SPECIAL REPORT: CBC polarized after ‘controversial’ election of new health director

By Wilson Musa

Christians of the nation’s oldest church, the Cameroon Baptist Convention (CBC) are still in disbelief following the controversial voting into office of a new Director of Health Services for the Church.

Mr. Ngum Samuel is the new Director of Health Services for the CBC. He was elected into office on March 6th following a vote by an extraordinary General Council of the Convention at the Baptist Center in Bamenda.

The Council comprised 58 members and was headed by a two-man team composed of the CBC Executive President, Rev. Dr. Nditemeh Charlemagne, and the CBC Chairman, Mr. Yosimbom Mkong John.

The meeting lasted over 5 hours with some members asking that the meeting be postponed to June although voting finally took place and Mr. Ngum 51 votes Mr. Njih 7 votes

The election comes months after an initial election held by the CBC Health Department was annulled in December 2023.

Where is the controversy?

Credible information reaching CNA has it that the CBC constitution is clear that the General Council does not elect directors as this is done by the various Departments and the Council simply validates these results.

However, there were complaints from some quarters (and CNA got firsthand information from an insider which we published this January https://cameroonnewsagency.com/another-crisis-threatens-to-rip-cbc-apart-as-search-for-prof-tihs-replacement-begins/) alleging that Mr. Mkong arm-twisted the well-meaning CBC Executive President into accepting the candidate (in this case Mr. Ngum) who was his (Mkong’s) favorite candidate.

Unverified rumors also reaching CNA allege that the outgoing director, Prof. Tih was “tribalistic” and wanted his own favorite candidate (a Mbum man to be clear) to be his successor. CNA investigations found this information wanting since Prof. Tih is not himself a Mbum man, but rather from Small Babanki and for him to qualify as tribalistic, he would need to have selected his fellow tribesman, which he clearly didn’t.

Prof. Tih’s leadership style has been to focus on excellence and quality, which is why his more than 20 years at the helm of the CBC Health Services saw it growing into one of the best healthcare organizations not just in Cameroon but Africa as a whole.

What happens now?

Mr. Ngum Samuel is the director-elect of health services and will officially take over office at a date to be announced. The 49-year-old is originally from Oku and the holder of a Master’s in Public Health and is currently enrolled in a PhD program in Public Health and takes over office from Prof. Tih Pius who held the position for nearly 30 years.

Mr. Ngum who stood for election alongside Mr. Nji Richard (current administrator at Banso Baptist Hospital), has served the CBC Health Services in various capacities. He takes over as the second Cameroonian national to head the Health Services of the CBC after Prof. Tih Pius became the first Cameroonian to take over from American missionaries who had held monopoly of this position since the creation of the Health Department in the 1940s.

In his outgoing speech to fellow CBC health leaders in November 2023, Prof. Tih said about the likely candidate to succeed him:

“God looks at the heart and will choose he who is willing not the perfect person. We are all weak vessels in His hand. The disciples knew that Jesus chose Peter as their leader. Jesus himself publicly declared his choice of Peter to the hearing of all the disciples. I may not do that, but I expect all of you to know who the Peter is and will give your full support to him or her when the time comes, and when the Board decides. I am not imposing on the Board”.

CNA will keep updating this story as we receive the information.

Post Script: Due to the sensitivity of this case, most CBC Christians were unwilling to be identified and spoke to CNA on condition of strict anonymity.