Stephen Nkemngu, a German trained electrical engineer, late first son of Martin A. Nkemngu, Veteran Journalist, Publisher of Africa Excellence Magazine, and of Elizabeth Nkemngu cum Mafua, Aka Princess Royal of Fontem, will begin his last journey Wednesday, December 11, 2024 in Buea. Stephen passed on following a brief illness at the Buea Regional Hospital just on the heels of the transition of his father’s hexagenarian younger sister, Mama Nkengafac Anastasia Nkemngong aka Ndohโnas, which occurred at the Mount Mary Hospital in the same municipality.
While the remains of Stephen’s Aunt were already laid to rest on Friday, November 22 and death celebration yook place Saturday, November 23, Stephen’s funeral rites will begin with a Family Holy Mass at the Nkemngu Family residence at 6 p.m. December 11, followed by a family candle light farewell at 8 p.m. His remains will be removed from the Buea Regional Hospital Mortuary at 08:00 a.m November 12. This will precede a procession to the deceased’s family residence at Bokoko – Biaka Quarters (behind Biaka University), where his father Nkemngu Martin is Quarter Head. There shall be lying-in-state and viewing of the corpse as from 09:00a.m., before departure to the Buea Co-Cathedral at 1100a.m.
At midday, there will be a funeral Mass at the Co-Cathedral, to be followed by private family burial at 2p.m. This will be followed by lamentations, entertainment, and animation as from 2:30p.m. at the esplanade of the Co-Cathedral and the mourners will retreat by 6p.m. Stephen’s funeral rites shall round off on Sunday, December 15 with at Thanksgiving Mass at St Charles Lwanga Catholic Church Molyko in Buea.
It should be recalled that Stephen Tazoacha Nkemngu breathed his last at the Buea Regional Hospital at about 01:30 a.m. on Monday, November 4, 2024, barely hours after he was admitted Sunday 3 p.m. following a health crisis.
For the record, Stephen studied and earned a Master of Electrical Engineering specializing in Power Systems from Berlin’s prestigious Teknische Universitaet (TU). Following his graduation, he worked as an Electrical engineer with Boehringer AG Germany, and later on with Siemens before relocating to Cameroon. His stay in Germany was a step up from his secondary and high school studies in Sacred Heart College Mankon โ Bamenda where he obtained the early GCE Aโ and OโLevel certificates respectively. In Genrmany, Stephen would become an electrical engineer, after which he worked with Siemens before returning to Cameroon. He worked with Siemens as project manager. The discrete, soft-spoken Stephen who accorded himself a unique value system, established his businesses in Kumba and Buea. He had a penchant for igniting the development of young people, reason for which one of his major operations upon return was to delve into opening a training center for young engineers in Cameroon. His plans however suffered setbacks as he would soon take refuge in Yaounde as the Anglophone armed conflict soared.
He leaves behind two adolescent daughters, his parents and four siblings, but was not married.
