The following introductory anecdote is a true story fictionalised for good effect.
Once there was a doctor, a certified surgeon. He ran his own hospital in the heart of the city and had many doctors working for him and his business flourished. He had one fault however; nobody survived his surgeon’s knife though those he trained did wonderfully in their own theatres. There was this young General Practitioner working for him who seemed to be gifted in the matter. An idea came to the surgeon; why don’t I invite this fellow to assist me during my procedures? He did and that marked the end of sour post-surgery complications and deaths in his career. Nobody has understood why it was so with this surgeon till date. Secretly, I thought something was very seriously wrong with his hands, but now I know better; he was born to be a teacher not a butcher.
Has it ever bothered you why Professors of Economics and Finance are not the richest people in the neighbourhood?
Now, Ayaba Cho Lucas is the most informed person in matters concerning Ambazonia’s statehood restoration. This is not a joke. I had two privileged hours with him in Nigeria in the company of Ebenezer Akwanga. Ayaba masterfully laid down before me all that needed to be done to bring about statehood restoration for Ambazonia. At the end of that meeting, I wondered why homeland restoration had not happened with this wealth of knowledge flowing around. Why didn’t anyone believe him?
From my privileged session with Ayaba in 2017, and from what we all now know, four things needed to happen concurrently to put Ambazonia on the rails to statehood;
- Popular adherence,
- Enlisting of a lobby/legal firm for introductions and representation,
- A robust military wing and
- An international platform for mediation and negotiations.
All four have eluded the struggle from Gorji Dinka’s declaration of the Successor State through the CAM, AACs, SCNC/SCAPO, to SCYL/AGC. It is true that all the factions did not believe in the need of all four prerequisite conditions listed above (at the same time) but that does not mean that the knowledge did not exist. “The Force of Argument not the Argument of Force” was good as it portrayed us as civilised people, but Ayaba knew better. He opined that the argument of force will fuel the force of argument. The big question that we all have to answer: Do those who have the knowledge have to be the ones to effect it on the ground?
I have heard many lay claim to expertise and experience in this and that field in this revolution but I have looked around and found no evidence apart from erudite citations; everyone is saying what somebody else said and nobody is saying anything of their own. Can anyone claim to be a teacher, talk less of being a pedagogue if they have never taught? Can those who teach in the school of International Relations arrogate to themselves the title of diplomat if they have never represented a country? Rather, don’t we have performing teachers and diplomats who have not received classroom training? That’s the paradox isn’t it, that the untrained sometimes outperform the trained? Let us now examine all these fallacious claims in the four aspects listed above in view of determining whether we all are not neophytes or if truly, we do have (experienced) experts amongst us.
Tassang Wilfred
Knowledge, Experience, Expertise in:
1. Popular Adherence
This is simple. There was no way anybody was ever going to free Ambazonia if the people did not rise up and claim their destiny. It was never going to be a matter for a handful of future benevolent despots. It took close to thirty-five years since the proclamation of the Successor State for this to happen. When the people rose up, it was not on account of any experience and expertise in mobilisation from any of the existing restoration movements, yet nobody is prepared to be humbled by this. Rather, popular mobilisation was enabled by extraneous circumstances, deep seated frustrations concerning the poor handling of educational and legal matters. Why didn’t some expert see this and cause it to happen before? Whither the experience and the expertise?
2. Lobbying and Legal Representation.
Since the Successor State, how many movements succeeded to enlist the services of a legal and lobby firm for our cause? Whereas this is the one thing (diplomacy) that most early movements believed in, and though they all tried hard to bring it about, none succeeded. The closest we got to was the Gorji Dinka case thrown out of the ICJ on grounds that Ambazonia was not a state party. Yet, when SCACUF, powered by the Boston Consortium enlisted the services of a firm, Foley Hoag was fought and subsequently abandoned. Was it because the firm was not opening doors? No. Foley Hoag facilitated the opening of doors at the UN and at the US State Department and was doing more. Whither the knowledge? Whither the experience and expertise? Thank God President Sako had the good sense to quickly enlist the services of another firm without which the IG won’t have made the strides we see.
