The adage "nomatter how long the night may be, the sun will finally rise" is an apt description of the recent breakthroughs that befell H.R.H Mbacham Enoch, the Fon of Wumnembug village in the Tondig zone of the Meta clan, Mbengwi. Like a dream, within the space of no time, the Fon became a proud owner of a new car offered to him by the philanthropic couple Ndang Kenneth and Delphine of Kendely Foundation. Not long thereafter, his subjects through the Wumnembug Cultural and Development Association (WUCUDA) also offered him a newly constructed palace.
Before now, Fon Mbacham used to live under conditions not worth describing considering his personality. His detractors used to make mockery of his situation. Little did anyone know that it was just a matter of time for his breakthrough to come and when luck finally fell on him, on Friday April 11 2025, he was invited by the C.E.O of Kendely Group of Companies and gifted a white Hilux and when he drove pass the streets, some of those who used to talk ill about him became dumbfounded.
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| New Car from Kendely and New Palace from Subjects to Fon of Wumnembug |
From riding a worn-out bike to a brand new white Hilux, from living in a tiny room attached to the Wumnembug hall like a refugee and now to a brand new befitting palace of many rooms, tiled floor, painted walls, electrified, furnished with water system toilets and furniture plus gas kitchen, Fon Mbacham's story can only be likened to that of Baba T in the song titled This Year My Star Must Shine by Nigerian gospel artist Ifeanyichukwu Onyeachonam.
As the story is told in the song, Baba T originally known as Timothy was a married man with 9 children living in a single room and couldn't go to school. Because of poverty he was repeatedly insulted and he resorted to doing mean jobs till one day he fell in the hands of a white boss who later travelled back to China and willed all his assets he had accumulated to Baba T.
The Fon of Wumnembug had been recieving his own share of insults to an extent based on his carefree lifestyle. He is amongst traditional authorities that have vehemently refused to live to the dictates of how society wants royal authorities to live, some how like prisoners. He has chosen his path of enjoying his life like any other subject nomatter what people say about him, he doesn't really care.
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| Tibi Olu, WUCUDA National President |
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| H.R.H Mbacham Enoch, Fon of Wumnembug |
The authority of a Fon is given by the subjects of his village. If he misbehaves, the whole villagers must bear the shame. A palace is an institution that incarnates a people not an individual. Fons will come and go but the palace structure will remain as an entity of the village. It is for this reason that despite the weaknesses of their Fon, Wumnembug subjects still resolved to uplift his social statues by constructing for him a new befitting palace.
In a one on one with the national president of Wumnembug Cultural and Development Association (WUCUDA), Ni Tibi Olu, he told Mbengwi Online that week-long socioeconomic, cultural and sporting activities took place prior to the A.G.M that was held on Saturday April 19th 2025 in the Wumnembug community hall. It has been for about 7 years that they've not gathered as a family like this in the village because of the Anglophone Crisis reason why the 2025 AGM was so special to the people as many that have been out all this while had been longing to come back home and finally got the opportunity.
"We hope that by next year, many more good things will come to our village." said the president. The association also has a youth and women wing. Tibi confirmed to us that all are fairing well especially as elections were recently held and a new Executive Council put in place with Fotu Eric heading the youths and Fonjong Rose heading the women.
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| Council of Elders |
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| General Assembly |
The WUCUDA national president admitted that the various branches of the association worldwide are fairing well but for a few challenges. He used the opportunity to encourage all Wumnembug sons and daughters to identify themselves with their kinsmen wherever they find themselves in the world and not only wait until it's red before they see need to admit their identity as Wumnembug children. "Whatever franc they contribute for development will be accounted for because it is our mantra to be transparent" he pledged and ended by encouraging all to do their utmost best towards the growth and wellbeing of Wumnembug.
When we cornered the Fon for a word to his subjects, he said "The bags in which they dipped their hands to chip in something with regards to this project, may more return to the bags so that in future we can realise more projects. I pray that wherever they are, the God of Wumnembug will bless them more and more." Just like president Tibi Olu, H.R.H Mbacham Enoch also added his voice to call on all his subjects who couldn't make it for this year's A.G.M to endeavour not to miss the 2026 edition that promises to be greater in terms of activities, turnout and realisations
Other activities that preceded the AGM included the handing over of two bridges constructed by the Mbengwi Council to the Wumnembug population, one linking the village to Njindom and the other linking the village to Njinebai in Guneku. Present for the handing over exercise was Mayor Ndangsa Kennedy Akam and his deputy Amadu Kadiri. The municipal authority promised to build many more bridges in Wumnembug, encourage the villagers to do everything possible for the resumption of classes at the government primary school in their community and ended by pledging to provide a new set of dining table and chairs to the new palace.
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| Mayor Ndangsa Kennedy Akam (holding a bouquet of flowers) of the Mbengwi Council Inaugurating Newly Constructed Bridges in Wumnembug |
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| Traditional Dance Display |
There was also the blessing of the car that was handed to the Fon by the Kendely Foundation during which the national president of WUCUDA and the royal authority both extended special words of thanks to the philanthropic couple, pleading on God to bless him more so that he in turn continues to reach out to more Meta people. To Tibi Olu, the vehicle will not only be of assistance to the Fon but to the entire village reason why the villagers at their level raised some money to support the fueling of the car.
There was also a free health campaign carried out at the AGM during which consultations and drugs administration took place. Again, there was a beauty contest at the end of which Mbah Raisa Afor emerged winner to become Miss Wumnembug 2025, this after presenting a project on rural urban migration which she plans to curb. Hundreds of Wumnembug sons and daughters came from across the national triangle of Cameroon for the A.G.M that ended with a major resolution that from next year, the annual development levy for each Wumnembug subject will henceforth be 5.000F for both men and women.
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