Nso Fon, Chiefs From The South Vamoose As Police Invade International University Graduation

The groundbreaking graduation ceremony of the International University of Bamenda (IUB) almost ended in disarray over a drama staged by the Fon of Nso, His Royal Majesty, Fon Sehm Mbinglo I; on Wednesday June 13, 2012; at the St Joseph Catholic Cathedral Mankon, Bamenda hall.

The embarrassment started after the Mass conducted for the 16^th graduation ceremony of the International University of Bamenda. Shortly after the testimonies presented by the ex-students of IUB about their success stories in the job market, a group of the Bamenda policemen stormed the occasion. One of them, whom Chronicle gathered hails from Nso, Bui division, went to the high table and whispered something into the Fon of Nso’s ears and surprisingly, the Fon and his pages, stormed out of the hall and zoomed off. Apparently out of fright, the Chiefs of South region who joined their colleague who was invited for an honorary degree, followed suit; and the occasion was interrupted for over 30 minutes.

The incensed IUB President Professor Patrick Fusi, who abused the Fon of Nso and his colleagues who escaped as ‘illiterates and sheep’, turned to the police and Cameroon government. Hear him: “I applied for an authorization to hold this graduation ceremony and was duly given an authorization by the DO for Bamenda II. So what is the problem? What type of government do we have in this country, Cameroon?”

When accosted, one of the commissioners of the central police station Bamenda said in the IUB President’s application to hold the graduation ceremony, he did not indicate that important Fons of the North West like the first-class Fon of Nso, Sehm Mbinglo I including some chiefs of the South Region were to be present.

Chronicle later gathered that the DO for Bamenda II, one Mr. Koloko provoked the ructions. The DO who sneaked into the hall after the church service, did not indicate his presence to have been ushered to the high table and so he buried himself in the crowd with commoners. He ipso facto called the police.

However, after the Fons and the South region chiefs left the scene scared of the police presence, the occasion went on hitch-free with several graduates bagging home Bachelors, Masters and PhD degrees. Over 30 graduates came from the IUB Bauchi state campus in Nigeria while a host of the laureates smiled home with honorary degrees ranging from honorary Doctorate and Professor Degrees.

The International University of Bamenda main campus is at New Life building, Bamenda Commercial Avenue with branches in Bambui, Nkwen, Kumbo and Bauchi state of Nigeria.

The Wednesday June 13, 2012 IUB graduation held after its President, Professor Fusi Patrick, the Vice Chancellor, Professor Ben Wara, and the Registrar, Dr. Cletus Ndifor, constituted the defence panel with the Bauchi IUB administration for the Nigerian graduates late May 2012. This explains why over 34 Nigerian graduates were at the Big Mankon Cathedral hall last June 13, 2012 to receive their certificates. They came in with the IUB Bauchi state campus administrator, Professor I.S Dongs and the school’s secretary, Dr. Ndangana.