By Ernest Sumelong
The Cameroon Opportunities Industrialisation Centre, COIC, Buea, might be wallowing in murky waters due to what some sources describe as "the egocentric and highhanded management of the institution," The Post has learnt.
OIC Board Chair,Ekontang; are his hands clean?
Some OIC Interest Group Members, IGM, have hurled stones at its Board Chair, Barrister Sam Elad Ekontang, and some of his close aides for what they termed highhandedness and derailing the purpose of the institution.
The accusations poured in from various quarters before a meeting that took place on Saturday, June 28, at the OIC campus.In the Saturday meeting, some of the IGM felt that the main issues rocking the institution were not tackled while others claimed they were barred from attending.
Many had even contested the holding of the meeting until certain issues, which they considered as vital, were addressed.One of the interest members, Barrister Henry Ngalle Monono, addressed a missive, dated June 26, to the Chair, denouncing what he termed unconstitutional high handed and arbitrary actions that, according to him, contravened the articles of association of the institution.
Besides accusing the Chair of treating the regulations of OIC with disregard and levity, Monono insinuated that Ekontang had unconstitutionally manoeuvred himself into being the Board Chair.
Another interest group member and an ex-trainee of the institution, Ignatius Ndifor Mbunya, addressed a memo to the Chair, amongst other things, stating that whereas the Article of Association provides that every member will contribute FCFA 5,000, he is demanding FCFA 20,000 without any justification.
A separate memo, signed by five people on behalf of the interest group members, noted that the Board Chair and a few of his executive members had taken upon themselves and had dismissed interest group members who could not meet up with their financial obligations.
"The IGM serve the institution in many other ways, the practice has been that members who are not up to date for a period exceeding two years may not be allowed to vote in an IGM meeting, which is discretional to the IGM," they argued.
They also questioned why a meeting that was supposed to take place in 2007 was only convened in mid 2008 and said the mandate of the current Board executive is overdue. Moreover, they said Ekontang is now running OIC from day to day as a programmes director and his actions were scaring away investors.
Besides, the IGM were vexed by the fact that the institution has not been audited by external auditors and cast doubts about the report presented at the meeting.An interest group member, who did not want to be identified, told The Post that succeeding Board Chairs and their allies have transformed the institution, which is initially philanthropic, into a money making institution.
"At first, students paid a token of FCFA 10,000 as fee, but now they are required to pay up to FCFA 150,000 with the numerous tools they are asked to buy." However, talking to The Post by phone, Barrister Ekontang refuted the claims. He said the institution has been audited by a finance committee led by Madam Eliva, a reputed accountant with the CDC while auditors from the Ministry of Finance also audited the institution in 2007.
He
said a meeting took place in April and May 2007, where the audit
reports were presented.
According to the man of law, records are available of his elections in
August 2003 with a mandate lasting five years and that he has been
elected regularly.
He also denied the fact that he dismissed members arbitrarily but that for three to six years, members have been unwilling to pay an annual due of FCFA 20,000. Going by him, a circular had been sent out to the effect that members should either pay their dues or lose their membership. He revealed that the ex-trainee, Ignatius Ndifor's memo was considered by the assembly as scandalous and he was expelled during the meeting.
Ekontang stated that at the end of the meeting, he was given a vote of total confidence for the good work he has been doing, while it also adopted new articles of association with minor modifications.
Meantime, Ekontang argued that since the last Board Chair, Smith Becke, was destituted, his (Becke's) diehard supporters are trying to destabilise what they have been doing. He also posited that some ambitious members, who aim to replace him, are also ganging up against him, while he saw the hands of those who cannot pay dues in destabilising the work of his executive.
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