Laying foundation for peace, dev´t: Eyumojock dev’t association awards outstanding learners, donates to schools.

The deserving students were handed cash prizes and excellence certificates over the weekend. The association also handed computers to some colleges in the Subdivision. 

The event that took place at the Manyu Cultural Center in the Mvog-Ada neighbourhood of Yaounde. 

The ESDA Excellence Award was celebrated under the theme: “Education for peace, stability and sustainable development”.

It was graced by Patron of ESDA, Professor Edward Ako; the Mayor and Ntufam of Eyumojock, Ita Jacques Ayamba; the Member of Parliament, MP, for Eyumojock, Tekeu Tanyi Tekeu; among other personalities from Eyumojock Subdivision in particular, and Manyu Division as a whole.

The President of ESDA Yaounde chapter, Daniel Ojong, while welcoming the laureates, members of ESDA in Yaounde and other elite from Manyu Division, lauded the collective effort manifested by all and sundry to raise funds and make the excellence award, in its fourth edition, a reality.

Ojong urged members, especially the younger generation, not to relent effort in ensuring that the event keeps holding without fail from year to year.

For his part, the Mayor of Eyumojock Council who also doubles as chief of Eyumojock, Ita Jacques Ayamba, told the laureates not to forget their roots.

He regretted that most children who grow up in the nation’s cities, always fall short when it comes to knowledge about where they come from. A lapse which the municipal authority blamed principally on parental oversight; if not outright negligence.

This was even visible as the none of the laureates responded to a question, he asked on how many communities make up Eyumojock Subdivision, which the mayor disclosed are 65.

The laureates also failed in naming the three clusters that make up the Ejagham in Eyumojock Subdivision. These clusters are Obang, Ejagham Central and Ejagham Njemaya. 

The Ntufam also disclosed that the Ejagham nation cuts across Cameroon and Nigeria. He said while there are three clusters that speak Ejagham, excluding related dialects in Cameroon, the major clusters in Nigeria are up to four, excluding the dialects.

In Nigeria, the Ejagham clusters include the Bakor in the Ogoja and Abayum areas, the clusters in Etung and Ikom local government areas; the clusters in Akamkpa local government area; and clusters in the Calabar, Odukpani and Akpabuyo local government areas.

Ita Jacques Ayamba called on the laureates not to forget their roots, but work towards advancing the cause of development in the area they come from.

On his part, Eyumojock elite, Professor Agbor Gabriel, who spoke on the role of parents in the education of their children, said parenting is not the duty of biological parents alone.

He said it is the duty of all those the child comes across in life, especially people who care for the welfare and future prosperity of any child they come across.

Prof Agbor said in addition to biological parents, all role models should endeavour to motivate children in a positive sense. 

This, he said, could contribute to building more harmonious and better societies than when the larger population relegates the duty of proper parenting to biological parents alone.

This story was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3259 of Monday October 14, 2024