Meet Hon. Banmi Emmanuel: Our high-profile personality of the week

What unavoidably catches your attention when you first meet Banmi Emmanuel is his striking sartorial elegance. Being a modern man of the modern generation, this illustrious son of Balikumbat knows only too well what good, attractive outfit does to polish a man’s image. And so he never hesitates to put on the best of shirts, the most fashionable of suits, the flashiest of ties and the snazziest of shoes. When Banmi Emmanuel goes past you and you don’t turn behind to look at him again in admiration, then you are utterly insensitive to fashion.

But there is more to this massive personality that Hon. Banmi is than just elegance. This is especially so when we take into consideration his brilliant educational background, his rich professional career, the enormous work he is doing for his people and Cameroonians in general as a member of parliament, and his astounding strides as a Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) heavyweight.

A well-educated man

Both in primary and secondary schools, Hon. Banmi was unbeatable by his classmates. Even though he finally chose the arts, he could as well do the sciences since he was a good all-round student. His classmates and teachers say he wrote the best essays in class and that these essays were always used to teach his mates. Banmi Emmanuel had an additional advantage because of his impeccable mastery of the two official languages, English and French. 

No wonder therefore that he easily survived the “rough days” of the University of Yaounde and later obtained a post-graduate diploma in political science. This did not still satisfy the academically thirsty native of Balikumbat in Ngoketunjia division of the North West region who sought to acquire more knowledge – this time professional knowledge – in the renowned National School of Administration and Magistracy (ENAM).

Arguably the most bilingual student of his batch, Banmi literally served for two years as the translator of his treasury class, as he spared no effort to help his mates who had difficulties in either language to understand their lessons properly. That he graduated from that institution in 1996 in flying colours was thus not surprising to those who know of what stuff he is made.

Academically-thirsty as he has always been, Banmi Emmanuel went back to school even as a worker. This time around, he is doing strategic and political studies and will defend a Master’s degree in the field this month. And we hear he will not end his academic pursuits at that level. For, he has always admired Ph. D holders and has always aspired to be one.

Enviable professional career

The big shots at the ministry of finance got wind of the senior inspector of treasury’s exceptional academic records and thus wasted no time, after he graduated from ENAM, to appoint him to a well-deserved office. That was how Banmi became the service head for accounts in the South West regional treasury in Buea.

Here, he worked tirelessly to make his records clean and advance the work of the Buea treasury. He was always first to arrive in the office and amongst the last to leave. Even at some weekends, the workaholic was spotted in his office. Nothing distracted him from his work; not even the bevy of university girls who habitually parade themselves before treasury workers widely considered to be wealthy. Nor the tons of beer and other liquor consumed by his peers in and around Fako division every evening.

All of which made his records in Buea shine like the glorious morning sun. When he was later promoted to the position of deputy paymaster general for the North West regional treasury in Bamenda, it was therefore no surprise to many. Here too, Banmi Emmanuel left an indelible mark as he worked with the kind of assiduity that is not common with Cameroonian civil servants.

He perfectly stepped into his boss’ shoes whenever the need arose and maintained a good working relationship with the latter as well as with the other members of staff. The treasury expert is not the nagging type who would shout at his subordinates in case of wrong-doing. Far from it. Rather, he would meticulously explain to them the right thing or procedure so that they do not commit the same error again. Some of his former collaborators who are still in service in the Bamenda treasury have fond memories of him. One of them who asked not to be named made the following testimony to The Guardian Post:“ There is no doubt that I  had received some training. But you know very well, Mr. Journalist, that theory is different from practice. So when I just came to this treasury which is my first station, I knew little or nothing with respect to the practice. The person who actually taught me the practical part of my work was Hon. Banmi Emmanuel. Honestly speaking, without him, I don’t know how I would have coped. And he taught me not by shouting, but rather in a very convivial manner. I think he is an exemplary professional.”

Banmi took the same skills to the Littoral II treasury in Douala where he was later transferred to serve in the same capacity. Since Douala is the economic capital of Cameroon, there is more work pressure in its treasuries than others in the republic. But the deputy paymaster of the Douala II treasury was not daunted by the most arduous task he had to perform in that capacity. He served his clients with unparalleled devotion and none of them ever left his office dissatisfied.

While the senior treasury inspector worked in Bamenda and Douala, the corruption that is widely-known to be rampant in treasuries never reared its ugly head. He refused to be corrupted and has since remained incorruptible.

Astute politician, muscular interventions in parliament

Unfortunately for the treasury family in Cameroon, Banmi Emmanuel decided to take a break from his profession to play politics which he does with masterly skill despite his young age. Having shown a lot of concern for his kith and kin over the years, he could not but earn their overwhelming support when he ran for the 2007 parliamentary election on the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) ticket in his home constituency.

And for the over five years that he has so far sat in the National Assembly, the student of political science has distinguished himself as a politician of immense quality. Though a CPDM MP, Hon. Banmi argues for the interest of all Cameroonians, no matter their political shades of opinion. In fact, he is very active in parliamentary debates, especially on issues concerning the youth. Listen to this orator when he speaks in parliament, and you will not doubt that his ultimate goal is to make the future bright for leaders of tomorrow.

When Hon. Banmi mounts the rostrum to debate on forestry matters, many mistake him for a specialist in environmental issues. It is on account of his rich knowledge in this domain that his colleagues in parliament unanimously chose him to represent Cameroon at the conference on climate change in Copenhagen, Denmark.

