Eulogy for HRH Nfor Professor Teddy Ako of Ossing ⁰

This Friday, 28 November 2025, Ossing will lay to rest their Chief, