Nguelemedouga & his experience as sub district officer of Couseri

Nguelemedouga was a graduate of Ecole Normale D’administration et de la Magistrature (School of Administration and Magistracy) and was posted as the pioneer sub district officer of a sub district located in the Far North province of Cameroon. In that area, and which is predominantly Muslim, the geography and national or ethnic composition of it people, made Nguelemedouga to conclude that, he was in a foreign land. Even though the Far North or the Greater northern province of Cameroon was part of Cameroon, those from the Greater south often found it difficult to admit. For the culture and religion in the Greater Northern part of the country was diametrically different from those of the Greater south, although in the south, equally had their own differences. The next difficulties of the new sub district officer were the ethnic or national composition of the district. They were all ethnic Arabs and Mr Nguelemedouga their sub district head was: a non Arabic-speaker and also none Muslim.

Mr Nguelemedouga was a Christian from the greater south and he never knew that his country had such large number of people who were ethnic Arabs. That was his first real shock. The second shocker was that, 90% of the population did not speak French and never wanted to. They were only interested in learning, Islamic education, Arabic language and English. This last observation profoundly surprised Nguelemedouga, for the Greater northern provinces was part of French-speaking Cameroon and it was beyond comprehension why the people of Couseri sub district, will want to speak and learn Arabic and English and not French. Couseri was a newly created sub district and lacked all basic administrative infrastructure as well as others. Nguelemedouga therefore had the responsibility, privilege and honour to make the presence of the government of Cameroon felt in this part of the country.

Toward that objective, and since he also discovered that the people never wanted to speak French, he knew it won’t be unproblematic for him. He had to address the people of Couseri sub district in Arabic or in English. But since he could not speak standard Arabic and he was ashamed of his fluency in English, he opted for an interpreter for it was evident that, he never wanted to speak English. He addresses the people in French and his interpreter translated in Arabic. But Nguelemedouga ran into open conflict with the population of the Couseri sub district earlier than he had expected. The cause of the conflict was the choice of the gender of the person to serve as his interpreter. Instead of the district officer to choose one of the males to serve as his interpreter, from the pool of the few nationals who were educated in the French language, he decided to choose as interpreter a female by name Fatima. His choice caused an out cry like the one caused when Osman Dan Fondio came with his army on horse backs 400 years ago to islamise the nationals of Couseri and also extend the influence of Sokoto Empire to what is today known as northern Cameroon.