But even before he went for that popular international come-together, he had been selected by parliament to go on a peace mission to Nairobi, Kenya after the civil war in that country. That was after the entire country had seen his unalloyed peace-crusading missions during a recent inter-tribal war in his native Ngoketunjia division.

Mammoth projects realized as MP

Hon. Banmi is not only good at verbal interventions in parliament. In only a little over five years as MP, he has realized many important physical projects for the people of his constituency, more than those realized by all past Ngoketunjia MPs put together.

In the domain of education which is one of his primary concerns, he has donated ten computers to and constructed two modern toilets for GHS Balikumbat. The MP has equally made generous donations of bags of cement and corrugated iron sheets for the construction of GBSS Bafanji and GS Tounkang – Bafanji respectively.

Furthermore, Hon. Banmi has constructed 18 classrooms for different secondary schools in his native sub-division, lobbied for and obtained the creation of six secondary schools here as well as the upgrading of two to high schools, and has been sponsoring dozens of pupils and students in secondary and high schools as well as university institutions.

In other sectors, the development icon has donated an ultramodern generator to the Balikumbat health centre, constructed a water point at Nyanung – Bafanji, rehabilitated four wheel wells in Bali Gashu, donated huge quantities of roofing sheets for the Bali Gashu community hall project, repaired the bridge in Baligansin linking the West and the North West regions and carried out a water project in Backyit which enabled its people to acquire pipe borne water.

The conscientious MP has equally rehabilitated the very high Backyit hill whose bad nature used to cause travellers to spend nights on the way, realized water projects in Ngolanekpat – Balikumbat, Fumseh, Kumbadinshi and Gwanyit, offered 2.5 tons of improved maize seeds to farmers in the entire Balikumbat sub-division and donated a corn mill to women of Njifor Wang.

Thanks to Hon. Banmi’s lobbying skills, a deviation road from Balikumbat through Babanki to Sabga has been constructed. Also, a bridge has also been built over Wetgwa linking Njifor and Forbangum and mainland Balikumbat.

On-going projects

Looking at what has been achieved this far, one would think that the CPDM MP has put an end to his development projects for his first five years in the House and is only waiting for his re-election for a second term. That is certainly not the case with this development luminary, for he is currently carrying out more projects for his Balikumbat constituency.

There is, for instance, the construction of a community radio for Balikumbat sub-division which is very near completion, the building of the Nanfung health centre in Bafanji which is 80% realized, as well as the construction of a bridge over the Wetawa at Deutu which has almost progressed as the latter project too.

Where Hon. Banmi is not using his micro-project grants or personal money to finance projects in his area, he is lobbying in no small way to have the projects ongoing. Examples of such cases include the rehabilitation of the Balikumbat health centre worth over 80 million FCFA, the maintenance of the Bamali – Balikumbat – Mbouda road, the construction of CEAC Balikumbat, the construction of (the first phase of) the Balikumbat Social Centre, the building of the Balikumbat veterinary office and the electrification of Bafanji.

Projects in the pipeline

Indefatigable as he is, Hon. Banmi envisages even more development projects for his people. He has made his intentions known to begin a water supply project at Baligansin, to equip the Bafanji and Balikumbat health centres as well as the Balikumbat medical laboratory centre, to donate a brass band and computers to GBHS Bafanji, to offer a grinding mill to the women of Baligansin as well as to construct a water point in the latter village.

All of which are a clear pointer to the fact that this progressive and tireless MP is more than 95% sure of winning a second term in the house. Talk ill of Hon. Banmi in Balikumbat sub-division and in many other parts of Cameroon and you will be abhorred by all those who know him and who are versed with his great deeds and actions.

Indefatigable CPDM militant

Even within party circles, the avid development crusader manifests an unbending commitment to making the nation advance. He is greatly-loved and admired by his comrades of the CPDM. It is for this reason that he is made to assume only senior and very important functions in the party.

While in Buea, Hon. Banmi was the dispute officer of the Federal Quarters sub-section of the party. In 2002, he was the chairman of the commission for the reorganization of the basic organs of the CPDM as well as the chairman of the commission for that year’s legislative election for Babessi sub-division. Two years later, Hon. Banmi was made the chairman of the presidential campaign team for Babessi. To this day, he remains the chargé des missions of the Central Committee of the party for Babessi.

In 2007, this illustrious son of Ngoketunjia was nominated chairman of the committee for the reorganization of the basic organs of the party for Ngoketunjia III. And in 2011, thanks to the impeccable campaign he led in his capacity as the chairman of the presidential campaign team for Ngoketunjia, that division recorded the best results in all of the North West region! Hon. Banmi also played an important role in sensitizing the people of his division on the provisions of the new electoral code, as he was the divisional chairman of the follow-up committee that held a seminar to that effect.

When the fon of Balikumbat, Fon Doh Gah Gwanyin III, disappeared a few weeks ago, Hon. Banmi was again given the strategic mission to organize his funeral ceremony. Indeed, how else can one work for his party, his people and his fatherland? Isn’t it a truism that if there were many more Hon. Banmis in the North West, the underdevelopment story of the region would already be a thing of the past? Go Hon. Banmi, go; even the sky is too low to be your limit!