Manyu Division: Mamfe Mayor uses inter-quarter football tourney to drum effective schooling, peace.

Such unprecedented and massive turnout witnessed in schools within the Mamfe municipality are fruits of efforts made by the Mayor of Mamfe Council, Robertson Tabenchong Ashu.

The municipal authority had rolled out a robust campaign to crusade effective schooling across his municipality for this current school year.

Mayor Tabenchong Ashu had used the second edition of the inter-quarter football tourney dubbed “Manyu Unity Cup”, which he has been powering, to drum the need for children to be allowed to freely go to school.

The crowd pulling tournament, which unfolded in both senior and under 16 categories, aimed at keeping youth of the municipality busy. It was also used to foster peace, unity, social cohesion, living together and patriotism in Manyu Division as a whole. Old Boys of Mamfe emerge winners after beating Home Boys FC of Mamfe.

The historic football tournament, it should be said, was under the patronage of the Minister in Charge of Special Duties at the Presidency of the Republic. H.E Victor Mengot Arrey Nkongho, with the support of the Senate Vice President Nfor Tabetando Ndiepso. 

It also had immense moral and material support from the Director General of the National Football Academy, ANAFOOT, Enow Ngachu, and the Member of Parliament, MP, for Mamfe Central, Hon Johannah Agborntui. 

Addressing thousands who gathered to witness the closing ceremony at the Mamfe Municipal Stadium Sunday September 3, Mayor Tabenchong Ashu, saluted the population for the support to ensure the competition was a success. 

He also hailed the support of Manyu Senior Divisional Officer, SDO, Viang Mekala, other administrative and security officials, internal and external elite of the division for going above and beyond in supporting the success of the football tournament. 

Parents urged to send children to school 

The finals which was played on the eve of school resumption was a veritable opportunity for the authorities to re-echo the need for children to be allowed to go to school. 

“Dear Parents, another opportunity to change the mind sets of our children into responsible citizens of our beloved Cameroon has come. I call on all parents to invest in the education of their children by sending them to school this 2023/2024 academic year for it is the best investment in life. No one has the right to deprive our children the right to education. It is our duty as parents and government to make sure this right to education is respected which of course the government is playing its role,” Mayor Tabenchong Ashu said. 

He added: “If the society needs real growth, education is the magic. School is the only way to guarantee the future of our kids, the future nation and the only way to guarantee the goodness and wellbeing of our families”. 

The Mayor pleaded on parents not to bother sending their children to schools far away from home, insisting that their kids need parent guidance. 

The mayor assured all and sundry that Manyu Division performed during the last academic year especially at the primary school level where the division emerged “first in the Region, in the First School Leaving Certificate and Second in the Common Entrance Examinations”.

He said the division stood talk in sports during the FENASCO “A” games by playing the Final in Maroua. 

Manyu SDO, Viang Mekala, alongside Member of Parliament, MP, for Mamfe Central, Hon Johannah Agborntui, added their voices to that of the Mayor to call for effective resumption of classes. 

Youth in bushes urged to give peace a chance 

Mayor Tabenchong Ashu for the umpteenth time, called on those who have picked up arms against the state to drop their weapons, join the council and elite to contribute in development of the municipality. 

“My dear vibrant youth fighting in the bushes, it could have been you playing at this finals. I know someone is here who will pass on my message to you…stop wasting your lives and heed to the Head of State’s call to drop your arms, get reintegrated so that you can join us to play football for Cameroon remains one and indivisible,” he said, while appealing to those fuelling the crisis from the diaspora and feeding fat from it desist from such plans.

Youth priority of Mamfe Council 

The Mayor told the population youth of the municipality remain a priority of the council. He said the resource person of the Sub-Divisional Delegation of Youth Affairs and Civic Education for Manyu, had used the tourney to emphasise the council’s call for the youth to shun social vices such as drug abuse, rape and taking up arms against the state etc.

The Mayor said holiday jobs were provided to some 200 students who were recruited by the council from every corners of municipality and the division, including 40 each from Mamfe Central, Akwaya, Eyumojock, Upper Bayang as well as 40 non-indigenes.

This, he explained, was in a bid to foster peace and living together. Each of the youth, the Mayor disclosed, went home with the sum 30,000 FCFA as reward for their work. 

“The zeal and excitement they portrayed in carrying out their daily activities is a spirit worth emulating. This is to show that at the end of the day we are one people,” the Mayor said.