Bamenda Archdiocese Play Host of First Catholic Education Rebel Organization

Dorn of Fresh Problems in Catholic Institutions with CEWOTU’s Creation As catholic education workers now have a credible medium through which their miserable working conditions could now be table to the high officials of the church without the fear of being individually persecuted for raising up issues that may destabilize the modus system of the church’s operation “always claiming to be poor, swimming in abundance, impressing her workers with prayers and blessings to come from above with meager salaries, while those on top live in affluence to the chagrin of frightened workers who could not talk and were to succumb or go, after all, many are out there waiting to grab”. This time around the story will be different as Life in catholic institutions and structures from the 17 of December 2012 to 2013 is bound to change thanks to a giant stride or bold achievement, with the creation of a Civil Society organization dubbed Catholic Education workers Trade Union CEWOTU which shall speak, act and care for the welfare of its workers which is even why her launch witnessed some Steve resistance from the Archbishop chief custodian of Catholic affairs in the North West Region in Cameroon. As he hittoto promised celebrating a mass in honor of the launch of the association at the St Joseph Metropolitan Cathedral, just to seal the doors of the cathedral and the Big Mankon Hall host ground of the occasion long booked and paid for. An indication that his Grace gave a second though over the creation of an Association and saw a great danger lying ahead, not only to himself for facilitating its creation, or playing host for the rebel movement, but also, a threat to the catholic religious intuition as a whole in Cameroon. “In other words facilitating the whole process of a revolution within the Catholic educational circle in Cameroon and why not enabling others to follow suit, and at the end of the day the whole catholic scene will be rendered chaotic with the calls and demands for this or that Rights or values to be upheld”. Not to completely expose his dislike, his Grace later permitted the opening of the Hall book for the pioneer launching exercise of the Association. An insider hinted World Echoes Newspaper that the mind of His Grace, Esua who initially expressed good faith over the creation of the union was poisoned by close aides (priests) who perceive trade unionism as a threat to the undue benefits they draw from the system and the highhandedness with which the church treats her employees. Despite the rebellion mounted by authorities of the Archdiocese to kill the union’s launch, the devoted membership of CEWOTU went ahead and proclaimed its pioneer executive of 21 workers. CEWOTU is headed by Mr. Kimfon Michael Yufenyuy, a teacher in St. Paul Comprehensive College Nkwen. Present at the launch were the Regional Delegate of Labour and Social Security, at the launch, Mr. Nobosso Samuel who despite the imbroglio that had characterized the launch of the union, noted the final withdrawal of the Church’s resistance for its launch was inactive of the readiness of the authorities to collaborate with the union that will henceforth protect the interest of all Catholic education workers in the union. The president of the Mezam Divisional Union, Mr. Ndi Lawrence, cum National President of the Confederation of Trade Unions, Cameroon. Mr. Ndi present also called on members of the trade union to bring Christian principles and values in to their work. The whole procession went on with passionate and skeptics watching from the fence while some were here with veils not to be quickly identified with CEWOTA and may be shortlist amongst those whose names appear in the black books of the Catholic Church for instigating and inciting. Heralds of the creation of the Association are bold enough to admit that enough is enough and will stand at nothing for their situation to be redressed irrespective of what follows for “no risk, no venture”. Priests in the Archdiocese of Bamenda, ride in porch cars with most of them acquiring luxurious private cars with funds from questionable sources. This had even baffled the Archbishop Esua in April this year when in his homily during this year’s Chrism Mass he admonished his priests to shelve their overbearing ambitions to purchase private cars and other property. Some priests in the Archdiocese who head services within the church are said to be inflating bills and using the illicit funds to sponsor their family members and construct private homes. Corruption in the church in the Archdiocese especially among priests is stinking who often treat the lay faithful as beggars and a frustrated lot whose survival depends solely on the meager “sanctified bread” the church offers. “We are talking here of the few who have decided to give the church a bad Name with vicious and malicious activities may God be their helper as we Pray God to redeem the church from the Hands of Demon Fowlers”