NOWEFU crisis:

Founder says NW big fons to blame 

From Micheal Ndi in Bamenda

Fon Atotohm Victor of Nda'ah

One of the Founding Fathers of the North West Fons’ Union, NOWEFU, Fon Akotohm Victor of Ndza’ah in Mezam division has held the first class fons of the region responsible for the crisis the union has been going through. In an exclusive interview with The Guardian Post, Fon Akotohm regretted that corruption, embezzlement and non-charlant attitude have killed the North West Fons’ Union which was the region’s lobbying force of North and was respected by all and sundry within and beyond the region.

On embezzlement, Fon Akotohm said before President Paul Biya visited Bamenda in 2010 for 50 years of Cameroon Armed forces celebration, NOWEFU authorities collected FCFA 10,000 from each of the over 200 fons to buy a befitting gift for the head of state. “But at the end of the day, no gift was bought and even the amount the head of state gave to the NOWEFU leadership disappeared.”  He said if the NOWEFU multipurpose secretariat at Nkwen, Bamenda, is now still begging for completion , it is not unconnected to the fact that some of the union’s current executive members embezzled the huge sums raised with impunity and have now abandoned the union.

Talking about the irrelevance of the so-called, first class fons who are known to be advisers of NOWEFU, Fon Akotohm castigated them for being unable to reconcile Fon Chafah and Ntumfor Nico Halle, Fon Chafah and Fon Teche Njei, Fon Teche Njei and Fon Zofoa amongst others. He opined that since the first class fons have failed, second and third class fons would not sit and see NOWEFU, the peoples’ pride completely dead and buried. He equally blamed the crisis rocking NOWEFU on the shopping of traditional titles by traditional rulers to under achievers. Hear him: “ The selling of the Ntumfor title, originally destined only for a distinguished North West son, Barrister Nico Halle is one of the major crisis rocking NOWEFU.”  

Above all, Fon Akotohm observed that politics has intervened in their union to the extent that the fons are now fighting for political portfolios with their get-rich quick syndrome tendency.