this reporter, the sale of a parcel of land behind the Nkwen fon’s palace to the Nso community was a bitter pill they could not swallow. The purported sale of this piece of land, they claimed, was done with the complicity of Azefor III for the Nso community to build their cultural hall there in.

However, HRH Fon Azefor III has utterly denied the accusation. According to him, the said piece of land was given to the Nso community free of charge since the two communities have for long maintained very close diplomatic ties. He indicated that he did it out of share generosity which for now has been a boomerang. The rebellious youths said, the Fon should look for the piece for a piece of land elsewhere and not behind the ‘Nkwen Fons palace.’ 

During the crises meeting that ensued and coordinated by the Divisional officer for Bamenda III, Ayuk Tarkang Walter on Friday 23^rd October 2015, the Fon defended his generosity to the Nkwen people  stating that the people of Banso are not just friends to the Nkwen palace, but do have a matrimonial relationship with the royal palace of Nkwen.  He also revealed to the youths that traditionally, the Nso people do have a palace within the palace of Nkwen indicating that they have an inseparable bond.

As matters were being laid to rest, the angry youths turned their venom to the Catholic Church at Futru Parish which they claimed has been colonised still by the Nso people. To show their discontentment, they stormed the church premises threatening to wreck it down. It was thanks to the Rev. Father Romeo Nguemteu who after contacts with his hierarchy sought for help from security forces to avert chaos.

To set things straight and to avert the unknown, the DO for Bamenda III has scheduled a meeting in the days ahead to look into the litany of grievances from the the youths of Nkwen. Many observers say that the action of the youths is already a bad omen to the Fon who is still a baby Fon. Some of the Nkwen elite who spoke on condition of anonymity opined that Fon Azefor III ought to follow the footsteps of his father who for several years ruled his people without any strain and stain.

 

HRM Fon Azehfor III of Nkwen

Nkwen Youths versus Nso and the Catholic Church

After Fon Azehfor III diplomatically brought the matter to rest, the youths then turned their attention Friday October 23, 2015 in what they described as “the Bansonisation” of a church that is supposed to be theirs. To show their discontent, the youths stormed the Futru Parish main church house where only one of the Priest Rev Fr. Romeo Nguemteu was in. In a bid to calm the youths, he requested for a conversation with five representatives but the youths rejected the request. Following uncoordinated presentations of the facts, Fr Romeo then asked that they go and send the representatives for a talk later in the day. As the youths went away Fr. Romeo explained, he then contacted the Sub divisional officer who was attending the graduation ceremony of the Bamenda National Sports School with the Minister for Sports and Physical Education present. He however contacted the Auxiliary Bishop of Bamenda His Lordship Agabitus Nfon who instructed him to put his Parish Pastoral Council together to seek a way out. Before the programmed meeting security stormed the church yard to guarantee the security of the priest following instructions from administrative authorities in Mezam. Interpreting the situation, the youths said it was a calculated attempt by the Priest to get them arrested! a claimed Fr Romeo denied saying he did not call the security forces. Before leaving the church yard, the youths promised to return on Sunday with the intention to interrupt church services should there be no appropriate response to their complaints before 7am on Saturday October 24, 2015.

The DO during the crisis meeting accepted Fr Romeo’s denial saying that the security forces where alerted by other security services with the intervention of the Mezam SDO now Governor of the South Region Nguele Nguele Felix to protect the Priest.  

Following what the Bamenda III sub divisional officer told the crisis meeting, the youths had four major complains.

·        That since the creation of the St Michael’s Catholic school Futru-Nkwen only Nkwen people have been Head Teachers until now that a Nso woman has been appointed to head the over 20years school. According to the Nkwen youths only Nkwen people should ne head teachers and no one else worst of all Banso people (people from Nso in Bui Division)

·        That all assisting staff in the Parish of Nkwen extraction have been dismissed and replaced with Nso people.

·        That a hall project to cost a good number of millions has been awarded to a Nso man just like a project in the Nazareth center they say is worth over 50million.

·        They also blamed the priests for not recruiting Nkwen sons and daughters as nurses and staff of the St Francis of Assisi Catholic hospital Ntasen Nkwen.

Responding to all of these complains Madam Theresia Taminang President of the Futru Parish Pastoral Council PPC, said the recruitment and appointment of school authorities within the archdiocese was the exclusive preserve of the Archbishop who is the proprietor of schools. To the change of head teacher to non Nkwen only the Archbishop could answer.

On the Hall project, Ngominang Kingsley member of the PPC and the project committee denied the award of the Hall project to a non-Nkwen man saying that no contract has been awarded so far. He said there was a heavily announced project committee with Nkwen people making up over 80% of the total number.

Fr Romeo while answering to the recruitment of non Nkwen as assisting staff in the parish house said “all night watchmen are Nkwen, two of three cooks are Nkwen, and for the drivers he said one was Noni and the other from the west Region. To him there was no discrimination particularly on the recruitment of Staff. On the Nazareth Center   project Fr Romeo noted that the center was currently in bad shape financially and there was no projects ongoing talk less of a project up to 50million. With inputs from Ngominang kingsly, Fr Romeo added that there was a project going on in the Piarist community house in Menteh not in the Nazareth center and “the project was handled by Brother Padro who is Spanish and contractor for the Piarist Fathers. Again he clarified that there was no project awarded to a Banso man.

Concluding the Rev Fr explained that they could not answer any question over the recruitment of staff for the St Francis of Assisi Catholic hospital Ntasen Nkwen since it is not within their area of jurisdiction.

From the submissions the DO Ayuk Takang promised to convene a meeting in his office to explain the situation to the protesting youths.