THE BAD WIND BLOWING OVER THE UNIVERSITY OF BAMENDA

EXORCIZE THE DEMONS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BAMENDA

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

A few days ago, a double gruesome murder took place at the University of Bamenda. From accounts rendered from the site, a motorbike rider butchered his University of Bamenda girlfriend to death, allegedly for infidelity. The story is told that the boy waited for the girl to return from class and once she came out he rushed at her in broad day light and murdered her Angry eyewitnesses also descended upon the boy like a ton of bricks and stoned him until he collapsed and then they finished him off.

If this was a one-off incident at the University of Bamenda – the latest of Cameroon`s eight State Universities – one could pass it off as just an accident. But it not. In the last three years the University of Bamenda has lost a frightful number of students and even lecturers in manners that were disturbing. Staff and students have even lost close family members incredibly. From that perspective, it would appear that the University of Bamenda has “lost“more members than any other university in the country in the last three years. If that is the case, then the situation is bound to be worrisome.

The aim of this article is not to apportion blame here or there, but to make proposals for a lasting solution. Whatever is the case, it is very clear that the University of Bamenda has a problem it must address. We suggest that an ecumenical service be held bringing together the Catholics, Presbyterians, Baptists, Muslims, Pentecostals. During the service, they will simply pray that the bad wind that has been blowing over the university should pass and never return. They will not blame or judge.

In this matter, the Vice Chancellor of the University does not only have a major role to play, but has to take the lead. Now is the time for him to normalize his relations with the Tubah community which has been hostile to him, rightly or wrongly. He must take advantage of the opportunity and normalize his links with the Fons of the four main villages that fall under Tubah Sun Division where the university is located. These are Bambili, Bambui, Kejom Keku (Big Babanki) and Kejom Ketinguh (Babanki Tungoh). It is a fact that since the Vice Chancellor’s appointment his relationship with the Fons and mayor of Tubah have been frosty at best. Now is the time to change all of that and get everyone on board.  

    

The ecumenical service can therefore be used as a period of reconciliation in which those who have wronged the Vice Chancellor say “sorry” and he too says “sorry” to those he has wronged. It is true that he was appointed by the Head of State but the people in the immediate community are those he works with on a daily basis. Traditionally they are also in a position to give him their “blessing” and stand by him and support him and defend him. After the ceremony, everyone should go away looking ahead to the future, and not back to the past. After all, as Becky Ndive used to say, tomorrow is where we will spend the rest of our lives.