Dr. Kenneth Lukong: From Director To Jail?

Dr. Kenneth Lukong

We read in the Book of Proverbs in the Holy Bible that, “Pride goes before a fall.” Although we know that simply said, “Pride causes the fall.” Dr Kenneth Lukong Mengjo, the Interim Director of the Higher Technical Teachers Training College, HTTTC has fallen like Humpty Dumpty. President Paul Biya on August 6, 2012 signed a presidential decree appointing people to posts of responsibilities in the state universities. The unexpected happened as the name of the ambitious and self-proclaimed Director of HTTTC Bamenda, Dr Kenneth Lukong did not feature anywhere in the appointments. Many thought he was either going to be confirm as the Director of HTTTC or catapulted into a higher post, given that he had prior to the appointments boasted that he had very strong roots.

 Dr Kenneth Lukong, a young University lecturer in his early 40s was catapulted to posts of responsibilities as Assistant Director Delegate of ENS Bambili and later Interim Director of the Higher Technical Teachers Training College, which is now under the University of Bamenda. These positions of responsibilities bestowed on the upstart Dr Lukong by all reasonable administrative standards were far above him, yet everybody gave him the benefit of doubt. Unfortunately, the post of responsibilities went into Dr Lukong’s head and he virtually derided everybody including his betters and superiors. But like Simone Weil who stated that intelligent people who are proud of their intelligence are like the condemned man who is proud of his large cell, Dr Lukong who has been on rooftops declaring his imminent promotion and bulging bank account has been deflated like a balloon by recent appointments in the University of Bamenda. Worst of all, he may leave from his post of Interim Director of HTTTC to jail, as prevailing circumstances seem to hook him in some financial impropriety at the helm of HTTTC.

What is making news is that Dr Kenneth Lukong’s vaulting ambition that blinded him to reality and made him to become very presumptuous of recent, to the point of bragging of having a ‘loaded bank account’ and God fathers in the administration that were to propel him into prominence has been cut in mid-flight. He now has nowhere to hide himself in shame as people have been appointed to the positions that he surreptitiously coveted. He has been reduced to a classroom teacher and has to start looking for a job, disgracefully under people he shouted at yesterday when he was Interim Director.

Pride is an amazing thing – how many people have lived frustrated, lonely lives because of pride? People like Dr Kenneth Lukong still cling to their pride as if it were their sole meaningful possession on earth, the only thing that keeps them going. It is on record that though Dr Kenneth Lukong was an assistant to Prof Gwanfogbe Mathew, he often took upon himself to disrespect his immediate hierarchy to the point of deriding decisions taken by Prof Gwanfogbe. Scenes of Dr Lukong gallivanting in public, insulting everybody, especially girls that he kept in scores at his beck and call are fresh in the minds of those who have by some stroke of ill luck had the opportunity to socialize where he is. Always talking at the top of his voice to tell whoever cares to listen, his academic prowess, merits and brighter perspectives, Dr Lukong has often pricked the bile of many with his boastfulness. His career in all normal circumstances is supposed to be ahead of him but it is already behind him because of his inordinate ambition that has blinded him to know when to quit and when to continue.

C.S Lewis opined that, “A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you’re looking down, you can’t see something that is above you.”

Seeking For Notice

Pride is a personal commitment. It is an attitude which separates excellence from mediocrity. In daily parlance, it is often said that empty vessels make the loudest noise. This is exactly what Dr Kenneth Lukong is. He is more than an empty vessel and has been making the loudest noice. When nobody seems to notice him during an event, he creates a scene to seek for notice. But as common with proud people, he has been sabotaging his own life over and over again; limiting himself to whatever is ‘acceptable’ to him in the prevailing circumstances. To call attention to himself he organised a ‘came and see’ 40^th birthday party and an unparalleled marriage ceremony. That notwithstanding, Dr Lukong Kenneth seems to be on the wrong side of history every time. Recently, he started behaving as somebody who has lost his bearings. Now that he has been sacked, chances are that his misbehavior might aggravate. Luckily enough, a person in his position should play cool and maintain a low profile.

Hunter Hunted

When Dr Lukong was appointed assistant Interim Director of ENS Bambili, he swung into action against his colleagues tagging them as embezzlers without any investigation. He said most of his subordinates were corrupt and took decisions that paralysed the administration. He said corruption was evil and he was not going to stop at anything to battle it. He instead went ahead to pen a bank account for students to pay money into it. Later on students whom he had instigated to disrespect the administration and financial procedures to pay money in such an account went on strike, claiming that the account was Dr Kenneth Lukong’s personal account.

Yesterday Dr Kenneth Lukong hunted his colleagues for purported corrupt practices. Today and perhaps tomorrow the hunter will become the hunted. This is more so as Dr Kenneth Lukong’s extravaganza could not be hard earned money. This Mformi of the Nso land who has been variously viewed by the younger generation with mixed feelings because of his uncouth behavior has harvested the ripe fruits of his past trespasses. Authority has not only forgotten a declining King but has completely deserted him. Where will Dr Kenneth Lukong hide his head? Ashia Dr.