Bamendankwe: Dr Taniform Peter uses peace tourney to boost effective school resumption.

On Friday August 30, Taniform Peter and other elite of Bamendankwe visited and evaluated projects carried out by Bamenda I Council. 

The evaluation of the projects carried out by Bamenda I executive is to ensure accountability to the population who gave the mayor and his councillors the mandate.

It should be noted that the visit was the second, after the mid-term evaluation of the council. Quater heads, the traditional council, elite, and councillors participated in the evaluation exercise. 

During the evaluation, it was disclosed that several projects have been released by the council but only a few could be visited.

Meanwhile, other elected officials such as senator and regional councillors who received an endorsement from the Section President of CPDM Mezam 1A, Dr Taniform Peter, will also be evaluated in due course. 

It was also disclosed that peace is one of the immaterial achievements during the current mandate of the Bamenda I council executive. 

The reigning peace in the community, it was noted, stems from the federated efforts of the elite, villagers (residents), council authorities and others - making Bamendankwe a 'safe haven' for many running away from hot zones.

Thanks to peace, schools are operational and attracting students from beyond Bamenda I Subdivision. 

The impact of peace has been the influx of people from other parts of the North West Region, increasingly making the municipality more cosmopolitan.

Dr Taniform, elite drum massive school resumption, peace

Meanwhile, Dr Taniform Peter and other elite have drummed massive school resumption and peace. This was on Sunday September 1, 2024, during the final of the 5th edition of the Bamenda I Peace and Unity Tournament.

Parents and inhabitants of Bamendankwe were urged to join peace crusades, send their children to school and work for the development of the village.

The official ceremony to end the peace and unity tournament, which took place at the Bujong Community Field, was chaired by the Governor of the North West Region, Adolphe Lele L'afrique, in the presence of his close collaborators.

Also present were elite of the village like Dr Taniform Peter, Mayor Mbigha Felix, Bamenda City Mayor, Paul Achobong, representative of the Fon, Dr Asobo Forche Peter, the population and a huge crowd of spectators.

The 5th edition of the Bamenda I Peace and Unity Tournament took place under the patronage of Fon Forchesirri III and Dr. Taniform Peter. 

Piloted by the Bamenda I Council, the competition had sponsors like the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP, Port Authority of Douala, and Kii Bank.

Peace, back-to-school messages 

While addressing the population during the final, Dr Taniform Peter reminded them that peace is a scarce commodity, which needs the collective efforts of everyone for it to be achieved and preserved.

He saluted the efforts of the authorities and members of the community who have been collaborating to bring back peace in the village.

"About ten years ago, we started a crusade in this community, which was a peace and unity crusade. We have decided that peace is a very scarce commodity. We must work as a community to achieve peace. I want to recognise the efforts of the community and authorities who have been working tirelessly for the peace of this community and the city," Dr Taniform said.

The occasion was also an opportunity for Dr Taniform to call on parents to send their children to school, come September 9. He reminded them that education is the only weapon that they can give their children.

"Don't deprive the children of their future. Children who can help the community are children like yours, intelligent children and community builders are those children who go to the farm, who school in the village; so don't stop your children from going to school," Dr Taniform added.

Enter Governor Lele, Mayor Mbigha

For their parts, the Mayor of Bamenda I Council, Mbigha Felix and Governor Adolphe Lele L'afrique, also added their voices to call on parents to send their children to school, as the new academic year kicks off on Monday September 9.

"We started this peace crusade some six years ago and I think we are now enjoying the peace. Football is a unifying factor that brings people together. We used this to bring peace in this community and to recall the back-to-school," Mayor Mbigha said.

While calling on those who are still lagging behind, Governor Adolphe Lele L'afrique saluted the efforts of elite and other community leaders who have been working for the development and peace of their communities.

"I am lauding the efforts of the elite, traditional rulers and mayors who have organised such competitions to bring back peace in our Region. I am appealing to everybody to join others for peace and normalcy to return in our Region and to send their children to school," Governor Lele said.

Dr Taniform Peter awarded for humanitarian works

The closing ceremony of the tournament saw several personalities going home with certificates of appreciation. Amongst them was Dr Taniform Peter, who was appreciated for his humanitarian works and contributions for the development of the municipality.

The award also came in as a recognition, after he had been partnering with the Bamenda I Council over the years to organise the peace and unity tournament. 

The 5th edition of the tournament saw the awarding of cash prizes and back-to-school didactics to several pupils and students.

Didactics such school bags, books, pens, school fees and many others were handed to pupils and students in order to better equip them for the upcoming school resumption. The tournament included U17, handball male and female, football in the youth and veteran categories and others.

The day ended with Ntahgang FC emerging as champions, after defeating New Town FC following post-match penalty shootouts. Ntahgang FC, winners of the 5th edition of the Bamenda I Peace and Unity tournament, were handed a trophy, accompanied by a 500,000 FCFA cash prize.

About Bamenda I Peace and Unity Tournament

The tournament, it should be noted, is an initiative of Dr Taniform Peter, which is now piloted by Bamenda I Council for sustainability. It attracted sponsors, thanks to the lobbying prowess of Dr Taniform Peter. 

The tournament is age and gender sensitive. Under 17 categories were introduced this year and there is also the veteran category. Volleyball, basketball and other disciplines are envisaged in subsequent editions. Only residents of Bamenda I participate in the competition-a key rule that helps to domesticate the tournament.

Encouraging school attendance

Besides engaging youth in sports competition, another key aspect of the tournament is to encourage schoolchildren to return to the classroom. That is why books and other school needs are distributed to the needy kids of the community. 

Dr Taniform, who has become an influential elite of the community, came from a poor background and through education, he shot to prominence. 

His story is similar to many great men and women from the Bamendankwe community. These success stories are used to encourage parents and children to embrace education, even during moments of crisis.

Bamendankwe prides itself for always setting the pace for the rest of the North West Region to follow. It started holiday tournaments dedicated to peace and now the community has engaged the route of accountability of its elected officials. 

This story was first published in The Guardian Post issue N0:3219 of Wednesday September 04, 2024