By Wilson Musa
Christians of the nation’s oldest church, the Cameroon Baptist Convention (CBC) are still in disbelief following the controversial voting into office of a new Director of Health Services for the Church.
Mr. Ngum Samuel is the new Director of Health Services for the CBC. He was elected into office on March 6th following a vote by an extraordinary General Council of the Convention at the Baptist Center in Bamenda.
The Council comprised 58 members and was headed by a two-man team composed of the CBC Executive President, Rev. Dr. Nditemeh Charlemagne, and the CBC Chairman, Mr. Yosimbom Mkong John.
The meeting lasted over 5 hours with some members asking that the meeting be postponed to June although voting finally took place and Mr. Ngum 51 votes Mr. Njih 7 votes
The election comes months after an initial election held by the CBC Health Department was annulled in December 2023.
Where is the controversy?
Credible information reaching CNA has it that the CBC constitution is clear that the Gene
ral Council does not elect directors as this is done by the various Departments and the Council simply validates these results.
Unverified rumors also reaching CNA allege that the outgoing director, Prof. Tih was ‘tribalistic’ and wanted his own favorite candidate (a Mbum man to be clear) to be his successor. CNA investigations found this information wanting since Prof. Tih is not himself a Mbum man, but rather from Small Babanki and for him to qualify as tribalistic, he would need to have selected his fellow tribesman, which he clearly didn’t.
Prof. Tih’s leadership style has been to focus on excellence and quality, which is why his more than 20 years at the helm of the CBC Health Services saw it growing into one of the best healthcare organizations not just in Cameroon but Africa as a whole.
What happens now?
Mr. Ngum Samuel is the director-elect of health services and will officially take over office at a date to be announced. The 49-year-old is originally from Oku and the holder of a Master’s in Publi
c Health and is currently enrolled in a PhD program in Public Health and takes over office from Prof. Tih Pius who held the position for nearly 30 years.
Mr. Ngum who stood for election alongside Mr. Nji Richard (current administrator at Banso Baptist Hospital), has served the CBC Health Services in various capacities. He takes over as the second Cameroonian national to head the Health Services of the CBC after Prof. Tih Pius became the first Cameroonian to take over from American missionaries who had held monopoly of this position since the creation of the Health Department in the 1940s.
In his outgoing speech to fellow CBC health leaders in November 2023, Prof. Tih said about the likely candidate to succeed him:
‘God looks at the heart and will choose he who is willing not the perfect person. We are all weak vessels in His hand. The disciples knew that Jesus chose Peter as their leader. Jesus himself publicly declared his choice of Peter to the hearing of all the disciples. I may not do that, but I expec
t all of you to know who the Peter is and will give your full support to him or her when the time comes, and when the Board decides. I am not imposing on the Board’.
CNA will keep updating this story as we receive the information.
Post Script: Due to the sensitivity of this case, most CBC Christians were unwilling to be identified and spoke to CNA on condition of strict anonymity.
Source: Cameroon News Agency
Ethiopia’s Minister of Peace, Binalf Andualem revealed that about 111,000 citizens displaced from various places returned to their homes during the past six months.
The minister made the remark in his briefing regarding the six month performance of his ministry today.
On the occasion, he said it takes the cooperation and coordination of numerous bodies to achieve peace.
Ensuring peace is a continuous process, he stated emphasizing the necessity of making consistent efforts to achieve peace in a sustainable manner.
In this regard, the minister remarked that a number of measures have been taken over the past six months to ensure sustainable peace citing the public discussions that attracted more than 9 million citizens in various parts of the country.
Efforts have also been carried out with a view to strengthen the federal system by enhancing relations between regional states of the country, the minister indicated.
According to the minister, successful activities have been undertaken in conflict preventio
n and respond.
Regarding the rehabilitation efforts, about 111,000 citizens displaced from various places in Ethiopia returned to their homes during the past six months, Binalf revealed.
Of them, 70 percent had been uprooted by violence, with the remaining having been affected by natural calamities.
Source: Ethiopian News Agency
The Government has distributed foodstuffs worth Sh23, 052,000 to vulnerable Muslim households during the Ramadhan period to 16 counties across the country.
Principal Secretary (PS) of Culture and Heritage Ummi Bashir said the government started the initiative to have the vulnerable access nutritious meals, as a way to promote religious observance, reduce financial strain, encourage social inclusion, to demonstrate the government’s dedication to fairness, empathy and unity among all citizens.
Speaking during the flagging off of the Ramadhan Special Relief Allocation and commencement of the distribution initiative for Wajir County at the County Commissioner’s Office, PS Bashir said the foodstuffs include 320 bags of rice (50kg each), 800 bags of beans (50kg each), 10 cartons of vegetable oil, boxes of Sardines, 10 bales of Pasta and 120 tons of Kenya Meat Commission corned beef.
‘Food will never be enough, but the fact that we have thought of you as the government and made time to come and distribute this fo
od is a very big message we are sending to the people of Wajir,’ she stated.
PS Bashir, who was accompanied by Wajir County Commissioner Karuku Ngumo and Wajir East MP Mr. Adan Daud, underscored the importance of assisting the needy and vulnerable, stating, ‘For us as the government, these are people who mean a lot to us, and the fact that we have recognized them and supported them through Ramadan is something worth noting.’
The PS also issued a challenge to the area Member of Parliament for Wajir East, Mr. Adan Daud, urging him to organize a football tournament in Wajir County.
She said the initiative seeks to empower the youth and address prevalent issues such as drug abuse, violent extremism, rape, and defilement in the region.
Furthermore, the PS emphasized the importance of capacity building for women and girls, advocating for programs such as tailoring and henna applications to enable economic empowerment.
In addressing drug abuse, the PS called upon the County Commissioner to take decisive action,
emphasizing that the vice was not part of the cultural fabric of communities residing in Wajir.
Source: Kenya News Agency