*The mayor is accused of fraudulently
gaining admission into University of Buea
 |
| Ekema Patrick Esunge (now Buea Mayor) graduating from University of Buea.Photo credit /Anonymous |
By Christopher Ambe
The newly appointed Vice-chancellor (VC)
of the University of Buea(UB) ,Professor Ngomo Horace Manga officially takes office today in replacement
of Dr.Lyonga Nalova, retired. The New VC is assuming office amid serious allegations
that the state-owned University violated its own requirements for admission of
undergraduate students, by accepting -either in complicity or by error, an
applicant named Ekema Patrick Esunge, to read history with just one GCE
Advanced Level paper.
The said Ekema Patrick Esunge is the
current Mayor of Buea, headquarters of Southwest Region of Cameroon,
Disturbing Facts have emerged that he
sat for the Cameroon General Certificate of Examinations (GCE) Advanced Level up
to four times but passed only in one subject (history) with an ‘E’grade (being
the lowest pass grade).
Yet, he ‘fraudulently’ gained admission in to
the prestigious University of Buea, whereas many applicants who pass same exam
with at least two papers and better grades are, yearly , denied admission, for
failing to meet the institution’s
minimum requirements.
These findings were obtained from the
Cameroon GCE Board and were made public on Friday July 7 at a press conference
in Buea by Mr.Tambe Tiku Christopher, rights activist and Southwest Regional
Secretary for the National Commission on Human Rights and Freedoms (NCHRF).
To be awarded an Advanced Level GCE
certificate in Cameroon, a candidate must have passed in at least two papers at
the same sitting. To gain admission for undergraduate studies into the state-owned
Anglo-saxon University of Buea, an applicant must have passed in at least five
GCE Ordinary Level subjects including English language and at least passed in
two ‘A’Level subjects at one sitting.
 |
| Tambe Tiku talking to reporters |
But Ekema, who formerly was a junior
staff of the University of Buea and reportedly had as his highest qualification
a pass in One Advanced Level in his employment file at the institution, was
later admitted to read history and he was awarded a Bachelors’degree in 2006.
In March 2014, he graduated with a Master’s
degree in history from same university and is now reportedly studying elsewhere
for a doctorate degree.
Strangely, and probably worried by
the fact he had his Bachelor’s degree in 2003 without a GCE Advanced Level
certificate, Ekema again registered for the ‘A’ Level in 2007 (for History, Geography
and Philosophy) but did not sit for the exam.
At the press conference, Tambe Tiku
told journalists that his office was “inundated with complaints relating to
alleged violation of the right to education by the University of Buea”, adding
that “the complainants alleged that the university’s requirements in to some
departments are discriminatory. They {alleged} that whilst some of them were
refused admission with five points, a certain Ekema Patrick Esunge was admitted
with one Advanced Level paper with one point”
Tambe Tiku, who also teaches law at
same university, said based on the complaints, he was forced to write to the
Cameroon GCE Board to get the detailed results of Ekema Patrick Esunge “to
establish the veracity of these allegations”
The Human Rights official said he
acted within his competence, citing the National Commission on Human Rights and
Freedoms, which as per Section 3(2) of its organic texts can “request competent authorities to carry out
searches and require the production of any document or evidence in accordance
with ordinary law.”
And upon receipt of the official
request from the Buea Regional Office of
Human Rights and Freedoms, Dr.Monono Ekema Humphrey, Registrar of the Cameroon GCE
Board who is on record to have said “I have nothing more to give my country
than working honestly for it” acted accordingly and swiftly by furnishing the
details results.
Tambe Tiku said the University of
Buea has already been informed about his findings and it has promised to act accordingly
if its own investigations confirm Ekema Patrick Esunge frauded his way to
become a student of the institution.
What is certain is that if the
University confirms that Ekema Patrick,now Mayor of Buea illegally gained
admission there, his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in History will be revoked
and a public announcement made to that effect.
With pressure mounting on the
University of Buea to quickly make a pronouncement on the scandalous findings, many
think the new VC will consider the matter a priority challenge, to save the “battered”
image of the university, which was created in 1993 and part of its mission
statement says:
“The University of Buea is dedicated to the continuous
quest for excellence, the promotion of moral and human values, and service to
community”
If at all the University confirms
that Mayor Ekema frauded his way into the institution for studies, apart from
stripping him of the degrees, it could initiate a criminal action against him.
According to the Cameroon Penal Code
in Section 207(1), “Whoever forges or alters any official certificate shall be
punished with imprisonment from six months to three years
(2) “Whoever makes use of any such
certificate shall be punished in like manner”
Tambe Tiku said it is “overwhelming
for a public figure to continue in office after engaging in a fraudulent act of
this magnitude”, urging the Mayor to resign from office.
Sounding very confident at the press
conference and relying on the confirmation of Ekema Patrick’s results made
available by the GCE Board, the rights activist noted:
“From the results at our disposal,we
can state boldly that Ekema Patrick Esunge frauded his way into the University.
It is difficult for us to ascertain whether it was done in complicity with the
University”
Tambe Tiku said, “It beats one’s
imagination why Ekema who earned a degree (in History) in October, 2006, would
proceed to register for Advanced Level (for same subject) in 2007.”
He said with the GCE Board’s
confirmation that Ekema has a pass in just one paper, “it is now left for the
University and the Judiciary to take their responsibilities”
Unlike before when the Mayor would
react swiftly and angrily to pronouncements made against him by the Buea Human
Rights office, Ekema Patrick has surprisingly maintained sealed lips on the
sensitive matter, fuelling speculations that he has nothing to counter the allegation,
which has also gone viral on the social media.
Meanwhile, the Faculty Executives of
the University of Buea, have addressed a memo titled “Disapproval of Fake
Academic Credentials From Mayor Ekema Patrick Esunge” to the Vice-chancellor
and Registrar, among others.
The Memo calls on the University authorities
to “bring the said Ekema Patrick to Justice”
The students’ memo does not say
exactly what will happen if the University administration fails to heed their
demands. But going by past records, students had always used strike actions to
cause the administration to satisfy their demands.
Mr.Ekema became Mayor of Buea in
2013, under the platform of the ruling CPDM, whose National chairman is
Cameroon’s President, Paul Biya.
CPDM officials are said to be
saddened by the scandalous revelation about one of theirs.
No comments:
Post a Comment