At Last, Old WISU Executive Surrenders Power, Counts Achievements

Bongom, Cameroon—The 35^th annual convention of the Wimbum Students Union (WISU) has ended in Bongom village in Nkambe central subdivision with the Nfor Dieudonne Nkeh-led executive that has ruled the union for five instead of four years surrendering power.

Dieudonne Nkeh has ruled WISU for five years

Ngwan Derrick Tawe Nyah from Tabenken, a second year management student of the Catholic University Institute in Bertoua who was formerly the socio-cultural master of the union was elected as the new general president of the union for a two years mandate renewable once.

According to the constitution of the union, an executive is elected for a two years mandate renewable once. But the Dieudonne Nkeh-led executive that was elected in 2007 and reelected in 2009 for the last mandate did not relinquish power in 2011 during the 34^th annual convention in Taku village in Ndu sub division. Observers have since been criticizing Mr. Nkeh for clinging onto power.

“For those who know WISU, they will know that constitutionally, you need a two-third majority of registered members in the hall to conduct an election. The issues you will want me to address are simple; that there was no two-third majority in the hall at the time elections were to be conducted, and so we, the outgoing executive today by interim (covered by the constitution though) continued to see that we do what we have done (elections) in Bongom peacefully”, Dieudonne Nkeh told this reporter at the end of the 35^th WISU convention in Bongom.

To the out gone president of WISU, ruling the union for more than four years is not a new phenomenon.

“For those who have been in WISU, they will know that in 2006 it happened like that in Mbot village where because of the lack of a two-third majority, elections were postponed. That very government of Mr. Kwalar Dieudonne Tamnjong continued and handed over power in 2007 in Ntundip in a peaceful way”, Mr. Nkeh said.

Dieudonne Nkeh’s five years legacy

Though criticized by many observers for refusing to relinquish power after his four years reign, the outgone president general of WISU says he is leaving the union as an accomplished President.

Citing some of his achievements, Mr. Nkeh said he has successfully sustained the union for the past five years. “For the past five years, the union has not gone into disarray, you will understand that to keep a youth association like this for five years without misunderstanding that can cause the union to fall apart is already a mark”, Mr. Nkeh opined.

“We have professionalized the minds of the students at home through sensitization into professional schools yearly by the Tubah branch, donated some generators to GHS Tabenken, GHS Taku and GSS Njila. These are schools back at home where preparatory classes would be organized with ease. We also donated books to GHS Binka”, Mr. Nkeh added.

To encourage the fight against cholera, the out gone WISU president general said “we have constructed a modern ventilated pit toilet in Mbaa village to serve as an example to our community”

In a bit to encourage Wimbum students to get interested in the activities of the union, the union produced a movie; WISU At All Cost, “the intension behind it was not profit making but to sell our culture and advertise the union’s activities to those of us who are out of the village. In that movie we try to highlight the various things we do at the convention and also to identify talents in acting” Mr. Nkeh hinted.

Through a partnership with the Ndu council, the out gone executive has been able to realize the WISU library in Mbiyeh. “Today we are counting 500 books in that library which can serve the Wimbum students writing the GCE ‘O’ and ‘A’ levels, competitive exams and for research”, Mr. Nkeh revealed.

According to the out gone president, within the years, WISU has joined the campaign against climate change and planted environmentally friendly trees in some villages of the Mbumland like Taku and Wowo amongst others.

According the out gone president general of WISU, celebrating the 35^th annual convention of the union in Bongom village is a great achievement. “The hall that you and I are seeing is a legacy that WISU is leaving because I was contacted by the owner to host WISU in Bongom and I told him there is no hall and he promised and built what you and I are seeing”

To crown his achievements, the out gone president says “you know what happened in the union last year in Taku village. We have succeeded to bring back unity in the union and you can see from the 35^th convention here in Bongom. We have conducted transparent, free, fair and peaceful elections.”

 By Ndi Eugene Ndi, back from Bongom