By NOELA EBOB BISONG
The tale of how examination questions set for a 200-level course in the University of Buea is almost causing the job of a lecturer has continued to make news for a couple of days now.
The lecturer, Barrister Nkongho Felix Agbor is a household name in the socio-political landscape of Cameroon, following the frontline role he played in the advent of the Anglophone crisis in late 2016. However, after spending at least 8 months in jail in 2017, Agbor Balla (as he is commonly known) returned to the classroom in UB, among other professional engagements.
Recently, he, alongside two other lecturers of the university, teaching a course titled: Political and Constitutional History of Cameroon (Law 243), set an end of semester examination last March 3, 2020 on three main questions as follows:
1. “The Anglophone Crisis since 2016 was caused by the lawyers’ and teachers’ strike.” Assess the validity of this statement
2. Discuss the Special Status within the framework of the Special Status in Cameroon.
3. Between 1961 and 1972, Cameroon had Federation. Discuss
Following examination instructions, the students were required to answer question one and any other. That is not the news!
The news is that recently, a document has been circulating on social media supposedly signed by the Secretary General at the Ministry of Higher Education, Prof. Wilfred Gabsa, instructing the Vice Chancellor of the University of Buea to punish Nkongho Felix Agbor through suspension, for seemingly transforming the classroom into a platform for political campaign, thus breaching the ethical and deontological code of the university of being apolitical.
When The SUN contacted Barrister Nkongho Felix Agbor for his take on the issue, he revealed that: “I have still not been served about any allegations about me. But they have withdrawn all the courses I teach and also the students I supervise for their long essay.”
Quizzed on the choice of the questions, he simply replied that: “There is nothing I can say about it. I thought the anglophone crisis as part of the course. The questions fall within the confines of the course.”
The legal mind maintained that he was not willing to further discuss on the subject until he is officially communicated by the university. However, he told The SUN that he wasn’t worried about anything as he considers that he is only being celebrated at the moment.