Presidency orders Philip Ngwese to return Danpullo’s birds!

The wildlife minister now in Biya’s bad books for defying supreme court order

By Douglas A. Achingale in Yaounde

The ‘all-knowing’ minister of forestry and wildlife, Ngole Philip Ngwese, who thought he could use his powers to intimidate law-abiding citizens, has burnt his fingers in the process. In an uncanny show of unbridled authority and intransigence, he ordered the illegal seizure of eight ostriches regularly acquired by business heavyweight, Alhadji Baba Ahmadou Danpullo. Even when the supreme court, where the matter was referred to, ruled that the birds be reinstated to their rightful owner, the supercilious minister did not budge. It required the muscular intervention of the presidency of the republic for Danpullo’s birds to be sent to Ndawara.

In effect, the Bamenda-based multibillionaire, during one of his visits to Nigeria, was offered eight ostriches with all the necessary papers showing that he acquired them under normal conditions. As some of his workers were transporting the birds to Cameroon, they were asked to pay customs duty worth 1.5 million at the border town of Ekok, which they did.

Astonishingly, however, officials of the ministry of forestry and wildlife seized the ostriches on the pretext that their ownership was not authorized, and took some to the Limbe zoological garden and others to Mamfe. This, after Danpullo’s employees had paid them the sum of 400 000 FCFA for a health certificate to be issued. The seizure and transfer were later justified by the South West regional delegate of forestry and wildlife, through a decision signed on May 19, 2012.

When Bernard Okalia Bilaï, the governor of the South West region, was informed of the matter, he issued an injunction, dated May 21, 2012, calling for the immediate restitution of the ostriches to their owner. However, on instructions from Minister Ngole Ngwese, the delegate rubbished the governor’s order and told whoever cared to listen that he received instructions only from his boss in Yaounde who had already ordered for the transfer of the birds to the Mvog-Betsi zoological garden in Yaounde.

The level-headed and experienced businessman that he is, Baba Danpullo did not doubt at any one moment that the law was on his side. And that the minister was acting out of sheer overzealousness. On July 4, 2012, following the expertly advice of his legal counsels, the business magnet reported the matter to the supreme court which, after examining it thoroughly, ruled that Danpullo’s birds be handed back to him within a fortnight. The ruling came in the form of an ordinance issued on September 14, 2012 by the administrative chamber of the supreme court.

Yet still, the power-drunk Ngole Philip Ngwese would not yield. Apparently tenacious of the false notion that he was above the law, he instructed officials of the Mvog-Betsi zoological garden not to release the birds, even after the court had reiterated the order a few days after the two-week deadline.

What was worse, three of the ostriches died at the Mvog-Betsi zoological garden. They could really not survive on account of their being subjected to unconventional handling conditions since the conservators in the two zoological gardens are not experienced in rearing this category of birds.

Strangely, the loss meant nothing to the obdurate minister who insisted on retaining the birds. But seeing clearly that Ngole Philip’s behaviour was aberrant and at the same time asinine, the presidency had to call him to order. He was asked to release the birds without delay; and as we went to press, the five surviving ostriches were already in Baba Danpullo’s keeping.

Even after handing the birds, Ngole Ngwesse, knowing President Paul Biya’s closeness to Danpullo, is believed to be having sleepless nights; having realized the respect the president has for the law-abiding Baba Danpullo. Other accounts have it that the forestry minister is looking for the slightest opportunity to meet Danpullo so he can go down on his knees for pardon.   

The incident has revealed the forestry and wildlife minister as a somewhat neanderthal and bilious administrator who would want to take advantage of his position at any time to undermine constitutional authority. Observers say at this dusk of the New Deal regime when President Biya is seeking to win the hearts of Cameroonians with his greater achievements program, Ngole Philip has simply excreted on his own tail.