The Pope, father of JMC is no more

By Drusilla Mbehni

 “I shared a drink with Prof Tanjong last night at Bishop Rogans Club, Melen. It was the first time I met with him face to face. I was introduced to him as the publisher of The Median. He was surrounded by some young men. He drank a bottle of Isenberg and ate half marquereau fish. I separated with them at about 8.30 pm and went home. But he looked quite frail. He looked like someone coming out of a stroke. He suffered a malaise just as he got to his hotel. He called back some of the young men with whom he was sitting. By the time they arrived he was already on the floor. He complained of sharp pains around his neck and chest. He died just as they were taking him down the staircase of the hotel to head to the hospital. So sad,” Ojong Stephen, Publisher of “The Median” newspaper, narrates the last moments of Professor Enoh Tanjong on the night of October 28th before his demise the following morning.

Professor Enoh Tanjong, born in 1955 in Fotabe, a village in Manyu division, South West region of Cameroon grew up in his native village where he attended primary education. In 1967, he moved over to pursue secondary education at Saint Joseph’s College Sasse under the supervision of his elder brother. He was a mass communications expert with BSc (Hons) Mass Communications, University of Lagos (1979), M.A Journalism University of Winconsin-Madison (1983) and PhD Mass Communications, Winconsin-Madison(1986).

Following his employment in the then ministry of information and culture, Tanjong designed the undergraduate journalism and mass communication (JMC) program of the University of Buea in 1993 leading many to nickname him “The Pope,” a name which basically says he is the architect behind the creation of JMC as well as the pioneer head of department of the program from 1993-2005 when he was succeeded by Dr. Julius Che Tita and later Dr. Kingsly Ngange.

During a ceremony organized by his former students in his honour when he went on retirement, Professor Enoh Tanjong, during his speech, burst into tears of joy:

“I am overwhelmed by a show of love. This is the height of my life. The kids you see celebrating me today are more intelligent than me. My friend George Ngwa and I, put up a system to get the best students and that is why if one didn’t have from eight, nine, ten points and above, we wouldn’t accept the person in the department of journalism and mass communication. It was not for sale. George and I in our own fashion put benchmarks that the students the department must be extremely bright and this is the result manifesting today.”

 Enoh Tanjong has trained thousands of media professionals both at home and abroad. Most of Cameroon’s fine brains were trained by the iconic Professor who later on in life became his colleagues. Speaking on the character of Enoh Tanjong during this event was Charlie Ndi Chia, another man to be reckoned with in the mass communication field of Cameroon:

“Enoh Tanjong has touched so many hearts. He taught people how to believe in themselves, how to share with one another. Euphemistically speaking, we are mourning Enoh Tanjong in his presence because he is retired, not because he has died and making him to understand that this is how the hearts he has touched see him and will continue to see him and that those he formed in fire like gold and who decided to bite him will be mourned on dry cheeks not on wet sweet tears like we are mourning him today. That is how I know Enoh Tanjong. He is  a completely de-tribalised man.”

Speaking on the magnanimity of Professor Enoh Tanjong was Professor Henry Muluh who said the academic guru is not only a mentor but like a father to him:

“I actually got into JMC and the University of Buea thanks to Enoh Tanjong. He has been my mentor and everything to me. When I got back from further studies in the UK,  I never knew I was going to be a lecturer in the university. My intention was to work probably in TV production but I was shocked to find out that Enoh saw potentials in me when I filed my application. He then decided to take me as a part-time lecturer and he believed in me. He empowered his colleagues because if I know some sort of administration today, it’s thanks to Enoh Tanjong. Personally, he has empowered me a lot and I’ll forever remain grateful to him. I know he’s retiring but he still has a lot to do for us. It has been a wonderful working relationship. He’s not only a mentor, but he’s like a father to me.”

With a wide knowledge on communication and development in the third world, Prof Tanjong has over the years worked on consultancies with national and international organizations some of which are Heifer International Cameroon, Plan International, WWF and the Rumpi Project to name a few. In 2007, he received two awards for outstanding communication training professional in the country, one by the Cameroon Union Journalists (CUJ) and the other by the Cameroon’s Association of English Speaking Journalists (CAMASEJ).

“The Sun” newspaper’s publication of 25/11/2020 made mention that the professor has been ill. On April 9, he suffered an ischemic stroke which put him on bed rest. He was taken to Nigeria for medical check-up where he was treated and his health had been gradually improving.

Enoh Tanjong officially retired on October 10, 2020 at age 65. Throughout his career, he was not only a lecturer and HOD at JMC but also an author with one of his publications being ‘Media Balance In Sub-Saharan Africa’. He was also a researcher, a journalism trainer in the media sector and an icon who has trained most of Cameroon’s finest brains in the media field. On June 4, 2021, The President of the Republic, Paul Biya appointed Professor Enoh Tanjong into the National Communication Council.

His passing away this October 29 morning has left many in shock and tears and tributes have been flooding social media platforms.