Hate speech: Ntumfor Nico Halle diagnosis root causes, proffers solution.

The celebrated lawyer made the declaration in a recently released letter to Cameroonians. The letter comes in the wake of an upsurge in hate speech and xenophobia in the country. 

Ntumfor regretted that despite efforts, the country is engulfed in hate, greed, fear, and corruption, discrimination, tribalism, favoritism, xenophobia, regionalism, hypocrisy, falsehood, marginalisation, lies-telling, human rights and rights abuse, election rigging among others.

"Are these not the platform on which hate speech thrives abundantly?," he rhetorically questioned, before affirming that: "The answer is a big yes". 

He also questioned: "Can we who are promoters of the above fight hate speech? The answer is a big No. I challenge some of us; all over the country, who are condemning hate speech; whether we have the moral authority to fight hate speech! How can we condemn what we promote? This is certainly very hypocritical and impossible. If we must fight hate speech, we must start from what causes hate speech, otherwise it would be an effort in futility”.

The former President of the Bar General Assembly continued: "How can we fight hate speech when we cannot respect the rule of law of our land? Are we truly patriotic?" 

He further questioned: "How can we fight hate speech when discrimination is promoted at all the echelons of our society? Where there is discrimination, there is hate speech. How can we fight hate speech when the core moral values of love, justice, equity, transparency, accountability, integrity, truth, patriotism, respect of human rights and liberties, credibility etc that should be espoused to constitute the platform of our daily activities, are treated with levity?", Sir Ntumfor Halle further questioned. 

"How can we fight hate speech when meritocracy has given way to mediocrity? How can we fight hate speech when some of those who receive awards, distinctions and medals, are of questionable character?", he added. 

"How can we fight hate speech when poverty and unemployment are our mainstay? A hungry and an unemployed person is a fertile ground for hate speech.

How can we fight hate speech when elections are rigged at almost all levels of our society?", he continued. 

He noted that about 85% of uprising in the world emanate from rigged elections. 

He cited what happens at cultural associations, in communities, global churches, within political parties, the civil society "even in the Bar Association, where the rule of law ought to be the watch word". 

He questioned how hate speech could be fought when religious structures that ought to be a moral force to reckon with, have degenerated into despicable moral decadence. 

"How can one who promotes corruption, discrimination, tribalism, division, divide and rule, hypocrisy, falsehood, xenophobia, violence, bitterness, frustration, sycophancy, surrogacy, bootlicking, praise singing, idol worshiping...fight hate speech? All of these vices virtually promote hate speech," he said. 

Time for moral rearmament

He mentioned that "...even if we are not scrupulously respecting the rule of law of the country, let us at least ask for direction from our awesome God. This is the person whose boots we should lick daily by going on our knees and asking for forgiveness, after repenting from our sins". 

"Why is it that even some of the documents that could even lead us into being patriotic, are systematically spurned? I have had occasion to read and re-read two great books that were published by H.E. Paul Biya, when he just became President of the Republic of Cameroon. These books are titled: "Rigour and Moralisation" and "Communal Liberalism". Anyone who grabs a copy and reads would understand that I am not recommending the books, just because it was done by the Head of State but because the books contain what it takes to change the mentality and mindsets of Cameroonians," he said.

He noted that the books were good yesterday and are today still relevant for a society that wants to live in peace and harmony. 

He said if the books had been imbibed at all echelons of the polity, the country would have long emerged as Cameroon is blessed with huge natural and human resources. 

Lies-telling responsible for crisis in NW, SW

Sir Ntumfor Nico Halle said the socio-political crisis rocking the North West and South West Regions would have been avoided, but for lies-telling. 

He said most Cameroonians are very intelligent in almost all areas of life.

But regretted that: "Unfortunately, academia that is devoid of core moral values represents almost nothing. Such academia cannot build a great nation". 

He said the socio-political crisis in the North West and South West Regions is still very pre-occupying owing to a couple of reasons. He said "some of the key players, call them stake holders, have never told the truth because of fear". 

"They fear to lose friendship, they fear to lose benefits, favours, advantages, promotions, appointments or reappointments, grandeur, titles, awards, glamour, splendour and what have you!", he stated. 

He regretted that people have forgotten that all the above attributes, no matter how "we acquired them, will slip off our fingers when God wills it. I have always reminded myself that there is no position that I hold anywhere that I cannot let go when it comes to standing for the truth and defending general interest. We have also forgotten that our lives here on earth are ephemeral and that we have the responsibility to leave the world better than we met it. We have also forgotten that amassing wealth to the detriment of our brothers and sisters is a heinous crime against humanity and that we shall all be held accountable to our Creator, for all our deeds".

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3513 of Thursday July 24, 2025