Momo Women take front line roles in politics as men crawl behind

Unlike other Divisions of the North West where politics is a man’s thing, Momo has of late emerged as a Division where women constitute the political movers and shakers of the area.
In early Cameroon history, Momo and Mbegwi the Divisional Headquarter was known because of one time speaker of the National Assembly S.T Muna. Later many could talk of longtime Member of Parliament Hon PC Fonso and Current Vice President Hon Mbah Ndam. The political wind of change seems to be blowing across Momo divisions.

Though the Munas have remained popular across Cameroon like Akere Muna International Lawyer and 2018 Presidential aspirant, Benard Muna lawyer and Politician, a female Muna: Ama Tutu Muna erstwhile Minister of Arts and Culture and now Member of the National Commission for the Promotion of Bilingualism and Multiculturalism stands out as the symbol of a new Momo where women are in charge. 

For a long time, Ama Tutu was the only hope of the Momo people within the ruling CPDM party and the government. She organized and sponsored party meetings, activities like anniversaries, section conferences and sometimes government activities. While doing all these, she also had a gang of men to deal with particular those who found it difficult to accept a second role in the political class. The bounty was in the hands of a woman unfortunately the men thought. As they concentrated in what was referred to locally as the fight against the Muna hegemony, many other women will be inspired from Ama Tutu’s break through. 

In September of 2013, the municipal and legislative elections came with more bad news for politically greedy men. Two women Tebe Beatrice a nurse and Edna Enih Mbah another nurse took the scene by storm as they emerged kicked out two men from both primaries and officials elections to emerged Mayor and Member of Parliament for Mbengwi respectively. With Tebe Beatrice Mayor of the Mbengwi Council being from the CPDM and Hon Edna Enih Mbah Member of Parliament for the same area from the opposition SDF, many read the move as political maturity on the side of the Mbengwi people though very little notice was made on the fact that women were now in command. It had not happened before that out of the three parliamentary seats in Momo, one will be held by a woman. It has always been a man affair. 

It will not be long for the President of the Republic Paul Biya to decide to exit Ama Tutu Muna from her government position as Minister of Arts and Culture and to bring yet another woman from Mbengwi Mbah Acha Rose. The Senior Magistrate who was serving at the time as President of the Administrative Court North West took women political leadership in Momo Division to an all new level. She will even be openly challenged and even ignored by some men in her party the CPDM as she practically led all political business in the division in her function as Minister Delegate in charge of the Supreme State Audit. 

The death of the Male Mayor of Andek Council gave room for another woman to emerge in Momo division. Atienjo Bridget is her name. The teacher by profession became the second female Mayor of Momo after her colleague of Mbengwi and the third in the NW. By extension, out of the three female Mayors in the NW region, two are from Momo Division. As it stands out of the Five Councils in Momo that is Mbengwi, Batibo, Widikum, Njikwa and Adek, at least two are headed by a woman.

As the SDF celebrated the win of all seven Senatorial seats in the NW, the female folk particularly those of Momo had an extra reason to celebrate. It is the election of Nkeze Emilia from Widikum as one of the Seven Senators. The accomplished Biology adds the number to six women in a division with about eleven political positions men will not let go under normal circumstances.