Kupe-Muanenguba: Nguti Elite Association president general, Nelson Mbu, dies.

Since the news of his passing into glory, family members, acquaintances and friends have taken to their different social media handles to pay tribute to the iconic leader of Elati Bebum, who, during his brief stay in office, reached out to hundreds of people in his native Nguti Subdivision.

Member of Parliament, Hon Dr Fonge Julius Fongouck, said: “He was a very practical man with a lot of insights in so many things to help Nguti Subdivision Nguti...I was even supposed to travel with him this month end to the United States on a very important assignment…”.  

On his part, Esapa Patrick, Vice President of Elati Bebum, said Eyeni Nelson’s death is a big loss to Nguti and its people, coming on the heels of the demise of another prominent son of Nguti, Divisional Officer, DO Abali Simon Akime. 

Esapa Patrick went further to call on the Bebum people to be strong and be able to bear the lost “for the lord alone knows why”.

Another Nguti elite, Esong Simon, described Eyeni Nelson’s passing as a big loss to Nguti. 

“What a pity...My people have suffered another loss after DO Abali...When fine brains like these are being taken away, what are we going to be left with?” he lamented. 

Eyeni Nelson Mbu, the man

Born some 55 years ago in Nguti, Eyeni Mbu Nelson was a jurist, human rights management and development expert in governance and capacity building with over 20 years of working and teaching experience in areas of governance, juvenile justice, access to justice, peace and security in Cameroon, Rwanda, Congo Brazzaville, Liberia, Ghana, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sudan, and Liberia.

He worked with the various United Nations agencies and programmes including UNDP, UN Missions (UNAMID, UNAMSAL in Sierre Leone, UN RWA etc), UNHCR, etc. 

His stewardship within the framework of the above-mentioned agencies took him to a number of fragile conflict and post-conflict countries including Rwanda, Congo, Ghana, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Darfur –Sudan, Liberia, among others.

After graduating with a Master’s degree from the University of Lund in Sweden with distinction at the age of 28, Eyeni got scholarship to do PhD in Denmark.

With his academic capability he was hired by the Danish governments and sent to Rwanda where he opened the Common Law department in the University of Rwanda and was the lead lecturer in the University during the post-genocide era of the country.

Eyeni also headed the rule of law in the Darfur Nyala district for over a year before moving to Liberia where he worked for seven years in the Justice and Rule of Law program and returned to Cameroon after the outbreak of Ebola.

The story was first published in The Guardian Post issue No: 3145 of Friday June 21, 2024