WILLIAM SHINYUTM TALLAH began his journey through life in Shisong, Nso’, on April 3rd 1948, as the third son and fifth child of Stanislaus Tallah and Catherine Foka who ensured he was baptized, received First Holy Communion and Confirmation Rite as required by the Catholic Church at Shisong, Nso’. His parents were relatively enlightened and, though without formal education, they insisted on sending all their children to school at a time that formal schooling was not yet considered a value in Nso’land. William’s mother, Mami Foka, was probably the very first Nso’ woman ever to own and ride a bicycle, to the consternation and amazement of all and sundry! She could be identified or alluded to in any part of Nso’ by simply saying: That lady in Kumbo who usually rides a bicycle”.
William spent his childhood days as a pupil of St. Theresia’s School (STS) Kumbo, from 1954 to 1961, excepting 1960, which he spent at the Catholic School in Tombel with Reverend Fr. Ivo Ndichia. , He adopted William as his “son” soon after he was posted to Kumbo Parish in 1957. Willy’s contemporaries at STS used to be very envious of him for being the Reverend Father’s “son”! And would say – How lucky you are! You are the Reverend Father’s son!
At STS William was one of the youngest and smallest pupils. His real peers in age and size were some of his lifelong friends (Vincent Mainsah, Willibrord Shasha and Patrick Fonka). The rest of their school mates were mostly fully grownup men. The school’s social events and manifestations master, Mr. B.B. Wirnkar, dedicated more time to drill youngest pupils very well to lead the school on ceremonial occasions involving marching. Many would still remember today the sensation and excitement they caused during the then Empire Day celebrations and marching at Shisong in 1957 and 1958.
As Providence would have it, Fr. Ivo Ndichia was transferred to teach in Sasse College in 1962. William gained admission (N° 1350) into Sasse College in January 1962 and opted to become a Seminarian. He spent all of his five years in Sasse College under the strict discipline of the Holy Family Seminary up the hill, which other students commonly referred to as “the Monastery”, until he graduated in June 1966, passing the GCE O’ Levels with flying colours.
In April 1967, having decided to abandon the path to the priesthood, he took advantage of an opportunity offered through the Principal of Sasse College, Rev. Father Cunningham, and went to the Catholic University of Lovanium in Kinshasa, where he learnt French and Mathematics in view of doing Engineering Studies.
In 1970, he proceeded to London where he earned his first degree in Telecommunication Engineering in 1974, at Middlesex Polytechnic, from where he proceeded to study in the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST), graduating in 1975 with a Master of Science Degree in Engineering, with specialization in Solid State Electronics.
With these qualifications in hand, coupled with his outstanding skills in English and French, William was more than adequately prepared to assume technical responsibilities wherever he should find himself in Cameroon.
He returned to Cameroon in 1975 and was immediately employed as a Telecom Engineer in the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications in Yaoundé. So began a rich professional carrier which would take him later to all continents on the globe.
He rose rapidly through the ranks: Assistant Chief of Center Telephone Exchange Yaoundé (1977), Service Head Frequency Management (1978), Provincial Delegate for Posts and Telecommunications in Garoua and Bafoussam (1981), Deputy Director of Telecommunications (1983), Special Adviser to the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications (1988 – 2000) while he also served as a Board Member of CAMTEL (1999 – 2000).
William retired from the P&T early in 2001 but continued until his death his international professional activities as a member of the African Advisory Group on Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and as a member of the African Telecom Think Tank (ATTT), a high profile worldwide group of African professionals in the field of Telecommunications and Information Technology. He was also General Manager of Evergreen ISP Platform, a Company he formed in 2007, after trying it out in several business areas, principally in telecommunications.
As Special Adviser to the Minister, he led Cameroon’s delegations to most international telecommunications meetings and conferences, notably those of ITU, INTELSAT, INMARSAT, PATU (now ATU) and RASCOM.
William acquired a profound knowledge of the satellite and communications industry as well as the international telecommunications policy framework. At the regional level, he chaired several panel discussions as well as meetings and conferences for restructuring of the telecommunications sector, notably within the RASCOM Expert Group on GMPCS and the African INMARSAT Restructuring Group. At the global level, he was instrumental in the partial privatization of INTELSAT during his tenure as Chairman of the INTELSAT 2000 Working Party, resulting in the birth of the New Skies Satellites N.V., on whose Board he served from May 1998 to March 2001.
His passion for telecommunications and his zeal to achieve excellence in whatever he embarked on did not prevent him from raising a family. In May 1978, he married Esther Tayie Ngubi with whom he has three children: Franklin, Judith and Clarisse. William and Esther made sure their kids received the sound education they deserved.. The message from his father about the importance of education may have been the seed that cultivated his passion for championing all things academic. He was brilliant and believed in hard work. He often said that the sky was the limit for anyone determined to work hard. God rewarded his own hard work and innovative thinking with some financial success. He strove to identify and help young hardworking prospective professionals. He was very pro-active at encouraging young students to do well in school. For 5-7 years, William offered scholarships to any student who was first in their class for 2 successive semesters, at St. Bede’s College Ashing-Kom. He acted as a mentor for many students and served as a conduit for many to pursue a higher education abroad. And many would attest that he generously and selflessly shared his wealth with all and sundry.
William’s early association with Fr. Ivo Ndichia and his seminary upbringing greatly influenced his life. He was perfectly at ease in the company of priests and religious: Reverend Fathers, Reverend Sisters and Bishops, and no one on any account could snatch him away from the company of Cardinal Tume. One of his most cheerful duties was rendering any service to any person of God. He fittingly reciprocated the kind help Reverend Father Ivo Ndichia had rendered him in his youth by taking care of the latter in his old age, nursing and pampering him in his house during his terminal days on earth.
All this did not prevent William from taking an active interest in politics. He was an ardent advocate of change in the Cameroon politics. By contrast with many in a similar public position, he did not mince his words in his condemnation of what he considered wrong with the state and in his advocacy of what ought to be done to remedy the situation. He once volunteered himself into the Think Tank of the SDF Party, helping to craft strategy, principally in the technology areas. This earned him the position of “Shadow Minister of Posts and Telecommunications” in this Party.
William succumbed to liver failure and a lung infection, passing from this world unto the next on October 8th 2012, after a short illness. He leaves behind his wife, his children, two sisters, one surviving brother, numerous grandchildren, a host of nieces and nephews and many friends and acquaintances to mourn him.
May his gentle soul rest in perfect peace!