Festivity in Guneku Palace as Councillors Installed, Others Awarded For years now since the advent of the Anglophone Crisis, hardly have cultural festivities been taking place in Mbengwi. The palace of Guneku has however distinguished itself from the rest in bringing back memories of the good old days by organising a semi cultural festival in which villagers were once again seen putting on traditional costume especially the famous "torghor". There were also traditional dances like "Kwem" and traditional meals like "Ngorm Tari" (porridge plantains). How did the event come about? It was on Friday July 30th 2021 that the newly elected councillors from the 20 quarters that make up Guneku village rallied in the palace to be officially installed, after they were recently voted into office during an administrative reorganisation exercise that was called for by the Fon. For two weeks, the electoral commission toured the nukes and crannies of upper, lower and central Guneku to coordinate the villagers elect their quarter councillors. It was this exercise that culminated to the holding of the mini cultural event.
Before the installation proper, some leaders (president, secretary and treasurer) were first elected from the midst of those that had hitherto been voted in their respective areas (quarters) of origin as quarter councillors according to the four zones in which the village is divided. The electoral exercise was conducted this time around using local materials like seeds of corn, beans and groundnuts in place of ballot papers so much so that each candidate standing for election was represented by a seed and the voters then proceeded to cast their votes for those they want by using any of the seeds they each represent. At the end of the exercise, the results were thus: For Zone 1 whose quarters are Fun/Mbong, Ngong, Toh, Nyang, Nyeh and Tuengyie, Fomujang David emerged as President, Bah Andrew as Secretary and Lydia Munyam as Treasurer. For Zone 2 whose quarters are Njinebai, Njiningom, Benjoh and Njizam, Timothy Tembeng was voted as President, Muki Martin - Secretary and Evelyn Ngum - Treasurer. Meanwhile for Zone 3 whose quarters are Sang, Kimbot, Wunmenyeh, Tonmitoh and Bighebomi, Geh Humphrey won the confidence of the other councilors as President, John Ndakwe - Secretary and Julia Forkwen - Treasurer. Lastly, when time came for Zone 4 councilors to do same, their choices fell on John Agwetang as President, Anya Beltus as Secretary and Eni Julia as Treasurer. This zone is made up of quarters like Mbengeghang, Mbengtibat, Ngamungeh, Fringyeng, Fun Mbot/Mbot.
After the electoral exercise and proclamation of results, the commission will then proceed to do the installation proper of the newly voted zonal council leaders that now automatically became members of the Guneku Traditional Council along side, a youth's representative, women's representative and all religious leaders shepherding God's flock in central Guneku. Some other 8 members of the Guneku Water Management Committee comprised of Sam Ndimasong, Fon Joseph, Choo Samuel, Tah Rene, Gah Daniel, Fondom Calvin, Gongho Onias and Tasi Elvis were also installed. One of the high moments of the event was an address by the Fon, based in Germany to his subjects. In his recorded message to his people that was played from the sound system to the hearing of all, H.R.H Dr. Ticha W. Fomuki began by first revisiting some of the developmental strides successfully recorded in the palace/village in the course of the ongoing Anglophone Crisis. He cited the establishment of a library in the palace, introduction and revitalisation of fish farming, rabbit, fowl, and bee keeping in the palace and other quarters of the village, establishment of a loan scheme put at the disposal of villagers interested in pig rearing, restaffing and reequipping of all health institutions in the village, reawakening of the once existing organisation known as North West Fons Against AIDS that was and is still headquartered in the Guneku palace but now operating under a new name, provision of input materials to farming groups especially in Mbengeghang, rehabilitation of the road network in the village just to name these few.
