Professor Njeuma Passes On

By Ernest Sumelong| Friday, April 30, 2010| The Post|

Prof. Martin Zachariah Mondindi Njeuma, husband to Dr. Mrs. Dorothy Njeuma, member of ELECAM, has died.

He died in the early hours of Wednesday, April 28, at his residence in Yaounde after a brief illness. The Post learnt his corpse is being preserved in Yaounde while further plans for his funeral will be disclosed soon. He will be laid to rest in his native Buea, Fako Division of the Southwest Region.

Prof Njeuma , a retired Professor of African History, was an authority on Islamic matters. He was also, alongside Rev. Engelbert Mveng, one of Cameroon’s greatest and internationally respected historians. He authored several history books and journal articles on Cameroon and Africa. One of his former students, Prof. Victor Ngoh, speaking shortly after the demise of his mentor, on Wednesday, April 28, told The Post that Prof. Njeuma was a pillar as far as Cameroon History is concerned.

“He was one of the few West Cameroonians who taught me at the University of Yaounde from 1973-1976. He was a prolific writer. From a strictly human point of view, I was his child and he was my mentor. He played a very important role in my being what I am today,” Prof. Ngoh said.
According to Ngoh, the late Professor was always prepared to go an extra mile for someone else.

Hear him: “He had that human touch; he was always concerned about others and about his students. He had a lot of experience and had a lot of contacts in Norway, Germany, the United Kingdom, the US and France. His death is a very big blow to Cameroonian scholars. With his passing away, the English-speaking Cameroonian society has lost one of the most prolific if not most prolific Cameroonian historian. You cannot talk of Cameroon History without talking of Prof. Njeuma.”

According to an online message, placed by Lady Kate Njeuma, one of the late Professor’s children, Prof. Njeuma loved his family very much and was, in turn, very much loved by them.
“His death has come as a shock to all of us, but we must accept God’s decision to call him home to rest in His Kingdom where there shall be no more sickness, no more sorrow,” reads the message.

Besides his fatherliness, The Post learnt that Professor Njeuma was an active member of the Sasse Old Boys Association, SOBA. He is survived by his wife, Dr. Dorothy Limunga Njeuma, his daughters Dorothy Embelle Njeuma and Christine Njeuma, several grand children and the intellectual community in Cameroon.