More Confusion In Wum Over Naikom Chieftaincy Logjam

- DO At Variance With Aghem Fon, Col Ebua, Elite Others After SDO’s Embargo

By Tegha Otega

Uncertainty reigns supreme in Naikom, one of the villages within the Wum central sub division in Menchum. The inabilities to find a heir to the throne has since been a plague. Despite stop-gap measures taken by the Wum Divisional Officer (DO) Martin Ngwa Manjong, no headway has been reached. Today, a prefectoral order, signed by the Menchum SDO, refrains anyone from holding claims to the Naikom throne. Two subjects have however been in contention of the throne: Kedze Donatus and Kum Didimus Dze.

The inabilities, Chronicle learnt, to reach a consensus over the Naikom crisis has been faulted partly to the fons and elite. Chronicle gathered that at one point in time, Fon Bahmbi of Aghem backed Kedze before shifting his allegiance to Kum Didimus. Yet, Chronicle learnt that the Aghem Fon had since remained neutral in the tussle.

In such conflicts in Wum, Chronicle learnt that politicians step-in to call the shots. Talk in Wum has been that while Hon Richard Wallang backs Kedze Donatus, the other candidate, Kum Didimus, has the backing of Chou Cyprian, a prominent Yaounde based elite. It is believed that only death can reconcile both Wallang and Chou.

The question on many lips in Wum is: should it be Kedze or Kum Didimus? Yet, the one expected to call the tune remains Pa Awah Zagha alias Pa Bamenda. Chronicle gathered that Pa Bamenda long declared Didimus as the rightful heir, in the rotatory Naikom chieftaincy.

It is believed that Kedze has used his wealth to influence varied situations to his favour. Allegations are rife that his opponents denounce him as a conman, homosexual and doubtful who needs the throne to reap from where he never sowed.

 

Crux of the Matter

It all began on 19 July 2012 when the Naikom people of Aghem clan “lost” their chief, HRH Ben Afuh Nkuh, 86 years old who had ruled for 40 years. In Aghem tradition, when a chief disappears, the new one is presented to the population by the maternal family because it is purely a maternal succession in Aghem clan. Chronicle learnt that it was not the case in Naikom village wherein two brothers were contesting: Kedze Donatus and Kum Didimus Dze a secondary school teacher in GSS Esu.

Accordingly to the routine succession or enthronement in the Naikom palace which own the Ewombong family , only two brothers are ruling the palace. After the late Fon, it was supposed to be ruled by the other brother Kum Didimus who was to be presented by the eldest uncle Pa Awah Zagha aged over 110 years, Chronicle learnt.

Chronicle also learnt that some members of the Ewombong family who do not even belong to the Naikom palace but to Kusu were allegedly corrupted/bribed by Kedze Donatus with heavy sums to seized it from Didimus. This brought confusion to delay the process. And on the day of the night vigil, they went in for election to select the successor in the absence of Pa Awah Zagha who was supposed to present it and claimed to have elected Kedze which has never happened in the palace knowing the rightful person Didimus Kum went in vain because they was trouble and a sub prefectoral decision annulling or canceling the election of Kedze Donatus and appointing a caretaker committee to run the affairs of the village and report weekly to the DO for Wum centre/sub divisional officer for Wum.

It is said in Aghem tradition that if a chief disappears, chiefs will mobilize for 2 weeks to come and shoot their guns for their cry-die only not to enthrone or intervene in the succession matters of the family. That was not the case in Naikom. They went there with the hidden agenda after being allegedly corrupted by Kedze Donatus to do consultations in the presence of the DO for Wum sub division, Mr. Ngwa Martin with etat major.

There, the Fon started by asking questions to the elder of the family Pa Awah Zagha. Placed in the middle of the compound alone to give them a new chief, Pa gave Kum Didimus but they did not obey his decision and proceeded to be asking questions to him. The population cried foul and said they had eaten soya from Kedze.

Violence spark up when the fons were about to toss drinks to Kedze. But Kum dived and took the cup and drank, as the right man. He was beaten in front of the DO by hoodlums. A second sub prefectoral decision came out banning all manifestations in the village or anybody or group to carry out any activities to the enthronement of the Naikom chief.

It is said that all the sub prefectoral decisions have been violated by Kedze Donatus in all attempts to be enthroned. Some four chiefs out of 13 in Aghem clan Chronicle learnt, wrote a petition to the SDO for Menchum, Emvoutou Bita insulting the DO calling him “an interim” who is not supposed or has no powers to sign anything concerning the enthronement of Kum Didimus; that they stand for Kedze Didimus and the entire village of Naikom.

The 4 chiefs’ petition came up after the DO for Menchum did his consultations in Naikom palace last December 4, 2012, Didimus was declared the rightful heir.

By press time and despite the prefectoral order, Chronicle learnt that Didimus is now enjoying his honey moon at the palace of Yidze in Wum and being drilled in the ways of a chief or fon.

Meanwhile, last December 11, 2012, the SDO for Menchum signed a prefectoral order No.262 suspending all attempts to enthrone a third class chief in Naikom palace. That the palace should be null and void of any chide and that anybody presently occupying should quit but it was when Kedze was already staying there and was chased away when he tried to defy the order on the 19^th of December. They are still waiting for the final say from the SDO.