Home — Annual Speeches » Speech of the Year 2019
A few years ago, we gathered here to set the formal foundation for this great and beloved
organization. Today, we gather in this great state / place to begin a new chapter of this
movement. I remained so honored and humbled to have been part of this movement and I will
forever cherish these times we have had together and the many more that lies ahead. I am more
honored and humbled to have been at the fore of this movement as your servant leader. What a
joy and what an experience!! As my tenure comes to an end, I hope and pray that I will be
remembered not for the differences and disagreements we had but for the bridges we built.
During my term of office, we were met with lots of challenges and opportunities. Some
of these have resulted to failures while others in successes. Whatever their outcome, I celebrate
them all as each outcome presented us with some valuable lessons which will live on into
infinity. From last year, we set out to assisting some villages in Mantung Land with financial
resources as they embarked on life sustaining or giving drinking water, to bring to fruition a live
MACDA_USA website and to empower the most vulnerable in our communities (women and
children) through developmental and income generating programs while securing our land. We
supported the Gom water project but because of the ongoing crises in Motherland, we were
unable to fulfill the “conditional gifts” we made to the Ntong, Nwa and Bom water projects. This
crisis also negatively impacted the execution or implementation of the empowerment (human
capital) projects. As for the website, I am so disappointed and frustrated coming to the house
with not so good news. After 2 years of back and forth, many promises and requests, we have not
been able to make any good progress on this. Rather than apportion blames on various areas, I
take full responsibility for such a failure. If I have to do it again (and I pray I will be given the
opportunity to redeem myself), I ask that this body should give me the full authorization to
undertake this project. Should the house vote on this, I will be making available a dynamic
website within 6 months of this meeting. I will caution that we should be mindful that this will
not be an end in itself but that the website will be a dynamic tool. Hence members will be called
upon to provide more information or feedback where and when necessary. While the crises in
Cameroon presented and continues to present us with many challenges, it also presents us a great
opportunity to serve; opportunity to serve the men and women who have become victims of this
crises, opportunity to serve the children who have been victims of this crises due to no fault of
their own. This crisis has also presented us with an opportunity to leave behind a legacy that
shows that when our mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters cried or called, we responded with a
resounding yes by standing with them in their plight. We donated to causes that help mitigate the
pains inflicted on our loved ones and our community by the recent crises. Thank you all for
standing with our people and for representing what our LORD calls on us to do: be each other’s
keeper (Galatians 6:2). I challenge you to remember the Word of our God, our Creator… “A
friend loves at all times and a brother is born for a time of adversity.” Proverbs 17:17. For those
who have deliberately decided to give a deaf ear or blind eye to the pains and sufferings of our
people, know that “whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it for him it is sin.” James
4:17. And “Of what good it is if someone claims he or she has faith but has no deeds?” James
2:14-18?
MACDANs, you cannot keep blaming others for your failures, the failures that exist in
our society or your failures to help nurture progress, peace, love and development in our
community. You cannot continue to make excuses or justifications for these failures either.
There comes a time when an expiration date for blaming others and/ or making excuses kicks in.
When you come of age, you accept full responsibilities for the world you live in and your life.
Part of accepting that responsibility is to bring about the positive change you so desire in your
society; change that ushers in progress and development, and change that impacts the lives of
others. Do not tell me that your degrees, status, jobs, assets etc. are the change we so desire to
see in our society. Those things are good but I have lived long enough in this world that I can tell
you without an ounce of doubt that “Life is not a checklist of acquisitions, achievements or
accomplishments.” Your degrees, personal assets and personal accolades do not therefore define
you and your life though I have met many who mistakenly defined themselves and their lives in
those contexts. You and/ or your life are defined by what you have done with the things that God
has so voluntarily blessed you with? History will remember us not by these personal accolades
but by the impacts we have made in the lives of others. We will be remembered by the passion
we have for helping others and how committed and faithful we are to that passion.
Let me share 3 stories many of you are familiar with. First, there is the story told of a
man named Abraham who was seated in his yard one day when three people one of whom was
God, approached him. God went on to announce to Abraham that He is on His way to destroy
Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham having his nephew Lot there, pleaded for God to spare that land
not because of his nephew but because of “unnamed believers” there. The second story is that of
a young boy named David. He is sent to deliver food to his brothers who are in a battlefield.
While there, David encounters Goliath who is defiling the children of God and God Himself. As
he inquired of the situation, his elder brother, Eliab, interjects and begins to belittle him.
Interestingly, David responds respectfully asking “is there not a cause?” The final story is of this
Man, the Master, who after sharing a meal with some friends, proceeded to wash their feet, a
menial job reserved for the slaves (John 13:1-15). He concluded His act by stating “You call me
Teacher and Lord and you say well, for I am. If I then your Lord and Teacher, have washed your
feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you should
do as I have done to you.” The common themes that run through these stories are service,
selflessness, humility, the good of others, purpose driven life, a cause or principle just to name a
few. I submit to this body to embrace and emulate the selfless attitude of these three persons for
there is no greater joy than making a difference or an impact in the lives of others. I understand
that we live in a world where we live in bigger houses yet we cannot open our doors for others,
we drive bigger cars yet we cannot give someone a ride; we make more money yet cannot
sacrifice a penny for someone in need. But that world does not, should not and will not define us,
Mantung Landers.
As you may know, my administration, from the beginning set out to engage in practical
activities that will yield meaningful and visible results in our midst. This necessitated that we
challenge ourselves to go beyond what we will normally do to impact the lives of Mantung
Landers and to bring positive change in Mantung Land. We knew “success will not be handed to
us on a silver platter; failure will inevitably sneak in. But failure should not equate to giving up”.
Yes, you cannot give up any hope at this hour for where there is life there is hope. As Nelson
Mandela once remarked, “the greatest glory of living lies not in never falling but in rising every
time you fall.”
As we move forward, I call on this body to set aside beginning from last year’s budget
the assigned funding for the Development projects geared towards empowering the most
vulnerable (women and children) in our communities. While the current crises cannot allow us
to execute these projects, nothing should prevent us from setting aside the needed funds for these
projects and for planning for the right opportunity, which will eventually, present itself. May we
set those funding in a different line budget item for as long as we have this project in place;
executed or not. I also propose to this body to elect today to set aside 2 scholarships in the
amount of $150 each for 2 high school students who actively attend our meetings and 2
scholarships in the amount of $250 each for 2 full time college students who actively participate
in our meetings. I charged the Development Committee to take up the responsibility of running
these scholarships when this body votes to embark on it.
Fellow MACDANs, this is our opportunity in our time and in our community to be
problem solvers, bridge builders, innovators, entrepreneurs; producers not consumers; and
leaders not followers. Let’s see our obstacles as opportunities; to think of answers and not
excuses; to see hope and not despair and to see endless possibilities and not limitations. While
the sky is said to be the limit, I submit to you that the sky is actually a foundation on which we,
Mantung Landers, are to step on to kick off our world of possibilities because beyond the sky is
actually where our limits lie. In order to have a good harvest tomorrow, we must plant the right
seeds now and in a good soil. Fear Not, MACDANs, in challenging (extending etc) yourselves in
doing what is right for Mantung Landers and Mantung Land and planting the right seeds now for
tomorrow’s harvest “for I am with you; Be not dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen
you, MACDANs. Yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with My Righteous Right Hand in
Christ Jesus. Isaiah 41:10
God Bless MACDA_USA
God Bless Matung Land
God Bless Bless Mantung Landers
God Bless the United States of America