Kamga Charles Hands-over Menchum Division to Abdoulahi Aliou & moves to other duties

Governor Lele Lafrique reading the installation speech

Menchum Division now has a new SDO. Abdoulahi Aliou, on Wednesday October 16th 2019 , took over command from Kamga Charles. The installation cum handing over ceremony was presided at by the North West regional Governor, Mr. Lele Lafrique Tchoffo Deben Adolphe. 

One of the major administrative changes that took place in the North West and South West regions after the holding of the Major National Dialogue in Yaoundé from October 1st to the 5th 2019, ordered by the Head of State to address the ongoing Anglophone Crisis and other issues of national concern and which ended with a resolution to grant special statues to these two regions was a presidential decree No. 2019/536 of 07 October 2019 appointing S.D.Os across the national territory. From the appointments, Abdoulahi Aliou, previously Divisional Officer (D.O) of Nkong-Ni was promoted to the rank of Senior Divisional Officer for Menchum Division in replacement of  Kamga Charles, called to other duties. 

Dighambong Anthony Mvo, Lord Mayor Wum Council

During the installation ceremony that took place on the Wum ceremonial grandstand on Wednesday October 16 2019, the Mayor of the municipality, Dighambong Anthony Mvo told the outgoing prefect that his constant words of encouragement  to all in every seating will be remembered and that his reassurances was a motivational factor to the well-being of the population. We would continue to remember your approach of “ehemm, eheem” which gave us hope that you were listening even if at the end, the answer was not favourable.  We learnt from you that administrators being human as they are can also say “I am sorry”,when they at times cannotlive to the expectations oftheir population. We acknowledge your tact, clairvoyance, ingenuity, savior fair, wisdom, self-service, simplicity and fatherliness in handling the socio-political unrest in the Division.  If calm and serenity is gradually and steadily returning to Wum and Menchum Division, it is due to your astute and heroic qualities of a seasoned Administrator. The people of Menchum Division have nothing to give you as you move to your next assigned state duty, no gold nor silver but our beautiful hearts and prayers you have, to cover you and your family now and always.

Kamga Charles, outgoing SDO for Menchum

 To the incoming, the Wum Municipal Magistrate said “It is with great anxiety, curiosity and hope of better days that I welcome Mr. ABDOULAHI ALIOU, our 33^rd Senior Divisional Officer, of course the age of Jesus Christ. We are therefore optimistic that you are going to be Christ like throughout your stay with us. I want to heartily congratulate your appointment to this Division well known and described as the nursery for administrators wishing to move up the Administrative Ladder. Mr. Senior Divisional Officer, you are coming at a moment when the Akus and the Hausas are pitted against the natives. I want to congratulate and salute the collaboration of the elite both at home and abroad who have done everything possible for peace to begin to return in this land. The challenge of bringing back these communities to once again truly love each other is going to be your first litmus test. This needs very urgent attention not to degenerate to another deplorable situation. After all, the intense farmer grazier conflict was partly solved by the Koumpa Isa Commission report which is the most talked today during one of his working sessions in Wum. He spoke in the dialect to reason most of the fulanis which yielded results. After all, Roger Crawford quips “We are the product of the choices we make, not the circumstances that we face”. We are all here present as a testimony to accompany you succeeds in your daunting task of Developing this Division. The Mayor hopes that the Lord that appoints will continue to empower his servants with wisdom to serve his people.  He also gave him some proposals, to cure the disease affecting the Menchum people, as he said; “to achieve these, the panacea shall be nothing other than;

§  Create a cordial and enabling relationship with the local population

§  Organize and improve on skills to help people live together

§  Engage a serious fight against insecurity, curb the rampant cases of robbery, consumption of marijuana etc.

§  Provide solutions to the protracted farmer-grazer conflict gradually escalating to an intertribal war

§  Modeling your supervisory role over councils not to be an arm or domination but rather to accompany the mayors develop their various municipalities

§  Live with your people, by your people and for your people to provide adequate solutions to the socio-political unrest plaguing the North west and South West Regions.

This is my humble advice to you, for a talent is cheaper than table salt, and charisma without character is equal to an everlasting “Had I known”.

