Veteran journalist, Gideon Taka, bows out.

The ace broadcast journalist, who was enjoying a well- deserved retirement, died Friday June 16, after battling an undisclosed ailment.

Gideon Taka, who was also Publisher of the Bamenda-based Grasslander newspaper, died at the Bamenda Regional Hospital where he had been hospitalised for weeks.

He breathed his last breath at about 11:30 pm Friday, according to family sources.

The traditional ruler of Muwah village, Pinyin Clan in Santa Subdivision of the North West Region, announced the demise of the venerated journalist in a terse statement issued Saturday. 

In the statement, King Taka IV wrote: “It is with sadness that the Taka Royal Family of Muwah-Pinyin, announce the transition into eternal glory of Tapufor Akamentso Fai Gideon Taka, on the 16^th of June 2023, at 11:30 pm, in Bamenda from a protracted illness”.

The monarch said: “As we mourn our father, brother, husband, uncle, mentor and inspiratory, we commit his soul to rest in the blossom of God the Creator and for our ancestors to welcome the great baobab and Oroko tree well”.

Following his demise Friday, several colleagues have been paying tribute to the late Gideon Taka, described as a consummate and quintessence journalism guru.

In an outing Saturday, journalist and women rights activist, Comfort Mussa wrote: “My mentor, Pa Taka....rest easy Pa. You fought a good fight. Sad to see you go but we celebrate your life and legacy”.

Another journalist, Fokum Emmanuel, described the late Pa Taka as his mentor and a great media professional.

“…go well daddy. You fought a good fight. Those of us who were opportune to be by you will never fail you in moulding others,” he said. 

For his part, journalist, Muma Roland, said the late Gideon Taka was a journalism guru.

In a moving tribute, Muma Roland recalled that “First, he was my Journalism teacher; that's how I met him in 2000. He became my boss at Radio Hot Cocoa, my first professional job”.

Muma said Pa Taka was a journalism guru who, through his experience, nurtured many to become fine journalists.

He said: “He knew his subject matter and while in school again in 2008, this time for my undergraduate studies, he supervised my undergraduate project report”.

“He was such a wonderful broadcaster with Radio Cameroon, a great football commentator, an undisputed political analyst and late president Ahidjo's speech interpreter in English language. He was such a fine and veteran journalist who became the first Anglophone journalist to hold a Master's degree from a Canadian University,” Muma added.

Gideon Taka in a nutshell

It should be recalled that veteran journalist, Gideon Taka, it studied in Canada in the 1960s. He later returned home and worked with the Cameroon Radio Television, CRTV, in several capacities.

He retired in 1990 while he was Station Manager of CRTV Buea. 

He then took up residence in Bamenda where he later became Station Manager of private-owned Radio Hot Cocoa and Horizon TV.

He also offered journalism lectures in some private higher institutions of learning, including Higher Institute of Business Management Studies, HIBUMS, Cameroon Christian University and National Polytechnic Bamenda among others.

In November 2022, the Cameroon Association of English-Speaking Journalists, CAMASEJ recognised the late Gideon Taka for his “…lifetime compassionate and dedicated service to the training of journalism and mass communication professionals”.