Level 400 students of the Department of Agriculture and Environmental Engineering from the College of Technology, COLTECH, at the University of Bamenda, UBa, are stranded following the alleged misappropriation of their field trip funds.
According to information gathered from some of the concerned students, the Head of Department, HOD, Dr. Ngwabie Martin, had instructed the class coordinator, Njinwi Bertrand, to coordinate the contribution from his course mates. We are informed each student was supposed to contribute 45,000 FCFA, but the class coordinator demanded 53,000 FCFA per student for a three-day field trip to Douala.
The students revealed that the entire class of 55 students contributed 53,000 FCFA each. However, the HOD recently informed them that the total amount of 2.7 million FCFA had been embezzled by the class coordinator.
“The HOD called us three weeks ago and informed us that the total amount of 2.700.000frs has been embezzled by the class coordinator,” a source said.
Some of the victims stated that the class coordinator told them he had invested the money in an online scheme and promised to pay back within two weeks, a deadline he failed to fulfill.
We learned the said class coordinator is actually in good terms with the HOD and other school administrators, despite putting the students in total confusion “he is still attending lectures with no disciplinary sanction”.
When contacted by CNA, the class coordinator, Njinwi Bertrand, said the issue was being handled at the departmental level “the issue is being handled at the department,” he said.
The initial date for the field trip was April 23, 2025, but some of the students told CNA they are currently stranded with no further communication from the school.
