Njomo Kevin traces the Sasse footballing tradition from 1965 to 2000 — Tanga, Ewunkem, Dr. Ekue, Ntoko Roland, Kulu Emmanuel and others who carried Sasse values onto Cameroon's national stage and beyond.
By Njomo Kevin
Saint Joseph's College Sasse, Buea, Cameroon, established in 1939, has as its motto "Fides Quarens Intellectum" — Faith Seeking Knowledge. With this motto in view the school since its inception has practiced a holistic educational system based on the principle of "A Healthy Mind in a Healthy Body". This vision, absolutely based on values, guided the forefathers of this age-old citadel of learning to train her students to become sound intellectuals capable of excelling in various aspects of life.
One of such areas is sports — particularly football. To achieve this goal, the college administration put in place a mechanism which enabled the students to systematically acquire football skills without attendant incidents on their academic performance. The platforms included Interhouse and Interclub competitions which animated and kept the football spirit alive on the college campus. Among the trainers responsible for this quality work were Rev. Fr. Nomi Louis, Rev. Fr. Mulligan Thomas and Mr. Fonkwa Fidelis, to name a few.
Our focus here is on SOBANS who played football with the various categories of the National team and at professional level for the period 1965 to 2000.
Samuel Tanga, Joseph Ewunkem, Ntoko Roland and Dr. Ekue played for Cameroon's National football team in diverse competitions. Tanga was the first Soban to be drafted for the National team in 1968. He left for further studies after a stint with the team. Ewunkem Joseph featured in the National Military squad which participated in the World Military Games in Syria in 1978 and was reputable for thunderous shots.
Dr. Ekue Fabian was part of the National team during friendly matches in preparation for the 1982 World Cup. Dr. Ekue withdrew from the team to the dismay of the coach due to professional constraints. Ntoko Roland hit the summit as a dependable midfield seed of the squad, especially at the 1996 African Nations Cup in South Africa. Ntoko went through the soccer ladder from the Intermediate squad to get into the National team. He went professional in Europe and Indonesia and remains connected to football as a promoter of the sport at veteran level in the United States of America.
Kulu Emmanuel alias Epata was selected for the National team in 1976 and played for Leopard Douala in the African Club Champions Cup competition in 1973.
At junior level, Arrey Ngang Walters was goalkeeper at the Junior National team in the 70s. Out of Cameroon, Soban Bassey Umoh played for the Nigerian junior National team in the 70s and was a king pin of the squad. Soban George Elokobi took football to another level as he thrilled fans of the English Premier League playing for Wolverhampton. Today he is coach for a fourth-tier team in England.
As these Sobans effectively participated in civilian football, their attitude and performances remained woven with the golden principle of values which they imbibed in Sasse College — determination, focus, discipline, honesty, spirituality, humility, obedience, empathy, as well as good public and human relationships and a sense of leadership. St. Joseph's College Sasse Buea remains outstanding as an embodiment of values which nourish the essential existence of mankind.
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