Willie I can’t believe that it is already one year. It still feels like yesterday and those special moments of your last days here on earth will never be forgotten. Yes, God gave me a strong message through you. HE said never to weary, never to give up, always persevere and to the end. Yes He said HE is most loving and most merciful. He grave you and I a most special moment and at a most special time in the crossroads of our lives. He renewed the bond, which he then projected to eternity. Thank you Lord! But Willie it is hard, it has been hard but I know you are accompanying us, I know what I call hard is the easy part that you have obtained for us from the Almighty God. Thank you Lord! Franklin has had the most difficult time coping with this. His psychological blanket is gone! Present my intention for him to God Almighty. Yaya was looking forward to you having the reward of her hard work. But helas! But also what joy; she and Z are wiping my tears with the lovely brand new grand daughter of ours. She is pretty. Cameron misses his grandpa. Remember when you arrived Albany New York last year? Oh my grand father, this is my grand father! Then he reminds Shaun; “he is my grand father!”. Cla is struggling to cope with your absence. Her career pride was going to be having you besides her on the day she will graduate from school. Yes you will be there by her side to raise her hand up and be proud of your daughter. Becky, Mary and Patrick are not the same since you left us. Intercede for them too. When we weep we are consoled by the truth that we shall meet again to part no more. Yes in the Kingdom where all is good and there is peace and joy all the time. This is the one and only important thing as all else is passing away!! Adieu papa adieu; until we meet to part no more. Esther T, Your wife

LAMENTING ON THE PASSING INTO ETERNITY OF A MENTOR

(TALLAH William)

1.    Dear Uncle, as I fondly call you, I don’t doubt you are listening to me as usual. You were one of my greatest mentors and inspired me with many words of wisdom on the challenges of life. You were always the first to congratulate me whenever I achieved success in my ventures. Why then did you decide to abandon me at this moment with all great plans we had in the horizon? We discussed them intimately, not just like father and son, but like friends and age mates. You were so simple, an upright, honest, humble, sincere, peaceful and good man. You shared with the young and the old, the rich and the poor, the laity and the religious alike. You paved your way to paradise and you must now be sitting at the right hand of God the Father. We may never ever see you or hear your voice again, but you will continue to live in our hearts!

2.    Some few weeks before your departure, when I visited you in your house, I did not know of your ill health because we talked as cheerfully as usual. You told me that you had malaria but that you were already feeling fine and looking forward to resuming your activities. I even proposed some fatigue relief   vitamins:  Revitalose and Tothema for you. You drove your car yourself to the pharmacy to buy the said vitamins. Later in the evening you called me to testify to the effectiveness of the vitamins. Little did I know that was the last time I would hear your voice.

3.    Somehow you showed signs of your death to me, but I was not alert. I could not relate them to you. For example, from Monday October 1st, which was my birthday, to Monday October 8th, I barely slept for more than 2 hours. My legs were so heavy, and my feet hurt that I found it difficult to walk. And in all of this, I had constant visions of you.  But I still could not relate them to your passing on.

4.    Why did this happen only at this moment when we have been planning to finalise the publication of the Manual on the legacy of your idol, the late Professor Bernard Nsokika Fonlon. You worked tirelessly on it and committed a good chunk of your money for the success of this project.

5.    In 2005, you sponsored my trip to crisscross Bamenda, Buea, Kumbo, Nkar and Yaoundé, conducting audio interviews with some of Fonlon’s contemporaries, notably: Archbishop Paul Verdzekov (RIP), Emmanuel Tabi Egbe (RIP), Vincent T. Lainjo (RIP), Kenjo Jumbam (RIP), Victor Anoma Ngu (RIP), Sanki Maimo, Christian Cardinal Tumi, Emmerencia Fonlon, Daniel Noni Lantum and Jean Jipguep. You also hired the services of an artist, Patrick Neurus Chuo, to paint the portraits of Fonlon and personalities like Cardinals Newman and Tumi. These were exhibited during a fund raising gala at the prestigious banquet hall of Djeuga Palace hotel that you personally hired for the event. You brought in the technical know-how and resources of Emmanuel Wongibe, Martin Jumbam and Kenneth Asobo to facilitate the audio editing of the series of interviews conducted into one CD. You invited Yaa Gladys Shang Viban and Peter Essoka, who MC’d this fund raising gala evening with a lot of dexterity. You were instrumental in bringing in Cardinal Tumi all the way from Douala to chair this event. From Buea, you brought in Bate Besong (RIP) and Francis Wache amongst others, to present papers. This memorable event took place on November 24, 2005.

