By Martin Jumbam
Cameroon recently lost an academic giant – Professor Victor Anomah Ngu. As I join many Cameroonians in and outside our country to mourn the passing into eternity of this intellectual colossus, I feel a tinge of sadness that he did not deem it necessary to write his life story for posterity.
In fact, one of my greatest regrets has always been that nearly all our leaders (political, religious, civil or academic) are leaving us without leaving behind their stories, in their own words; that is, their autobiography. Professor Victor Anomah Ngu, like his friend Dr. Fonlon, like Pa Foncha, Pa Muna, Dr. EML Endeley, Father Paul Verdzekov, et al, have all walked out on us without an autobiography. To the best of my knowledge -- and I stand to be corrected -- it is only Pa NN Mbile, who has left us with a story of his life in his own words. It's a pity I haven't read him yet. But, on the whole, our political, religious and lay people of some weight, seem to leave a 'literary' vacuum behind them.
Would it not have been simply marvelous had Professor Anomah Ngu written his life story for us, especially when he was still with us, so we could ask him questions and hear his answers to some of the things he could've said in such a book? He has probably left something behind for his family to bring to the light of print. If he did, wonderful! But the contrary would not surprise me.
Such works do not necessarily have to be written by the author's themselves. What of using the services of a talented writer? That's what many outstanding men and women in public or private life in other parts of the world are doing. They merely dictate their life story to someone else with the talent, who then puts it out for public consumption. That is not what our own people are doing, unfortunately. A great soul, like Professor Anomah Ngu, leaves us and we have nothing about himself in his own words.
Long before many of us ever met Professor Ngu in person, the fame attached to his name had already made inroads into our minds and into our conversations. What a legendary figure he truly was! I recall a story that made the rounds of the Federal Bilingual Grammar School in Man O'War Bay, in those days, claiming Professor Ngu could operate on a mosquito with as much ease as he did on humans! One chap, who knew the Professor personally -- or so he claimed -- gained the status of a folk hero, as he marvelled us with stories of what the man could do, and how easily he could do it. Listening to him, there was nothing Professor Ngu couldn't do. He was even said to be the Queen of England’s personal surgeon, who was said to accompany HRH wherever she went. Some even rumoured that the English Monarch would not even think of traveling if Professor Victor Anomah Ngu was not there. The man therefore appeared to us, not only huge in words but also in physical appearance.
When I ran into him for the first time at Dr. Fonlon's residence in the 80s, I stood in awe of him. I remember sitting at a respectful distance from him, amazed as I truly was by the presence of that unassuming man of medium height -- what happened to the giant figure our friend drew for us? Was it the same simple man, cracking jokes with Dr. Fonlon? That was certainly not the man whose picture I had in my mind from our friend's stories back in secondary school!
I remember Dr. Fonlon introducing me to him as one of his students. I don't recall exactly what Professor Ngu said to me, startled as I was to be in the presence of a man whose fame was so highly lauded by many in the secular, academic and religious world -- he was a fervent, believing, practising Roman Catholic. Dr. Fonlon, for one, boasted openly that had it not been for him, and his friendship with Professor Ngu, the latter would never have abandoned what was a promising career abroad to come back home to the University Teaching Hospital where his salary was nothing compared to what he was earning prior to his arrival in Cameroon.
That was the first and the last time I ever met Professor Victor Anomah Ngu in person, but I followed his career as a Minister and as a University Don with much interest. Whenever he was in the press -- written or audio-visual -- I always paid keen attention to what he had to say. Through my contacts with some of the younger doctors, of whom many had been his students in Yaounde when he taught there, I was able to get a slight glimpse of his research work in the AIDS pandemic, although some of them had serious questions on the validity of his claims that his invention could cure people of AIDS.
Although it was already obvious that Professor Ngu was on his way out -- I saw him at the funeral of the Emeritus Archbishop of Bamenda, Father Paul Verdzekov in February last year, being pushed in a wheelchair -- his passing into eternity definitely leaves a void in our midst. May his family find here my deepest condolences.
My Moments with Pro Victor Anomah Ngu (Fev 19 1926 - June 14 2011)
"BE PATIENT, GOD IS NOT FINISHED WITH ME YET"
Such a day of heavy network jamming in Clinique de L'Espoir, and after changing the defective Switch in the Hospital, Pa asked me if I could do him a favour and I immediately responded positively.
Pa gently lifted his hand and guided my look over to his office wardrobe and asked me to pull out a piece of metal and to fix it on His Office Door!
I took out the metal and my eyes quickly went through what was inscribed on it!
The words flashed in my heart:
"BE PATIENT, GOD IS NOT FINISHED WITH ME YET "
So many phrases came into my brain. I quickly got a nail and a hammer and had this tough message fixed just where he asked me to.
When a patient or visitor was to come into Pa's office, the person had to read this notice.
Pa and I would always discuss after most of my interventions and during one of our visits, I asked him this question: How did you come about discovering this drug against HIV-AIDS?
Pa, looked at me from behind his desk, licked his lower lip, with his characteristic smile he said:
Mr Cho, GOD SHOWED ME! I did not do anything!
As if I finally got into cool water during a very hot day, I pressed on: What is it that God showed you cures HIV-AIDS?
Maybe Pa did not expect a Computer Network Consultant to be having questions on Biology to this extend, I will never know for now, he smiled again, ooh yes! That VANHIVAXIC smile and this time around he said:
"The Solution is just there in nature"
That answer puzzled me and continues to. Then he explained certains things to me, meanwhile he was always trying to use earth bound examples not getting into the intricacies of CD4 etc!
He showed me mails in which high profile individuals were refuting the treatment and other high profile men were counteracting by publicly approving the contrary because they themselves received his treatment and they became strong. This time this mail came from South Africa after I had to reset his gmail email password!
