Music star and UNICEF ambassador Stanley Enow has come under heavy criticism on social media for what many interpreted as a mocking post about a GCE candidate interviewed by state broadcaster CRTV.
On Wednesday, June 4, Stanley Enow shared a now-deleted Facebook post featuring the phrase, “What I read almost came,” which he attributed to Laeticia Farrell Manitcheu Njikeule. She is a GCE candidate who discussed her experience writing the opening papers of the ongoing exam in an interview.
The phrase had gone viral on social media, with many netizens—including Stanley Enow—reposting it alongside laughing emojis and the hashtag #GCE2025.
On Tuesday, secondary and high school students across Cameroon began sitting for the General Certificate of Education (GCE) exams.
A Statement Out of Context?
After writing History Paper 1 and Chemistry Paper 1, several students were interviewed by CRTV to share their impressions. Among them was Laeticia Farrell Manitcheu Njikeule, who said in her televised interview, “What I read almost came. I am proud of what I wrote, and I am sure of answers. At the beginning it was not easy; I prayed, and everything was just okay.”
Following the interview, the clip and screenshots of Laeticia-Farrell began circulating online, often captioned with her now-viral quote.
However, Stanley Enow’s post on Wednesday drew backlash from those who considered it cyberbullying.
Some users argued that publicly mocking a student—especially during exam season—could affect her performance and mental health.
Critics condemned Stanley Enow’s post, highlighting that education faces attacks in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions and that GCE writers like Laetitia-Farell should not endure further harm.
“Alllooooooo UNICEF Cameroon, please come and carry your Ambassador Stanley Enow to go; our children don’t need him (to represent them anymore),” said Nganley Nadege Laure, who works with an organisation combating fake news and hate speech in Cameroon.
Troubling Context
For the past eight years, education has been under attack in the North West and South West Regions, yet students, parents, and school authorities persist in their efforts to preserve learning.
“As a UNICEF Ambassador, exam period is a time for such actors to ‘be of use’—if at all they have anything else to do than flaunt a title that is disproportionate with their behaviours. She concluded, “Stanley, you owe a public apology to this child and every other student who is battling to succeed in their exam!”
Also reacting to the controversy, Nain Yuh said, “Your mindset is the glasses through which you look at the world. I read some of your perspectives on the Stanley Enow, UNICEF Ambassador and student issue, and all I can say is, ‘What then shall we say to these things?’”
She continued, “It’s really true: until someone opens their mouth and shares their perspective, you will not know what their mindset looks like.”
Spoken word poet and author Nyanga Sandra also expressed disapproval. She wrote on her Facebook profile, “Dear Stanley Enow, as a human, celebrity and above all, UNICEF ambassador, this is wrong.”
“Imagine a student grants an interview only to come online to everyone laughing at what they said, including a celebrity like you. Do you consider what that will do to her self-esteem? No, I’m not saying that what she said wasn’t funny. I’m saying that you cannot make fun of people just because you find it funny.”
Popular comedian and content creator CG also joined the condemnation.
“Shame on you all,” he wrote.
“Mocking a young girl for expressing herself on national television?? Standing in front of the camera and being interviewed is enough to make one tense. Have you also considered she might be a Francophone and her first language is French?”
Stanley Enow deleted the controversial post on Wednesday evening following the wave of criticism.
