At Yaounde come together: Minister Mbah Acha urges Ngie indigenes to rally behind Biya.

The call was made on Sunday June 16 in Yaounde. This was during a ceremony organised by the Ngie Women Cultural and Development Association, NWOCADA, Yaounde branch, to present New Year’s wishes to the CONSUPE boss.

Speaking during the ceremony, Minister Mbah Acha expressed joy and gratitude to the women of Ngie in particular and the entire community for their unending support.

“As a Momo elite, I work hand in hand with the women of Ngie. They are a dynamic set of women and very close to me. They told me they wanted to visit since January, but my busy schedule did not permit until now,” the minister stated.

The President of NWOCADA Yaounde, Akoyong Mary, appreciated the minister for honouring their invitation as well as her endless support and assistance to NWOCADA in particular and Ngie community as a whole.

Akoyong thanked Minister Mbah Acha for her continuous donation of the Women’s Day fabric to NWOCADA members, financially empowering Ngie Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs and her contribution to the renovation of the Ngie Cultural Centre in Yaounde where they hold their meeting.

She also lauded the minister for her contributions towards the rehabilitation of the Ngie road from Acha to Andek, the renovation of the Ngie Multipurpose Oil Mill in Teze, and for her continuous efforts in bringing the people of Momo together.

The NWOCADA president described Minister Mbah Acha as “a developer, a unifying factor and a driver of peace”. 

“May the Head of State continue to renew his confidence in you as he sees the excellent work you are doing for the country,” Akoyong stated.

He equally used the opportunity to present their worries to the minister, assuring her that the people of Ngie are with her.

“We pledge our unending support to all your efforts and endeavors,” he said.

Rally behind ruling party

While responding to the worries presented, Minister Mbah Acha told the women in particular and the entire Ngie community in general, to register massively and vote for the ruling party when the 2025 elections come. 

“Ngie women I love you and will not leave you behind. I have heard your cries. When I have the opportunity, I will do it for you. When Election Day comes, vote for the CPDM. This help you are receiving is coming from the CPDM. To show appreciation, vote massively for the CPDM,” the minister declared.

Speaking to the press later, Minister Mbah Acha mentioned that she has been working closely with the women to see how she can make life easy for them and make them have more confidence in the CPDM government.

Calls for peace, return to normalcy 

Minister Mbah Acha also called on the mothers to tell their children to drop their arms and go to the Disarmament, Demobilisation and Rehabilitation centres, so that peace can return to the North West and South West Regions.

“If I did not go to school, I would not have been a minister. Let us educate our children on the importance of going to school. For eight to nine years the crisis has brought us nothing but pain and sufferings. Tell them to come out of the bushes and seek dialogue. They should allow their children to go to school and allow us to vote on Election Day,” Mbah Acha stated.

Enter Momo West MP

For his part, the Member of Parliament for Momo West Constituency, Awutah Philip, who is also chief patron of NWOCADA, reiterated that Ngie has always supported the Head of State and voted massively for the ruling party, the CPDM.

“This time will not be different, despite the difficulty on the ground. My people have promised to do their best,” the lawmaker said.

Hon Awutah Philip pointed out that the mothers have a duty to play by appealing to the consciences of their children who have taken up arms against the state. 

“We keep crying about the Ngie road, but it would’ve been completed a long time ago if not for the crisis. The tractors of the contractors were burnt. It is said that a good road brings development. If there is no peace, there cannot be development anywhere,” he said.

He urged the women in particular to do their best to fight for peace to return, which will contribute to Ngie’s development. Hon Awutah added that the minister is ready to do many things for Ngie, provided the environment is enabling.

Ngie community praises Minister Mbah Acha

Also present at the ceremony were some Fons of Ngie, notables and other elite of the Subdivision.

HRH Fon Atughap Abendong, HRH Fon Ekenu Mathias and HRH Fon Eberikia Peter all expressed joy and gratitude to the minister. 

While offering their blessings and support, they encouraged the women to continue supporting the minister and tasked her with making sure the women of Ngie and Momo entirely remain united.

Other elite were present at the ceremony, notably the National President of the Ngie Cultural and Development Association, NCADA, Ambe Thomas Ngwa; NWOCADA patron, Senior Warrant Officer Enimbah Timothy Etabi; and NWOCADA auditor, Princess Atughap Elizabeth.

They all thanked the minister for all she continues to do for them, assured her of their support and pledged to stand behind her.

Exchange of gifts

As a token of their appreciation for her generosity towards them, NWOCADA presented the minister with several gifts including ‘ekom’ yams, palm oil milled from the oil mill she helped renovate, cleaning liquid, among others.

The minister, for her part, offered FCFA one million to NWOCADA for their ongoing project to complete the renovation of the Ngie Cultural Centre in Damas, Yaounde, where they hold their meetings. Mbah Acha assured the women that many more good things will follow gradually. 

This story was first published in The Guardian Post issue No:3143 of Wednesday June 19, 2024