Association of Short People cries foul in military recruitment

The President General cum founder of the North West-based organisation dubbed Association of Short People, ASP, Chi Jonathan Fru, has criticised the government for discriminating against short people in the recruitment of young Cameroonians into the military.

In a one-one chat with Eden, the President General, who is a jurist by profession, said the height barrier against ASP members is sometimes erroneously described as the height of an anthill as he less than 1.6 metre.

“The shortest of height of those recruited is 1.66 metre so short people like us are not accepted in the Cameroon army,” he lamented before stating that “shortness is not inability or disability.”

Chi Jonathan Fru quoted leaders like President Omer Bongo of Gabon, late Napoleon Bonaparte and John Ngu Foncha who were all short, yet very intelligent.

Equally short people, he said, are very entertaining as could be seen from Nigeria movies stars like Chinedu Ikedize and Osita Iheme aka Aki and Pawpaw who have turned their seeming disadvantaged size into money-making assets.

Besides the discrimination of short people in the military recruitment in Cameroon, he regretted that the public also make mockery of short people especially when they erect tall billboards and counters thereby making it difficult for them to reach these counters. He lamented that in bars and public places seats are too high making it difficult for short people to sit comfortably.

“Most often you discover that our legs are suspending from these high chairs,” Chi noted.

Talking about encounter with women in the society, Chi Jonathan revealed that most women love short people except few who prefer the very tall or people of average height.

As to whether the Association of Short People could have tall people members, the President General made it clear that if ASP does not admit tall people it’s because tall people will not understand the plight of short people.

However, they still wine and dine with them after meetings, he said. Chi Jonathan appealed to the government to invest in short people because they are not only intelligent but equally hard-working and peaceful as their motto spells out; “hard working and peace”.