24-Year-old ‘Caught’ As New Fontem Fon

A Masters student of Accounting in Canada has been ‘caught’ to replace the ‘missing’ Fon of Fontem in Lebialem Division, South West Region.

By Bertrand Shancho Ndimuh

Twenty-four-year old Asabaton Fontem Njifua was crowned Friday, May 9, 2014, as His Royal Majesty Fon Fontem Asabaton to take over from his father, Senator Fon Fontem Njifua, who ‘disappeared’, April 2, 2014.

The enthronement ceremony commenced in a purely cultural and traditional fashion, with the ushering-in rites by the highest secret society of the Lebang Fondom- “Troh” and the obituary revelation by the special communication gong- “Nkiangei”.

After this, members of the new traditional cabinet of the Lebang Fondom were selected and escorted to the Fon followed by the enthronement rites, and then the solemn public appearance of the Fon and his cabinet.

Speaking during the installation ceremony, the personal representative of the Head of State, Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralization, Rene Emmanuel Sadi, lauded Fon Fontem Njifua.

“He was a patriot and was one of the people on which we could count when peace was jeopardized,” said the Minister, “the Head of State sent me here to pay tribute to him.”

The representative of the President of Senate, Simon Achidi Achu, called on the notables of Fontem to stand by the newly crowned Fon and build him with the intelligence of a peaceful ruler.

He regretting the fact that Fon Fontem Njifua had to leave them so soon.

Meanwhile Secretary General of the National Council of traditional rulers, Fon Chafah II of Bangoland, promised to welcome Fon Fontem Asabaton into the council and to advise him as his father did to them.

According to the tradition of the Lebang people, Fon Fontem Asabaton was not to talk to anybody except after a couple of weeks. Besides the numerous economic, political and infrastructural challenges, he will have to make true his father’s promise of initiating many more tree-planting projects in his kingdom in order to prevent erosion and landslides, given that Fontem remains one of the areas whose topography is fragile and prone to many natural disasters.

He will equally have to lend efforts toward to the gazetting process of the Proposed Mak-Betchou Chimpanzee Sanctuary initiated early this year by the Environment and Rural Development Foundation (ERuDeF) in collaboration with his father.