3. Military Action
You all know how I refused to consider the possibility of an armed struggle. I was frightened by the knowledge that many people would die and not because it was not the right thing to do. If I had not changed my mind on the matter by the time I had that session with Comrade Ayaba Cho Lucas, I would have punched myself on the face because his explanation of the matter was so basic I looked foolish in my own eyes. When it was time for homeland defense, I heard “military experts” (AGC) say they would not take orders from civilians. Since when did anybody become an expert in warfare when they have not attended Sandhurst or West Point, and without a single battle to their credit? Worse, when it was time to act the expertise and experience, there was nothing to show for. Paradoxically, a pastor barked the orders; “Rise and defend your land, County by County, LGA by LGA!”, and the entire territory exploded from the sounds of den guns. To date, we are still waiting for experts to train troops. Are you seeing the foolishness of experience experts? Fire drops on your lap; instead of pushing it off, you send for the army rescue unit to come and do a professional job while the fire ravages the flesh. Haba! That was by the way. In which college do they train pastors how to fight wars? Of course, I know; God is the greatest academy for anything you want to learn if that will be used to glorify Him. Whither the experience and expertise folks?
4. International Platform
International recognition of the crisis is paramount to the putting in place of a platform for mediation and negotiations. The setting up of such a platform is therefore indicative of the problem having been recognised as a crisis worthy of international attention. Recognition of the crisis is what 1, 2, and 3 above happening concurrently have given us. The people rose, the lobby firms did their bids, Paul Biya’s declaration of war and the valiant defense of the territory by Ambazonia’s sons and daughters sent out the signals needed. You can be sure that Switzerland was not the first country contacted by Sako. There is no way that the then Acting President would have called on the Swiss without appealing first on his own government. Just no way. Today, the international community and America have backed the Swiss Initiative brought about by one of America’s citizens of Ambazonian origin and it means absolutely nothing to Ambazonian experts. So much for experience and expertise, won’t you say?
Having said the foregoing, one can ask the questions; where are the much talked about experience and expertise? Did anybody have any, prior to 2016? How much experience and expertise have our leaders gathered since 2016? What they have gathered; is it enough?
I have come to the humble conclusion that knowledge and mastery of the history of our people is not sufficient requirement to be a leader; that knowledge of Law and International Law is required, but it is not the sole factor either; that connections do matter, but it will yield no dividends if there is nothing to connect to on Ground Zero, and that securing an international platform is of no use if we will not stampede the enemy to the table through ever increasing firepower. Isn’t that what we need now?
Finally, experience and expertise, as far as textbook knowledge goes, are also necessary, but from experience, textbook theorists do not always make successful technocrats. Mostly, they make excellent counsellors/advisers to humble people. That is why that surgeon’s knife killed more people than it rescued; he missed his calling. That explains why Professors of Economics and Finance are not always the richest people in the neighbourhood though everyone else is becoming rich thanks to the knowledge they dispense. I am therefore now even more convinced that Ambazonia’s quest is manned from realms strange to our understanding. God’s choice of leaders will not always meet our basic human requirements, and that, if we have to be useful, we should use our “experience and expertise” gathered before and during the last four years to support this pastor that God has endowed with His surpassing wisdom. (Don’t we think that we are so despicably horrible before God for him to have put us all aside in spite of our experience and expertise in favour of a “con-pastor”?) President Pst. Sako will be needing all the experts to advise him when real business (mediated negotiations) begins soon, hopefully. Even now, he needs them in the lobby/legal and in the defense effort where the ARFs are doing so well already. Our experts can hasten that time by quickly gathering around the man who has all the evidence of ability and God’s backing stacked in his favour. If you ask my opinion, President Sako will be needing more expertise than Ambazonia can presently provide. Can the Anyangwe’s rally round? Can the Ayaba’s make themselves available? Can all our experts rally round this humble one who has evidence of heaven’s approval? Or is anybody yet in doubt? Then remember; popular support, legal/diplomatic lobby, military, international mediation; all four speak to his favour. If these are not the signs we need, then what do you want to see?
Satan has no respect for grammar, he bows to power and authority.
Are we together, Ambazonia?
🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈
Christ Is Risen; He Is Risen Indeed!
As we celebrate the Resurrection, I declare that everything that was dead to this Struggle comes to life in Jesus’s name! Unity comes alive! Financial Resources come alive! The nations gather together for Ambazonia in Jesus’s name!
I declare that every territorial and transnational satanic fraternity that has kept Ambazonia under the yoke of bondage is broken in Jesus’s name! It is takeover time.
Ambazonia!
Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. Isaiah 60.
Dcn TASSANG Wilfred
shared by Nanchop Clovis