The Mayor of Wum Council ended with an optimistic thought “Today therefore, I assure you, our future is brighter than everything they have said or done to us”

Abdoulahi Aliou, newly installed SDO for Menchum

The regional governor in his speech during the official handing over of command between Kamga Charles and Abdoulahi Aliou began by thanking all attendees for braving the odds to be at the event ground. After listening to the worries expressed by the mayor on behalf of the population, the governor told him "You know as well as I know that when normalcy returns, all these concerns will receive attention from the government." He then proceeded to address the two SDOs, the population and traditional leaders that are auxiliaries of the administration. In appreciating his stewardship within his term of office as he handled the administration and crisis in his division with tact and commitment to fatherland, the governor through a quotation from Martin Luther told Kamga Charles "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience but where he stands at times of challenges and controversy." "We of the North West wish you God's guidance and protection as you take up service in the Centre after five years in the region." he added

In outlining the functions of the incoming civil administrator, the governor told the new Senior Divisional Officer (S.D.O) that his role shall be  to ensure maintenance and enforcement of law and order,  ensure general coordination and control of administrative action in the division, facilitate the return of all displaced persons to their places of origin within the division, coordinate and supervise distribution of aid to affected persons, monitor and supervise international organisations and local partners helping I.D.Ps and the affected population in the division,  ensure schools resume, fighters drop their arms and bring the current crisis to a final end in Menchum. "Though new here, you should know the milieu very well." Lele told Abdoulahi. "I'm confident that you are up to the task and will be up to the expectations of the people." he added. As last piece of advice to the new servant, governor Adolph Lele told him point blank "Your success here will depend on the collaboration and support you receive from the population, elites and local leaders"

cross section of the population

The governor's message to the population, elites, politicians and traditional leaders of the division did not miss its target because one of the concerned answered present to the Head of State’s call last September 10^th. 

ex-fighter beggin for forviveness

The event was given the grandeur its deserved and this gave the regional boss the opportunity to drive home the following message; "Dear parents,  please talk to your children,  the future of this nation, that they should come back like the prodigal son to join the family for the father is ready to give them new opportunities and involve them in nation building. There is no home, family, society without problems but we all have individual and collective responsibilities to solve our problems. Therefore, give your full and unflinching support to your new SDO so that Menchum Division regains its glorious days" These were the concluding words of Adolph Lele Lafrique as he ended his installation speech. 

Menchum Divion's new Senior Divisional Officer, was born on the twenty-eighth of September nineteen seventy-four (28/09/1974) in KONTCHA. He did his primary and secondary education in Government School KONTCHA and Government High school TIGNÈRE from where he respectively obtained his C.E.P.E., B.E.P.C., Probatoire and Bac-A4-Allemand.

After obtaining his Baccalauréat Certificate, he embraced higher Education and from nineteen ninety-five (1995) to the year two thousand (2000), he studied in the University of NGOUNDERE and obtained a licence and maitrise in political history.

A year later, he succeeded in the competitive entrance examination into the National School of Administration and Magistracy (ENAM) and graduated in two thousand and three (2003) with an ENAM diploma in General Administration.

He has since then served in the following capacities:

-      From June two thousand and three (2003) to May two thousand and five (2005), he served as a support staff at the Ministries of Public Service and Administrative Reform and the then Ministry of the Economy and Finance;

-      From May two thousand and five (2005) to December two thousand and six (2006), he was Assistant Research Officer No 1 at the former Directorate of Salaries at the Ministry of Finance.

-      From December two thousand and six (2006) to January two thousand and eleven (2011), he was the Legal and Financial Affairs Adviser at the West Governor’s Office in BAFOUSSAM.

-      From January two thousand and eleven (2011) to September twenty seventeen (2017), he was Divisional Officer for KAELE Sub-division.

-      Until his last appointment to the helm of MENCHUM Division, he was Divisional Officer for NKONG-NI Sub-division in the MENOUA Division since September twenty seventeen (2017).

He is a Senior Administrative Officer, married and a father of ten (10) children.

Menchum Division was created in 1948 under the Native authority. This Division and her hospitable and legendary people cover a total surface area of 4489km², with a population of about 251,998 inhabitants. The Division that gave birth to the present Boyo Division is made up of four Sub Divisions, namely; Furu-Awa, Fungom, Menchum Valley and Wum that doubles as the Divisional Headquarters. It is a border Division sharing a very long border with the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The Division is endowed with huge natural, touristic and human resources which if well harnessed and exploited, would make it Cameroon in miniature.  Some of these are, the rich volcanic and luminous soils, favourable climate, forestry, our famous Menchum fall and KastinaAlah which can be used to export electrical energy. The Division is rich in flora and fauna, blessed with five creater lakes, amongst which is the famous Lake Nyos. You would not afford to miss the Bu rice as well as the Esimbi Oil.