Ntumfor Nico Halle says has put life on the line in crusading for peace, anti-corruption….

During the exchange in Douala, media men had asked the multi- award-winning lawyer to make an evaluation of his over 30 years of leading role the area of peace crusading.

Ntumfor Nico Halle told reporters that for over three decades, he has put his life on the line in crusading for peace, fight corruption, xenophobia and other anti-social vices

Ntumfor Barrister Nico Halle has become a household name due to his fight for social justice which has earned him several prestigious awards. 

He has bagged recognitions and honors from nations, international organisations, the press, civil society, traditional rulers and the church. 

Staying true to himself, Ntumfor Nico Halle says, he is not taking any of such recognitions for granted but sees them as blessings from God.

When questioned on what has kept him going this far, he maintained that his love for peace crusading emanated from the values his late father implanted in him.

"Peace is my mantra and my main stay. My father was a man of peace and he brought up his children in the ways of Lord. We did meditation every morning. He told his children that peace is the most precious asset for a person, a family and community. And that we should do everything to cultivate genuine peace," he said.

Having been groomed in Christian values, Ntumfor Nico Halle, believes that what Jesus Christ gave to his disciples when He ascended to the Father, was peace and that crusading peace is a noble thing.

The tough-talking Ntumfor Nico Halle has also maintained that his other source of inspiration comes from the people whose lives he has studied. 

He cited philosophers like Socrates, Plato, Voltaire; nationalists like Martin Luther King Jr, Mahatma Ghandi, Abraham Lincoln, who all shaped his zeal to promote a better society.

"The peace that Jesus gave to his disciples, is what enabled them to continue with the mission of spreading his messages to mankind. That is why, you can have all the resources in the world, if you don't have peace, you are nothing. If peace doesn't exist in your home, you cannot function or evolve,” he stated.

Violence weapon of weak

According to Ntumfor Nico Halle, peace is the weapon of the strong while violence is the weapon of the weak.

He has, however, insisted that peace does not exist in isolation but on a platform of love, integrity, honor, self-control, kindness, goodness and fear of Lord.

“Because of my upbringing, wherever you find me, there is justice, be it elections, in church, community in court. I don’t do it for myself because, we will all render account. I don't have kind words for people who are corrupt," he added. 

There is only one true Ntumfor 

The brief discussion with the media men in Douala was also an opportunity for Ntumfor Nico Halle to clear the air on rumors concerning his relationship with the Fons of the North West Region. 

Recalling that he had been working with the fons for more than seven years in development initiatives before he was made Ntumfor, he said: "Anybody masquerading with the title of Ntumfor is doing so for his destruction. I am still the Ntumfor. I'm no longer as active as I used to be but we are still working in close collaboration...some other persons got it later but a title doesn't make a man, a man makes a title".

Reminiscing the day, he was invited to the Nkwen Palace in 1997 where the then Fon of Bafut stood up and said: “There is one of our sons who has been doing so many things to us…we want to honor him today”.

He narrated the celebrations that ensued in Douala, Buea, Yaounde and Bamenda. Ntumfor Nico Halle regretted that severally persons have made attempts through unorthodox means to get the title. He went on encourage such but reiterated that titles don’t make a man.

"Let them make one billion Ntumfors, there will never be Nico Halle. The title never made me popular. My character did. I'm not vying for any political appointment,” he said.

Man of The Decade Award

On the sidelines of his exchange with reporters in Douala, Ntumfor Ntumfor Barrister Nico Halle was handed the Life Time Achievement Award as "Man of the Decade".

Presenting the award, the Chief Executive Officer, CEO, Tim Finnian, said Ntumfor Nico Halle was singled out “for his relentlessness in promoting the culture of good governance, accountability, transparency and above all, the defense and protection of human rights”.

For the past decade, he said Ntumfor has been consistently using the legal profession as a vehicle for change.

He said as a proponent of pro-bono legal services in Cameroon since the 90s, Ntumfor has been protecting communities and reconciling individuals and groups.

This story was first published in The Guardian Post issue No:3142 of Tuesday June 18, 2024