6.    Again I ask, why have you decided to leave us at this critical moment when we were finalizing plans to edit this manual on the legacy of Fonlon, which was so dear to your heart? We were already about to produce the various audio interviews of Fonlon’s contemporaries into CDs for further fund raising occasions. We had already mapped out a strategy on how to collect Fonlon’s unpublished Path Finder from the Saint Aquinas Major Seminary in Bambui for the purpose of this publication. Who then will finish this work you started with all your heart? Little could I imagine that you would be the next to follow some of the personalities we interviewed for this publication! As you move to the next world, do extend our sincere gratitude to all of them, including Fonlon.

7.    You trusted me so much that you even asked me to invite my personal tailor, Evans Kernyuy Menjo, to take your measurements for outfits you will never wear! On Tuesday October 9, Caroline Kilo Bara shocked me with the announcement of your death. I still do not believe you are gone and still don’t know if I will ever admit that you are no more. I am sorry I may be rambling too much but you left such an indelible mark in me.  You will ever remain immortal to me. I keep seeing your ever smiling face. I continue to hear the jokes you made as we talked. I will therefore not say, like many others, that “GO YE FAREWELL,” but “A BIG THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING.” God alone knows why he has called you to himself at this moment, but I know I will continue to talk with you and you will not cease to inspire me as you have always done. Uncle, see you whenever we meet again.

NGALIM Eugine Nyuydine

Uncel Willie,
your death came to me as a total shock considering the fact that I talked to you less than 2 months ago and there was no indication of anything wrong.I will always remember the values you instilled in me especially not to ever settle for mediocrity.
You love life and you loved having a good time.Too bad your time on earth was relatively short lived but God has the answer to everything.
Rest in peace Uncle till we meet again. 

WILLIAM SHIYNTUM : A MAN OF ALL SEASONS

As friends, Willy and I go back half a century: from our days in Sasse in the early sixties to his untimely demise a couple of weeks ago.

In Sasse, he was known as a man who spoke his mind, unafraid or barely tolerant of the senior boys. He was a good student and a pretty good footballer in my judgement, following in the footsteps of his late elder brother, Lawrence. Even on the field, he was noisy and somewhat stubborn particularly where he felt there had been some injustice. That character stood him in good stead throughout his life. Though he served his country with integrity and distinction for decades, he remained to the very end untainted by the corrupt and corruptive influences that permeate our society today. That was my friend and brother Willy.

For me, this is a moment of mixed emotions: a time of pain and sadness but also a moment of relief and gratitude.

Pain and sadness because of the feeling of finality that comes with death. Pain and sadness because we will all miss a brother in times of pain and of joy; a friend in fair and foul weather; a man whose generosity knows no bounds and goes beyond fault and measure; an able and capable engineer and an articulate and dedicated political activist. That was Willy!

Relief and gratitude because Willy was lucky! In his final days on this earth, the Lord and Giver of Life gave him the opportunity to repent and make peace with his loved ones and those dear to him in a spirit of reconciliation. Not many are afforded that opportunity.

Willy will be cherished by many – from the high and mighty to the downtrodden – for his acts of generosity. He signed off – one would say – with a whimper. It came as a shock to us all. That however is the path we all have to tread – when, how and where no one knows.

Willy, you have accomplished your task. You will now rest in peace for there will be no more pain.

ADIOS

Roland Ngong,

Midrand, South Africa