Nguti Elites Debunk Dr. Munzu’s “No Special Status,” Sign a Memo Confirming Special Status
By Nadesh E.
Some elites of the Nguti subdivision, particularly those of the ruling CPDM party have distanced themselves from Dr. Simon Munzu’s opinion of “No Special Status” for the crisis-hit North West and South West regions as declared by president Paul Biya. In his book titled NO ‘SPECIAL STATUS’-PAS DE ‘STATUT SPECIAL,’A Reflection Of The Special Status Of The English Speaking Regions Of Cameroon- Reflexion Sur Le ‘Statut Special’ Des Regions Anglophones Du Cameroun, Dr. Simon Munzu, one of the most distinguished elites of the Nguti Subdivision questions the existence of the special status and if so, if it is a solution to end the war going on in the English speaking regions of Cameroon.
This document which is now on sale on Amazon has made headlines on different media platforms both traditional and social media and has reached the headquarters. In response to one of theirs, some elites of Nguti Subdivision have signed a memo to detach themselves from Dr. Simon Munzu’s opinions and reaffirm the Anglophone regions of Cameroon are existing under a special status.
In a meeting held in Douala on November 2, 2021, some Nguti traditional rulers, Civil Society personnel, heads of development associations, and other elites of Nguti, the political leaders explained that Dr. Munzu’s book has ‘blackmailed the subdivision’.
According to the chairman of the RAINBOW political group, Ajang Evaristus, some of the elites have overheard many commenting on the document and trying to blackmail the whole subdivision. Hence it was necessary for them to hold a meeting and present things the way they are. “To this effect, we have drafted something which presents what we understand about the special status in the Southwest Region,” the chairman said.
During a presentation of the proposed memo, the member of the Divisional commission for CPDM Kupe Muanenguba during the renewal of the basic organs of the CPDM party, Prince Mabengue Leonard Junior reiterated the need to keep in house problems secret and that due to the exposure of sub-divisional problems Nguti Subdivision has been blacklisted.
“What I gathered from the book is that Nguti people are not trustworthy. Until Nguti people come out and do a disclaimer or speak the truth, they will not be able to regain the confidence that the system has in Nguti, “Prince Mabengue said.
Being an elite of Nguti subdivision, prince affirmed Nguti is one of those subdivisions enjoying Special Status because it is represented in the House of Divisional Representatives by Mrs. Etame Rosemary, Mr. Akime George, and in the South West House of Chiefs by Chief doctor Atem Ebako (serving as president) and as the Vice President of South West Regional Executive Council.
He added that these regional units have just started to function and it’s rather too early to talk about the pertinence of their raison d’etre.
The presentation of the memo was received with huge criticism and scrutiny from other elites and chiefs which they believe will incite the already ongoing crisis in Nguti subdivision and Cameroon at large. One of those who strongly opposed the document was Chief Etuge Augustine, president of the Nguti Chiefs conference who raised 3 points:
-The title of Dr. Munzu’s book may just be to lure people to read the book and not necessarily deny the existence of the special status.
-The Chiefs have not gone through the book thoroughly and may not understand it to the latter, so there was a need to reschedule the meeting.
Political leaders and some Nguti Chiefs 
Cross section of participants
– The document was not directed to Nguti elites but to the entire nation. The author is a great political actor and is just expressing his opinion.
Chief Etuge’s suggestions were strongly supported by other elites and chiefs who lamented to have not read the book and may not give a concrete appraisal but suggested the political leaders stay mute and treat it like a national or regional affair and not a sub-divisional affair.
Moreover, the author’s denial of the existence of the Special Status was wrong because documents and structures promoting the implementation of the Special Status exist said another chief
Despite the heated arguments on whether to sign the memo and send it, participants finally resolved to sign it after a careful explanation from the initiators of the idea on the implication of not disclaiming the author’s opinion.
“We have a baby who is born and is trying to crawl and someone gets up and says there’s no baby who is born and that baby is the SPECIAL STATUS for the process of decentralization and regionalization in Cameroon which was already in the 1996 constitution “Prince Mabengue explained.
Going back to history, he added that the unusual “display of frustration” by Dr. Simon Munzu when it concerns matters of assuming responsibility is one of the contributing factors to the neglect and backwardness of the Nguti subdivision. Prince Mabengue added Doctor Munzu was a key actor in the Grand National Dialogue, he chaired a committee, proposed and validated ideas, and was the president of the Reconstruction Commission after the National Dialogue so how come he wrote a book denying a special status for the crisis-hit regions?
As at Press time, the initiators reported 98 persons have signed the Memo but CNA spoke with some chiefs who explained not all of them have signed. Some chiefs and elites still feel the decision should be given a second thought.
Although there are conflicting opinions about the special status between Dr. Simon Munzu and other elites of the Nguti Subdivision, the chairman Ajang Evaristus has maintained that the author is still one of the prominent and beloved sons of the subdivision because a difference in opinions cannot create a gap between him and the people. “He remains one of us, we have him in mind and respect him,” he reiterated during an interview
