Raising next breed of politicians: Manyu Youth MPs tap from Senator Nfor Tabetando’s rich expertise.

This was during a courtesy visit the Youth Parliamentarians paid on the Manyu political torchbearer, at his Bastos residence in Yaounde.

He used the meeting to school the young MPs on the workings of the lawmaking chambers, different state institutions and pledged huge support for projects they intend carrying out at the grassroots.

The Youth Parliamentarians included; the Youth Senator from Eyumojock, Ashu Maurice Njock; the Youth Member of Parliament from Upper Bayang, Oben Hilda Ebangha and the Youth Member of Parliament from Eyumojock, Ayamba Tabot Randolph. 

Tapping from Nfor Tabentando’s rich experience 

The visit, as explained by the group leader, Ashu Maurice Njock, was for them to seek mentorship, guidance, orientation and tap from the expertise of Senator Nfor Tabetando as a sage grassroots politician in Manyu. 

Ashu said: “We visited the Senate Vice President to give us the guidance we need to go to the field and engage our various development programmes. We are students. As such, we lack the necessary resources to engage these projects on our own,” Ashu explained. 

The Youth Senator said they intend embarking on a wide range of development, skills acquisition, youth empowerment and peace projects tagged: "Manyu Skill Up". 

Zoom on projects 

Ashu and his two colleagues said the "Manyu Skill Up" concept is to upgrade the skills of youth at the grassroots. 

“We want to tackle unemployment by improving access to skill acquisition,” he said, noting that this will help graduates acquire skills to be able to earn a living before waiting to be fully employed.

Ashu further said they intend to hone the skills of their peers in Manyu Division in ICTs, graphic design, hair dressing, production of liquid soaps and in other aspects.

Career orientation for students 

For her part, the Youth Member of Parliament from Upper Bayang, Oben Hilda Ebangha, said they also intend to orientate students sitting the Advanced Level exams on lucrative career paths to follow. This, she added, is in a bid to solve challenges faced by many students. 

“We have experienced these challenges and we think that we can put in a platform to give these youngsters some orientation and guidance in terms of career development and how to choose a career path,” she explained. 

Ebangha said this will be done in the month of May, in collaboration with experts. She added that “…subsequently, we plan to engage those who are out of school in other forms of skills acquisition”.

Boosting voter registration, fostering peace 

Taking the queue, the Youth Member of Parliament for Eyumojock, Ayamba Tabot Randolph, explained that the skills acquisition projects will be intertwined with peace initiatives. 

“…we have noticed that in Manyu, when certain sensitive topics are brought up, people turn to shy away for various reasons. As such, we thought it wise to use the skills acquisition aspect and in the cours6e of the training, we will bring in issues like peace,” Ayamba Tabot explained. 

Aside impacting youth with skills in income-generating projects, Ayamba Tabot said they also intend sensitising the youth of Manyu, who are of voting age, to massively enroll on the electoral register. This, he said, is the only way for young people to make their voices heard in the future of the country. 

“We intend to work with the ELECAM office in Manyu during these programmes,” he said. 

Sensitising secondary school students 

The groundwork for such visits, as explained by Ashu Maurice, will be laid through visits to the various secondary schools in Manyu.

While in schools, he said, they will lay emphasis on the aspect of promoting peace, “because we have recognised that peace is not just the absence of war…it equally emanates from the school environment”. 

He said they intend to work with the Divisional Delegation of Youth Affairs in Manyu, the Divisional Delegation of Secondary Education as well as administrative and municipal authorities for the projects to be realised.

Enter Senator Nfor Tabetando

Speaking to The Guardian Post after listening to the projects of the Youth Parliamentarians, Senator Nfor Tabetando, said he was amazed by their plan of action. 

He said most of their projects fall within his vision as a politician to continue to empower those at the base. 

The constitutional laws expert and towering lawyer equally lauded their mastery of state institutions and the functionality of the country’s legislative bodies.

The exchange with the Youth Parliamentarians, the member of the Central Committee of the CPDM said, would give them insights and enable them to share the views and the practice of these institutions in the field.

“I have given them the bit I can, about the structure of institutions, the structure of the parliamentary system, the legal system and all institutions of the state, for which our Head of State, President Paul Biya, has put in place. This was carefully done to show them that each country in the world is a model by itself,” said the former CPDM Senate Group Leader.

The former President of the South West Chiefs' Conference, SWECC, urged the Youth Parliamentarians to educate their peers at the grassroots “to know that the future is for them and that the laws made now are the laws that will carry them along to industrial age and more”.

Harping on the specificities of Cameroon, Senator Nfor Tabetando was clear to the Youth Parliamentarians that the “there is no model of government or political system” across the globe that can be applied in all countries. 

“I have told them that they are lucky, we are lucky that President Biya’s conception about democracy and the institutions he has put in place to follow our aspect of democracy is for now ideal,” the one time Vice President of the Cameroon National Forum of Traditional Rulers told the Youth Parliamentarians. 

Pledges to support projects 

The Manyu political heavyweight, also lauded the quality of projects unveiled by the Youth Parliamentarians. He assured that: “…I am going to move along with them so that they can go from school to school, community to community, to pass these lofty ideas to the students. They will also have to preach for peace and solidarity so that we can develop ourselves”.

He insisted that: “I am giving them my word that anything I give will certainly go a long way to support them in their activities” Senator Nfor Tabetando promised.