First, on behalf of the NGWA family and on my own personal behalf, I wish to express our profound shock and deep sadness to my classmate and sister Na Manyi Andin Gwanyalla, the children of late Ni George Gang, his widow, and to all the GANG and Gwanyalla families for the sudden demise of my dear friend and brother Justice Ni George Foncham GANG, alias the ‘Ngangai’. The news of his departure hit us like a ton of rocks. Ma Adeline and I were frozen, deeply shaken and speechless when we received the news.
From his recurrent holiday visits to the Limbe (then Victoria) home of my late sister, Mrs Akwa (Ma Nuh), in the company of my late uncle Abednego Gwanyalla in the late 70’s, Ni George and I again met at the University of Yaounde where we studied law. Easy going, kind and extremely warmhearted, he was a man with an unparalleled sense of humour. Even if you were made of steel or did not belong to the human species, Ni George would have a means of making you laugh. His resilience, simplicity, courage, and willingness to help in any situation were also part of his great and gifted personality, not to mention his love and passion for football!
But in these moments of sadness and pain, let us not lose focus. William Law once said “This world, with all its stars, elements and creatures, is come out of the invisible world” To me that invisible world is God. At times like this, we can find comfort and consolation only in prayer and the holy word of God, trusting that He is waiting for Ni George, who is now on that onward journey to His invisible yet glorious world. And how could it have been otherwise, since God alone is the Alpha and the Omega of our ephemeral sojourn here below in this valley of tears?
As Christians, we know that Jesus promised and reassured us that there were many rooms in His Father’s house and that He was going ahead to prepare a place for us. Therefore, while we weep and mourn the departure this great man, we should also have hope and faith in God. In fact, I can picture Ni George smiling down at us from his heavenly home and making one of those his characteristic jokes and expecting us to smile and laugh back. We owe him that.
Let us therefore dry our tears and start looking into our own lives and hearts to see what in us needs changing, so that when the Master calls us, we too should answer with great expectations and blessed assurance. Ni George I will not say ‘Adieu’ but ‘Aurevoir’ for we shall surely meet again. To paraphrase Saint Paul, you fought a good fight, you finished your course, and you kept the faith. May your life here on earth be a blessing and inspiration for us all.
AUREVOIR JUSTICE NI GEORGE FONCHAM GANG
Ba Dr Tahmundungnji NGWA on behalf of the NGWA family.