Mangoh Jones
Tanko former mayor of Nkambe Council who succumbed to the cold hands of death
on Sunday October 12 in Nkambe shortly after attending Sunday service was laid
to rest in his lower Mbot residence last Saturday October 25 2014. Thousands
made their presence felt with Chairman Fru Ndi bringing along a huge SDF
delegation to pay their last respect to a fallen hero who was SDF’s pioneer
mayor in the Nkambe council in the last 17 years.
At the funeral of
late Mangoh Jones Tanko the entire Donga Mantung Division was present
irrespective of political coloration. CPDM and SDF sank their differences in
honour of the late SDF baobab whose administration as Mayor did cut across the
political divide. The sitting CPDM mayor of Nkambe Bantar Paul Ngabir led a
powerful delegation to bid farewell to his predecessor who just handed power to
him one year ago. Chairman Fru Ndi did throw encomium on the late mayor saying
he was a true patriot who served his people with diligence and dedication
despite the many challenges encountered in his career as a politician. In his
life Mayor Mangoh was noted as a great orator and an artist in crafting and
presenting public speeches. His fearless nature was demonstrated as he
expressed his disdain without mincing words and passes across his message with
ease be it to an administrator or a rival politician. As a history Teacher he
took time dig in to the root cause of any problem facing his Division and would
elucidate on it when he had commend on anywhere.
He is one of the first SDF elected official
to have called it bluff to the party investiture when asked to step down after
being elected mayor yet found his way back in to the fold despite the dreaded
article 8(2). He actually planted the SDF party in Donga Mantung in the early
90s to fight the hegemony of the CPDM after suffering from the hands of the
CPDM barons in the Division. The mayor had a standoff with late Hon Tamfuh
Simon Ngeh for challenging the lone cook in public and this earn him a punitive
transfer to far off Maroua. As mayor he seized every given opportunity to send
a message to CPDM government talking about abandoned state of Donga Mantung
Division. He told house speaker Cavaye Yegui Djibril while on tree planting
tour in Nkambe that he was grateful that he Mangoh Jones Tanko is privileged to
host the first ever Speaker of the National Assembly in Nkambe 50 years after Independence.
Mangoh Jones Tanko remainded his august guest that
Donga Mantung Division is a border Division having the largest borders with the
biggest black power the Federal Republic of Cameroon. “We are divided only by a river and the population of both sides of the
river speaks the same language, have the same culture and intermarry. These
situations reveal our closeness and the impact on one another. It is therefore
a worry for some of us parents who lived and studied in Nigeria before
transferring our Nationality to Cameroon after the 1961 Plebiscite. We think
that Cameroon does not have a border policy hence we are neglected as
demonstrated by various issues”. Hear him, “Even
if I end my speech here now the world knows that I have addressed the National
Assembly of Cameroon today.”
Hon Cavaye replied that Mr. Mayor I came to plant a tree and not for politics.
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