CBC youth director speaks out on genesis of crisis with church administration.

Sankum Nwiyo added that he has come under threats and blackmail for speaking the truth since assuming the office of youth director.

The clergy bore his heart out in a letter addressed to executives of the youth department, parents and sponsors of the department’s programme. 

The letter, a copy of which The Guardian Post has seen, is dated Monday September 2. The epistle is titled: “I.C.E. breaking ministry to victims of church abuse”.

Going by the director’s letter, he has decided to come out of the silence which has covered “the shame of an abuse” that only multiplies his pain and mistreatment.

According to Pastor Sankum, when he officially took over office as youth director on September 1, 2023, he was guided by passion to speedily execute what he termed as the “ICE Vision” (Innovation, Creativity and Excellence) on which he was voted on June 2, 2023.

However, he said this approach raised some dust in the air. 

“As early as November 2023, my swiftness on one hand was said to have gone against some unclear financial laws while on the other hand, it was perfectly inspired by rebuffed YSD (Youth and Students Department) customs. This still begs for a fair hearing but gets a variety of voting meetings,” he stated in his letter.

Unjustified salary deduction

He then mentioned that he asked for mercy in December 2023, when he was first told his salary will be deducted in a huge lump sum.

“Sadly, our Church denied mercy on the basis of perhaps an inadvertent misinformation that I continued in my error. If mercy is totally denied in the Church that was founded on mercy and grace, then strict justice is intended,” he said.

According to him, he suffered abusive salary deduction for three successive months with the pay slips not indicating the deduction.

Instead of his standard monthly salary of 267,820 FCFA, he said he was paid 168,000 FCFA in December 2023, 150,000 FCFA in January 2024, and 100,000 FCFA in February 2024. 

“Confused and disoriented, I wrote emotionally on February 19th 2024, claiming my rights to all my salaries and maintained my request despite the threats,” he said, adding that “this kicked off an endless series of query and warning letters whose contents and replies should be examined for truth, fairness and godly justice”. 

The youth director also asserted that he was exposed to “disinformation, painful pressure, blackmail, refusal of basic work amenities, illegal social media elections, suspension of work activities, censorship, youth rebellion, unfair removal and dismissal as admin from forums, reputational damage,” for speaking truth or facts in the Church. 

Sankum Nwiyo added that he later sent another letter last August 1, to the CBC Finance and Development Department, FDD Director, and demanded for his full salaries or consistent pay slips. 

According to Pastor Sankum, a copy of the letter was sent to the CBC Executive President, CBC Chairman, CBCYSD Council, and NBC Staff Representatives. He stressed that in spite of this, conciliation was diverted through several administrative means.

“Procedurally, who are those mandated to plan for and convene any official YSD Council meeting? Between June and September 2024, will a third Council meeting now examine Part IV Chap III (75-77) of the Cameroon Labor Code on ‘Deduction from Wages’ in the place of a CBC Personnel Manager?” he questioned.

“Biblically, our Highest Authority says workers deserve their salaries (1 Tim. 5:18) and must cater for parents, family, friends, needy, etc. Therefore, to preserve our unity, an innovative ministry of peaceful advocacy and mediation for ‘Church Victims’ is launched,” he added. 

Closing his letter, he reminded the Christians that God has commanded them to learn to do right, seek justice, defend the oppressed, and take up the cause of the fatherless in accordance to Isaiah chapter 1 versus17.

Youth council meeting to decide fate of director today

All attention of the young Baptist Christians will be tilted towards the North West Region today Thursday September 5, as member of the Youth Council of the CBC Youth and Students Department converge on Bamenda. 

The members of the council were summoned for an extraordinary meeting by a letter dated August 24. It was addressed by the Executive President, Rev Dr Nditemeh Charlemagne, with the aim of examining a number of grievances against the CBCYSD Director, and to deciding the pastor’s fate. 

The extraordinary council youth meeting to be held at the Nkwen Baptist Centre, sources within the CBC administration familiar with the case, had claimed to be a move by the Executive President to formally “impeach” the young director whose vivacity and dynamism has brought innovative changes within the youth department of the CBC.

The CBC boss had also been accused of using highhandedness in handling the matter and being desperate to flush out the youth leader. 

However, the Executive President in his letter convening the council session, had indicated that meeting was prompted by a “working relational rift” between the CBCYSD Director and the CBCYSD Chairman and the CBCYSD Executives in general. 

The CBCYSD Director, in the same summon letter, had also been accused of having an “administrative working rift” with the CBC Director of Finance and Development.

This is said to be coupled with “repeated instances of insubordination and gross misconduct from CBCYSD Director through his numerous and repeated unfortunate administrative quagmire” posted for several months on social media. 

This story was first published in The Guardian Post issue N0:3220 of Thursday, September 5, 2024