By WIFAH J. NDE
Following the presidential decree of January 29, 2018 appointing some new university officials, the Vice Chancellor, VC of the University of Bamenda, UBa, Prof Theresa Akenji Nkou last Friday February 9, 2018 cemented the administrative shake up by installing the newly appointed officials into office which is expected to boost the functioning of the “University of the future” administratively.
While commissioning these six new officials into office, the VC in the presence of the Divisional Officer and Mayor for Tubah, Alim Gaga and Martin Tanjong respectively charged her new collaborators to carry out their duties without fear or favour while recalling to them that installation ceremonies are mere rituals which empower them to face the daunting tasks ahead of them.
According to presidential decree No. 2018/074 of 29 January 2018, Prof NGWA nee JUA Roselyn MAI replaces Prof. AGBOR AYANG Sarah MBI ENOW as Deputy VC in charge of Research, Cooperation and Relations with the Business world. She embraces the challenge of creating new alliances with the Business world for the sustenance of the University not limiting the prospects of the University in terms of research for a “University of the future” as its slogan states.
Prof. Mathias FRU FONTEIL who moves from the department of Agricultural Engineering at the Faculty of Agronomy and Agricultural Sciences of the University of Dschang, the mother University of Agricultural Engineering is expected to bring in fresh impetus into the College of Technology, COLTECH as he takes over from Prof. Agatha NGUTI nee TANYA called to other duties. As Prof. GHOGOMU Julius NUMBONUL becomes Director of Academic Affairs from the position of Vice Dean in charge of Admissions and Records at the Faculty of Science in same University to replace Prof. Roselyn JUA who mounts a higher office of Deputy VC.
Prof. AGBOR Michael NTUI, formerly Director of Higher Technical Teacher Training College becomes the first Dean of the baby Faculty of Education, FED which went into force this January 2018 and has been pending this appointment and installation to officially take off. This newly created Faculty comes with huge infrastructural challenges thus, the number one preoccupation of the new Dean.
Another baby Institute which receives her administrator is the National Higher Polytechnic Institute, NAHPI with Prof. Fidelis CHO NGWA installed as the pioneer Director of an Institute expected to bring forth Cameroonian engineers to fit into the job market squarely as well as embrace future challenges in the field of engineering.
Profs YONG NKWAIN Joseph and FORJE LEMA Catherine on their part become Directors of Higher Technical Teacher Training College, HTTTC and Higher Institute of Commerce and Management, HICM respectively.
Speaking to The SUN at the close of the installation ceremony, the newly installed Director of NAHPI expressed his gratitude and expectations “it is a great day in the life of the university and the nation as a whole because it is a call for us to build the state and get young Cameroonians trained properly and cultivate them in the habit of nation building and also to ensure that they obtain jobs after training”.
The ceremony was graced by traditional dances from the different cultural backgrounds of the newly installed officials and presentation of flowers from their spouses and loved ones.