The mystery about The Guardian Post & its publisher

By Fai Cassian Ndi, Publisher/Editor, The Eye

 

Fai Cassian

Practicing journalism in Cameroon is breath-taking and compelling, they say, but being a newspaper publisher is also very challenging. Mbum land in Donga Mantung division of the North West region is widely acknowledged as the fountain of journalism in Cameroon that has given birth to many a genius practicing the journalistic profession.

But among the hundreds, only a few have distinguished themselves to be apt to go above its fastidious state of nature. Even though Cameroon is an idyllic place to put into practice journalism, only a few have made their way to the Hall of Fame. One of those practicing journalists is Ngah Christian Mbipgo, the publisher/editor of Cameroon’s leading English language newspaper, The Guardian Post.

The most captivating part of consistency about this DP (Directeur de Publication) of The Guardian Post is that he is a refined writer and a strict editor who queries every word to make certain of its proper use in any given story before publication. Like a poet, Ngah collects a little ray of grey from here, white, blue, red etc from there, to paint in a story form the picture of the most fascinating newspaper story that always take readers like hurricane Gustav every Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings.

Wisdom, anthropologists say, implies putting into practice acquaintances so as to meet successful emergencies of life. Ngah is a successful journalist, publisher and newspaper editor whose brainpower as an investigative journalist is putting wisdom and knowledge to make the difference in the print media landscape in Cameroon. He has established that newspaper- publishing is also a business that can put food on the table for many a family.

Sufficiently-armed with experience, Ngah created The Guardian Post group where he is CEO, after he had worked with The Herald newspaper for seven years; rising from the position of reporter to managing editor. He is one of those arrow-head journalists who his former boss, Dr. Bob Forbin of The Herald can be swollen with pride today as one of his pupil journalists, renowned publisher and editor. Endowed with a lot of experience, Ngah has carved a niche for himself with a unique style of writing that has swept Cameroonian newspaper readers for the past thirteen years.

This uniqueness is what has earned for The Guardian Post the enviable position of Cameroon’s best-selling and leading English Language newspaper. Above all, Ngah is one of the rare breed of young dynamic publishers who does not believe in the dogma of artificial divide that some journalists are super journalists because they work for the state media. To him, the line of work is all journalism and the end result is that they all practice the same business. “The opposite of a correct statement is a false statement. The opposite of a profound truth may well be another profound truth” Ngah has quite often told colleagues.

The innovator

Ngah is a successful journalist; one of the spurs that every young publisher looks up to be like. The Guardian Post Achievement Awards is one of his successful innovations aimed at putting to the public eye another side of journalism to stimulate genius in society. For ten years running, The Guardian Post Achievement Awards has remained one of the biggest crowd-pullers in the country. As an innovator who believes in group dynamics, Ngah is also the national vice president of the Federation of Cameroon Newspaper Publishers (FEDIPRESS). The outfit groups mostly publishers of all the daily newspapers in Cameroon.

What makes Ngah different from others is that he is a liberal smart young man who radiates in his personal conviction. Whatever thing about Ngah can be likened to the morning twilight that enhances every object at dawn. Ngah was not born with a golden spoon but he worked hard to have his name drafted among the famous in the country. The name Ngah Christian Mbipgo does not leave any Cameroonian unresponsive due to the fact that his publications always tell the other side of the story. In fact bringing to daylight what the ordinary man cannot see. As The Guardian Post celebrates thirteen years of journalistic excellence, I cannot but wish Ngah and the crack team good luck and more grease to their elbows.