• None of CRTV’s 17 operational directors is an Anglophone
Friday’s appointment of some officials at the state-run broadcaster, Cameroon Radio Television (CRTV) has confirmed that Anglophones are only best to play second fiddle.
Of the 17 operational directors at CRTV, none is an Anglophone, despite the ragging crisis in the North West and South West borne out of decades of unending marginalization of aborigines of these English-speaking regions.
The only Anglophone who was among the 17, Prof. George Ewane, Central Director Radio was replaced by a Francophone, François Marc Modzom.
Following the appointments, Anglophones now play second fiddle with the highest positions occupied by them being that of Technical Adviser and Mediator which are loosely ranked as director, though without the same privileges and advantages as those occupied by their Francophone peers.
The Board Chairman of CRTV, Rene Emmanuel Sadi doubles as Minister of Communication and Government Spokesman is a native of the Centre Region. The General Manager of CRTV is a native of the South Region. Both officials are part of the Beti-Buli-Ewondo ruling class, the reason why all juicy positions at CRTV are jealously held by individuals from the Beti-Bulu-Ewondo tribes.
CRTV has 17 functional directors and four central directors. None of them is an Anglophone.
In fact, the central directors are from the same tribe as the General Manager and Board Chairman. The four Central Directors at CRTV include Ibrahim Cherif, serving as Central Director TV; Adele Mballa as Central Director for CRTV Editorial Policy; François Marc Modzom, Central Director Radio and Michel Ngoube serving as Central Director of Technology Pole and Solution.
According to Sadi and Ndongo, Anglophones can only occupy the position of sub-director or at best, positions that look like directors but are not.
This is the case with Tehwi Lambiv who is Mediator at CRTV. Although CRTV insiders say this office, as vague as its name appears, has the rank of director, one does not need a distinction in rocket science to know that Lambiv wields zero power and gets nothing as benefits.
Another weightless office held by Anglophones is that of Technical Adviser no. 3 to the General Manager. Frederick Eta Bisong occupies this position said to be ranked as director.
But could Eta Bisong have “technically advised” Ngongo to treat Anglophones like shit?
Even if there was no qualified Anglophone at the central services of CRTV in Yaounde, Ndongo and his gang should have looked into the regions like they did for Berthe Mballa who was extracted from CRTV south and appointed Director of TV Programming.
Is Kange Williams Wassaloko, Station Manager of CRTV South West not competent enough to be a director or even central director at CRTV? What of Henry Mekolle?
Did Chief Dr. Atem Ebako auction Anglophones?
Chief Dr. Atem Ebako, President of the South West House of Chiefs and Vice President of the South West Regional Assembly is the lone Anglophone on the Board of Directors of CRTV.
Although his hate for North Westerners is undisputed, he should at least have fought hard to secure a place for his tribesmen of the South West Region. Could he not have pushed for the appointment for his fellow North West-hater, Wassaloko to be appointed?
Or are the likes of Simon Lyonga, Albert Njie Mbonde among others who recently created a South West journalists association not fit to become Central Directors at CRTV?
Sources say the xenophobic traditional ruler was rather interested in signing out his allowances, fearing to defend the interest of Anglophones. Since Friday’s appointments, he is said to have been rejecting calls from CRTV journalists of South West extraction.
Some Anglophones at CRTV have been reacting through their teeth following the appointments. Some have found solace in WhatsApp groups.
In what he said was his humble perspective to the “matters arising” from the CRTV appointments, an Anglophone desk editor of South West origin wrote: “The injustices that people endure make them better even when they are bitter. Even the Bible says that ‘unto those who have, more shall be given. In a polygamous home, when the child of the neglected spouse takes an undervalued object and makes value out of it, the other children cannot sleep until they have taken the object away. ‘Hope you understand’!”
Like him, many others have been speaking in tongues, clearing fearing to miss out on even the crumbs falling from the master’s table.
“At the end of the day we can all smile that all is well, so long as our crumbs become Sustainable,” said an observer of the situation at CRTV. “I thought even Dr. George Ewane’s replacement should have been an Anglophone…at least given the fact that he didn’t stay long in the role. This is intriguing.”
“Rene Sadi, Charles Ndongo hate Anglophones so much”
But for Rene Emmanuel Sadi, the current Anglophone crisis would not have escalated into an armed conflict.
While serving as Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralisation, it was Rene Emmanuel Sadi who banned the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium (CACSC) and the Southern Cameroons National Council, SCNC.
Sadi ordered the arrest of Anglophone union leaders including Barrister Agbor Nkongho Felix and Fontem Neba and many others. It was their arrest that denied the Anglophone crisis of its leadership and gave those with secessionist agendas in the diaspora a field day. Today, the situation is uncontrollable and Sadi and his Bulu people are yet to learn their lessons.
Rene Sadi hates Anglophones to his bone marrow. When he served as Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralisation, no Anglophone could even dream of becoming a Director in his ministry.
Sadi uses the fact that he speaks English to veil his hatred for Anglophones.
When Charles Ndongo was Central Director at CRTV, he was very hostile towards Anglophones. In fact, soon after he was appointed General Manager of CRTV, he unveiled a plot to gradually remove Anglophones from all functional and juicy positions.
At the time Ndongo became CRTV General Manager, Wain Paul Ngam, who was Director of Programming Radio; Dorothy Ndikum who replaced Margaret Fombe in charge of Productions while Robert Ekukole was Director of TV Programming and Productions and Theophilus Chia was Central Director in charge of Technology and Solutions.
Following Friday’s appointments, Sadi and Ndongo have now swept out all Anglophones from juicy positions. Bulu, Beti and Ewondo people now own CRTV.
Anglophones must know that Chief Atem Ebako was in the board meeting when everything was handed over to Francophones. Now at CRTV, Director of Information Radio is Francophone; Director of Information TV, Francophone; Director of Programming Radio, Francophone; Director of Programming TV, Francophone; Director of Human Resources, Francophone; Director of Administration and Finance, Francophone; Director of Technical Services TV, Francophone; Director of Technical Services Radio, Francophone and the list goes on and on.