Prof. Peter Agbor Tabi, late Minister, Assistant Secretary General at the Residency of the Republic, who passed on in an American hospital in Neuilly-France on April 26, has been laid to rest in his native Ndekwai village in Manyu Division, South West Region. Agbor Tabi was buried last Saturday June 4, under strict traditional rites.

Though many top dignitaries defied the bumpy Kumba-Mamfe road or Babadjou-Bamenda road to bid the fallen statesman farewell, the funeral in general had many interesting scenes.

President Paul Biya, who is still in an undisclosed country in Europe on a “brief private stay,” ordered an official funeral for his late collaborator. He was personally represented at the funeral in Mamfe by Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, Secretary General at the Presidency.

However, what baffled many an observer was the fact that Ngoh Ngoh was assigned to represent Biya by the Director of Civil Cabinet at the Presidency, Martin Belinga Eboutou, who by all standards is a subordinate to Ngoh Ngoh.

The development inadvertently and technically barred the Prime Minister, Head of Government, Philemon Yang from attending the funeral, The Cameroon Journal was hinted. We learned the Prime Minister, who is fourth on the state hierarchy, could not see himself attending the official funeral being presided by one of his subordinates. PM Yang was not spotted either in Mamfe nor Ndekwai

Beer-drinking restriction defied

The Cameroon Journal had earlier learned that the late minister had expressed the wish that whenever he died, alcohol should not be served during his funeral. He said those who were thirsty for alcohol should do him the honour and wait until after he had been buried.

However, the mourners who thronged Mamfe grossly defied the restriction. We observed that even before the corpse could arrive Mamfe, some mourners for the corpse were already soaked in alcohol.

At the Mamfe grandstand where the official funeral ceremony took place, attendees kept themselves company with the bottle and used part of the liquor to water down eulogies made at the ceremony by some dignitaries.

Agbor Tabi: Biya’s confidante

Agbor Tabi’s funeral was a landmark ceremony ever staged in Manyu division, locals said. His corpse arrived Mamfe in a motorcade of over 100 cars, accompanied by top government dignitaries.

Biya’s envoy to Mamfe, Ngoh Ngoh said the Head of State had particular interest in the deceased and that he was particularly saddened when he learnt of his passing on April 26. According to the Secretary General at the Presidency, Biya had taken every necessary disposition to save the former Higher Education Minister’s life but it was unfortunate that he could not beat the forces of nature.

Ngoh Ngoh, who also worked very closely with Agbor Tabi as his (Ngoh Ngoh’s) deputy at the Secretariat of the Presidency, made the crowd at the Mamfe grandstand to understand that the president held Agbor Tabi in very high esteem.

To Dion Ngute, Head of CPDM Central Committee Delegation to the funeral, Agbor Tabi was a devout militant who worked tirelessly to promote the ideals of the party. He said the late minister was very resourceful and never hesitated to contributing for the party cause.

For his part, Chief Fritz Gerald Nasako, who spoke on behalf of traditional rulers of the South West Region, noted that Agbor Tabi listened to his people and worked tirelessly for them.

Agbor Tabi’s Final Journey

The late professor’s corpse arrived the country through the Yaounde Nsimalen International Airport last Monday evening.

On Thursday June 4, the former Higher Education Minister and Board Chair of the University of Yaounde II was given academic honours at the amphitheatre 700 of the University of Yaounde I. A wake was observed in his Biteng residence same day before the corpse was transferred to Mamfe, through Kumba.

In Mamfe last Saturday, the he was posthumously decorated as officer of the national order of valour.