Ntumfor Nico Halle preaches godliness to CUIB freshmen

International legal affairs consultant and peace crusader, Ntumfor Barrister Nico Halle has called on over 600 newly admitted students of the Catholic University Institute of Buea, CUIB, to hold firm to their christian values as they pursue their studies in the institution. He was addressing the students last Saturday November 15, in Buea during the matriculation ceremony of the institution.

In an academic discourse on the theme, “education and morality,” the senior advocate appealed to the students to resist the evil tendencies that have enveloped the world today, some of which he said are corruption, homosexuality, electoral malpractice and intertribal conflict. He challenged the young Cameroonians to imbibe moral values in their training and stay clear of anything that undermines the essence of their education in the institution.

“Education without values is as useless as making a clever devil. Without morality, education is a total farce and only produces destructive elements. The bedrock of all education is morality. Let it never occur to you to be part of the devilish intentions that have enveloped the world today,” Ntumfor Halle cautioned the freshmen.

He regretted the abject poverty which has taken Cameroonians hostage despite the enormous potentials of the nation; a situation he blamed on the lack of value in the educational system of the country today.

While urging the students to refrain from drugs, alcohol and promiscuity, the senior advocate and motivational speaker saluted the effort of the university authorities in maintaining peace in the institution at a time when many universities in Africa are increasingly facing problems of student unrest.

Welcoming the guest to the ceremony, the president of the institute, Fr George Nkeze Njingwa said his institution lays more emphasis on the transformation of the soul and the heart as opposed to theoretical knowledge acquisition. He said the institution was going back to what he termed the “Afro-American system of education wherein students are inspired to come up with innovations.”

“We are going back to the system of education that existed before Christ when universities were centers of the divine, when joblessness was unheard of and education had as purpose; the solving of problems.

The reason we cannot have solutions to the Ebola and AIDS in Africa today is because people are not inspired to come up with innovations. We are bringing back the original Afro-centric approach to learning when students will be constantly inspired by the divine to come out with innovations in the world,” Fr Nkeze stated.

Quizzed on the availability of structures to host the 633 new students, the president revealed that the institute now has two campuses. “Our greatest challenge now is making the bus service effective so as to shuttle students from one campus to another,” he added.

The ceremony that began with an ecumenical service officiated by Bishop Emmanuel Bushu of the Buea diocese also featured the introduction of a new executive to head the activities of the CUIB Student Government Association, STUGA, and the inauguration of the CUIB mascot.