CATTU: Atanga Not Simamu Or Epie Succeeds Simon Nkwenti

By Tetuh Mbah

Just a week after the internment of Simon Nkwenti the Executive Secretary General of the Cameroon Teachers’ Trade Union, CATTU, a successor has been identified. An extraordinary/emergency council session of CATTU, held at its head office in Bamenda last Saturday September 15, 2012 elected Christopher Bunai Atanga as interim National Executive Secretary of CATTU.

Last Saturday’s meeting, convened and presided at by Mombakued Victor, the eldest Technical Adviser of CATTU, Chronicle was told, was in line with Article 8 of CATTU’s constitution. Accordingly, the interim Executive Secretary would manage CATTU for 14 months maximum, of which he would conduct elections and would not be a candidate.

Though speculations had been that Clement Simamu, CATTU’s National Organizing Secretary or Emmanuel Epie, the Vice Executive Secretary could fill the gap par interim, Chronicle gathered that because both CATTU bigwigs nurse ambitions to pick up the helm fully, gives reason why none could accept to have been nominated to be interim Executive Secretary.

If CATTU constitution is anything to go by, then elections would effectively hold in November 2013, Chronicle was told.

Meanwhile last weekend’s CATTU council, called on all institutions and persons who collaborated with and intend to collaborate with CATTU to give Atanga the support that has always been characteristic of them.

At the end of the one day extraordinary national executive council meeting, CATTU expressed its profound grief over the death of its erstwhile emblematic leader, Simon Nkwenti and regretted its deepest and sincere condolence to the bereaved Nkwenti and CATTU families.

Urging all union members to stay focused, the council called on the interim national executive secretary general to uphold the ideals of the union especially in matters of improving on the working and living conditions of teachers and to maintain the partnerships with all stakeholders.