PETER NDUMBE

           A REFLECTION ON PROFESSOR PETER NDUMBE ‘S PASSING AWAY

                                                  “SECOND PETER”

You know of course how you became known as “Second Peter”.  Whether it was by coincidence or divine setting, a group of us who frequented the home of The Rev. Prof. Bame Bame, (of blessed memory), were all Peters.  In order to avoid any confusion Mrs Anne Bame decided to tag us with numbers in accordance to our ages. I was I^st Peter, you where 2^nd Peter, Peter Kumche was 3^rd Peter and Peter Essoka Jnr. was 4^th Peter. We also had another Peter whom we referred to as “miscellaneous”. That was Peter Mafany Musonge.  The tagging became symbolic because it bound us together in our spiritual and daily journeys.

 
Now you decided that you would no longer be part of us. You must be joking, because no matter how far you think you have gone, that special cord linking us will forever remain.  In my mind you will always be “Second Peter”.  I know you would giggle at my foolhardiness but you must understand that even fools too can be wise.

“Mr Essoka”, for so you would say when you wanted to address me formally, “stop reflecting on me big bro”. 

You know, “Second Peter”, you were so much fun to be around, but see how much fun you’ve made of life. At a very young age, you were an elder of the church in Yaoundé, when the PCC was just spreading its tentacles to East of the Moungo. You were only a student, yet you were very active in your church. You never relented.

You became a “big doctor and professor” but in all of these, “Second Peter”, you stayed steadfast. You were chief of the youth as you encouraged the CYF. You were the most prolific and versatile patron of the Congregational Choir, PC Bastos. You always rendered yourself accessible in your humility and generosity.  But I never knew you would behave like the other Peter, the Apostle who in the face of danger, chickened out and denied his Master.  I never knew you were such a coward as to succumb so easily to this monster we call death.

“Second peter” I thought of you as a very resistant, strong and brave young man. Mother told me never to reprimand a dead man.  I don’t consider you dead anyway. You have just temporarily given up your existence in this life. For me, I still consider you as being here and listening to me chide, scold or rebuke you for this cowardly act.

You do not know how much you have broken our hearts. You always talk to me about your mother. So who will talk to me about her now? Especially in her state of ill health! 

 It hurts to see you go. But who am I to stop what God had planned? “Second Peter”, the other Peters asked me, as First Peter, to tell you we are certain you are basking in the warmth of God’s Bosom. We too are on our way to join you some day.

P                    E                                A                                   C                                   E

                                                  
 PETER ESSOKA (First Peter)                                             

Farewell Peter Ndumbe

The beauty of the region, nay of Cameroon, is slain upon thy high places: how are the mighty fallen! Peter Ndumbe is the latest in the long line of heroes of the region to make a premature and dramatic exit from the higher education stage to the great beyond. Surely death is cheating us of the brightest and the best of our academics.

Peter was not only a faithful collaborator on a professional level – Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Yaounde 1 where I was Rector and Member of Council of the Cameroon Christian University where I am currently Pro-Chancellor. It was indeed a pleasure to have had the privilege of his profound contributions to foster the advancement of these institutions as well as UB to which we shared understandably emotional attachments. But more importantly, he was one of those special small brothers whom one thought would see us off on our final journey when our time comes. So it is that man proposes but it is the great Almighty who disposes.

Once again the month of May has come with its trials and tribulations. It was 18^th May 2008 that saw the painful departure of our daughter, Maloke Efimba, for whom Peter was a mentor. Then Peter breathed his last on 14^th May 2013. Definitely God only takes the best. And like Job, we can only say “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away: blessed be the name of the Lord.” Adieu Peter. May the Lord receive your exceptional soul in His heavenly kingdom.

Dorothy L. Njeuma

Pioneer VC, University of Buea

Former Rector, University of Yaounde I

Pro-Chancellor, Cameroon Christian University 

Remembering Prof. Peter Martin Ndumbe

Dr. Gladys E. Martin

Can’t Believe …… ?

But it is true!!  On May 14^th, my first thought that day was the e-birthday card that Prof. Ndumbe sent to me every year in June.  About an hour later, the phone rang and I got the news that he was no more!! Did he somehow whisper to me that I would get no card this year?  He said that it was not a programmed event because each year he personally sent it with a special greeting.   How caring and thoughtful!   He had written a beautiful ode in memory of one of his friends.   I asked him to write one for me when I too passed…  We had our usual laughter not dreaming that I will now be writing something for him!   I knew that his health was not too good and that he went for check ups in South Africa.   He said he would tell me more but …..  

We have had a very special relationship that has spanned many years - starting from “Sissie Dr." at the family level through teacher/student, to the  frequent guest speaker at international scientific conferences and later my boss.  The “Sissie Dr." relationship has permeated all the years of our relationship.  We usually kept in touch by email or phone and sometimes when I called him, thinking he was in Yaounde, he would laugh and say, "am at the Hague or somewhere …and it’s my phone paying.  Will be back”

During our student/teacher relationship we discussed everything from Christianity, serving in the church, marriage to academics.  Many things stand out but I will only refer to how Peter showed concern for his fellow students and patient care.  The thesis director of one of his classmates was away and the student was inundated with the masses of data he had meticulously collected and could not make a head way with the analysis.  Time was passing for submission.   Peter asked me if I would help and brought  him to my house with all his data.  Together, in “franglais”, we got him out from under his data and he was able, with Peter’s help,  to complete and submit his thesis on time.   He also told me that after his graduation, he would be the patient’s advocate and interview patients and family members from theCentral Hospital, on their satisfaction level of care they received, in order to help improve health care.  It is no wonder that he excelled as a clinician, teacher, researcher, manager and a friend to many.

My Boss: when I returned from my international assignments, Prof. Peter Ndumbe was the Dean of FMBS (CUSS).  He suggested that I should resume my former duties since I still had some more years before retirement from the Civil Service.   I was not in a working mood and so we joked about it and I told him that if I shirked my duties, as my boss, he would be obliged to give me queries.  We laughed.  He always laughed.  Still bent on keeping me academically active, he obtained a short term consultancy for me to work with a visiting team of experts from Europe to review some of WHO support to Cameroon.  As the Dean of UB/FHS, he gave me opportunities to serve as a member of  the jury in paediatrics during the clinical examination of medical students and also to teach the students during their paediatric posting at the Limbe Regional Hospital.  He made use of many of the senior health experts available locally while waiting for the recruitment of staff for the vacant posts in his faculty.

 I have had many proud moments whenever he was accompanied by experts, straight from the airplane to the podium to give keynote addresses at multi-agency international conferences and then, after a few hours “rest” in the hotel, he was off to another conference or workshop in another continent.   How did he cope with such a demanding programme? Looking at his academic and professional achievements, he has indeed made us all very proud and thankful to the Almighty God who gave us such a special person, Prof. Peter Martin Ndumbe.  Although he would have done a lot more, what he has left in institutions and among students, colleagues and friends will continue to shine brilliantly as he takes his well-earned rest.