I passed such special moments with Pa just in that same office. I do remember this one storey of how he had to carry a classmate of his on his back from SASSE to Victoria on foot so as to take this his sick classmate to the nearest hospital which was down in Victoria! I sat quiet and I imagined the force of resistant choice for good that empowered him. Only as he said, before he could arrive Victoria, that his classmate died on his back and he only realised it at the Hospital!
what about this other story, during the 3rd term holidays, he had to go to Bamenda ON FOOT! They left from Buea, went to Kumba, Mamfe and moved into Bamenda! It took them 3 months! His parents thought something must have happened to him.
Pa made me think twice over fits of laughter: during their young boy times, the had leisure using their legs to cover hundreds of kilometres but today his children would not move around except in a car and that his children are lazy not getting enough body work which would make them resistant!
I really have much to say , can I forget this other one about my own life! I throw it out here: Pa once asked me to come to his Residence and receive a dress of His wife which he was offering to my wife! A dress I could never receive for her since I am not married! I told him I am not married!
He looked at me and I know much then went through his brain!
We discussed ! Yeah we really discussed till we came to this point of THE HOLY SPIRIT! During this talk we talked about the bad guys and the nice guys! He asked me to elaborate and I started that I have discovered that in reality there are only two types of people on the face of this earth: those of The Lord Jesus Christ (nice guys) and those of The Lord Satan Lucifer (bad guys). I said that was the only two people I could find from the Bible perspective.
Again, Pa looked at me and said, from a biological point, a bad man remains a bad man because he carries in his blood bad genes; and a nice man because he carries in his genes nice genes! It struck me as a blow because there he was accepting Biblical truth using gene information!
I asked him what could be done for the bad guy to become nice? he said, change his genes! Then I figured out what the bible says about being Born Again! We all come into this world sinners and need a rebirth! Amen
I saw then YHWH's finite chance on mankind! Repent and be BORN AGAIN!
I told him about an experience I have in which my body develops heat on certain parts and I wanted to know if Biologically it is posible? I said for instance my hands!! The temperature on them reaches 38.5 ° C and I do not have high fever. I asked him what he thinks produces this heat as tested wth a thermometre! He said he wouldn't be able to know that but one thing is certain: THE THERMOMETER RECORDS A HEAT DIFFERENCE AND MOST CERTAINLY SOMETHING
WAS PRODUCING THIS HEAT! He said, there is a heat source in me!
I could not withhold the source from Him and I told Him what was the Heat Source!
Then came to this day when Dr Bisong of Clinique de l'Espoir called. I was then in Yaounde and went to the Office. He told me : Pa is hospitalised and under intensive care in CUSS Hospital!
I asked how serious it is and he said very critical because he has been in coma. I took off to the hospital as it was past 12 and proper visiting hours of CUSS! I arrived at his ward, could not get in because the nurses were cleaning him. I waited outside till visiting time was over and the nurses were still with him!
I left and decided to come the next day. I arrived quite on time and met a Senior brother of mine and I told him why I was in the Hospital. He himself (Bro Charles) accompanied me. We went through the control and could finally enter into his room. I introduced myself as I met Pa Niba with two other ladies in the ward.
We sang , we prayed and we pleaded for The Lord Jesus Christ to forgive him for any sins he might have and demanded that May The Lord Jesus Christ fill Pa with His Holy Spirit!
We sang:
It's only You Jesus (2times)
We worship You Jesus (2times) but all these words in the ngemba vernacular!
#aa ni téh wùo Nwï 'Ngon, aa ni téh wùo
# mbô'gheu 'nkong wùo Nwï 'Ngon, mbô'gheu 'nkong wùo etc
OOOOOOOoooh tears, falling from my eyes then!
At the end of our mini service, the ladies with whom we were, informed us that Pa shoked his hand to make us know he was with us during the prayers!
I was just joyful. So short as the time could be, having been that we came at 1pm, it was already 2pm, time to end visit. The lady en poste came, and asked us out : IL EST L'HEURE DE SORTIR MESSIEURS!
We left and by 7 PM that same day, Pa rested in The Lord Jesus Christ,AMen!
Till I meet with Him there in the Land of Glory of The Lord Jesus Christ,
I do remember him, his cool words of bravery, of love, his stern moments of truth and his firm decisions.
For his life, I thank The Eternal Most High Lord Jesus Christ for permitting me to know him here before meeting him overthere in glory!
It is true, The Lord Giveth and The Lord Taketh, Praise The Name of The Lord ! AMEN
Yes, It is not VANHIVAX, it is GODHIVAX, AMEN!
To the family: stay in true love and let peace be your sole banner. Refute DIVISION, Amen!
Ransomely Yours,
Christian ICT Consultant,
Cameroon Networx® WAH® ITSP
Email: [email protected]
Tel: +237-
www.camwahs.net
Posted by: cho ransome | July 22, 2011 at 02:02 PM
well great men always die great.may his sole rest in peace
Posted by: FUNEH CYPRINE | July 27, 2011 at 06:58 AM
i wonder why genes from such personalities can not be injected into younger ones to avoid marvelous wastage of knowledge.well we will work hard as he said.his words will always be in my mind.we miss you pa.
Posted by: FUNEH CYPRINE/health sciences university of buea | July 27, 2011 at 07:02 AM
LIKE JESUS, LINCOLN, WASHINGTON,LUTHER, GHANDHI, EINSTEIN...THE LIST IS long..IT WAS MEANT HE DIED SO , SO THAT THE HUGE gap that stood to be filled by this 'SAINT' which he was DENIED OFF wilfully by Humans will STAND EMPTY FOR A VERY LONG TIME.
Posted by: SUHFREE | October 28, 2011 at 11:35 AM