King Abdallah offers health centre, school as well as promise to tar roads
From
Michael Ndi in Bamenda
The
Kwighe conjoint twins, Akumbu Sheavvaboh and Akumbu Sheamboh, who were called
extra-ordinary creatures, a curse, monsters and almost doomed for ritual
sacrifice, have at last become a blessing to the Akumbu family and the entire
village of Kedjom Ketinguh fondly called Small Babanki in the North West region.
After
sacrificing money and time to get the twins separated in the far off middle
eastern kingdom of Saudi Arabia, King Abdallah Bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia
has continue to ensure that the now separated Siamese twins have a promising
future. In this light, he has continued to carter for the medical needs and
upbringing of the twins.
As for
the people of Kedjom Ketinguh, a permanent Nseh Nso-born muslim scholar, Sheikh
Fontem Salah Banla who had sojourned in many Islamic countries including Saudi
Arabia, has been dispatched by the Saudi government to teach the Kedjom
Ketinguh people the Islamic faith and doctrine. All of a sudden, there is
euphoria about Islam in Kedjom Ketinguh; a community that was predominantly
Baptist.
The principal
of GSS Kedjom Ketinguh, Njiki told The
Guardian Post that several Christians are already embracing Islam in the village
as a show of appreciation to what the Saudi Arabian government has done to the
conjoint twins and their community as a whole.
He added
that the Saudi Arabian government has equally created an Islamic centre in
Kedjom Ketinguh, a school and above all, a health centre.
Besides,
this reporter gathered that the government of Saudi Arabia has made plans to
tar the road to Kedjom Ketinguh passing through Bamenda.
As a sign
of gratitude to the Saudi government and especially to King Abdallah, the
father of the twins, James Akumbu now calls himself, “Abdallah” in addition to
his original name-Akumbu James. He is now someone to reckon with in a community
that almost ostracized him and his family.
Akumbu
James has been able to renovate his house, giving it a facelift that leaves those
who knew his former poor state spellbound. “Getting such an invaluable help and
concern from the king of Saudi Arabia himself is quite historic. I will never
have dreamt of seeing that beautiful country of his without these twins whom I
treated at birth as a curse and burden to me,” he confessed.
As for
Abdallah Akumbu James’ wife who is yet to adopt a muslim name, she is emphatic
that: “If not of the eight other children we left in Cameroon, I will have
pressed my husband that we settle for good in Saudi Arabia”.
Besides
the couple, some villagers admitted that what they saw and treated as monstrous
and a curse to their community is inversely turning out to be their light and
they are ready to pay back the Saudi kingdom if the price is only their
conversion to Islam.
Meantime,
the director of the CBC health services, Prof. Tih Pius Muffih was at the
forefront to bring the plight and helplessness of the poor parents of the twins
to the attention of the national and international community. After an abortive
negotiation with the ministries of public health and social affairs to have the
Siamese twins separated in either Europe, USA or South Africa, solace finally
came from king Abdallah Bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia.
Quizzed
on the Akumbu’s divorce with the Baptist who were at the origin of the efforts
to save the lives of the conjoint twins, Prof. Tih retorted: “No problem, the
decision is personal.”
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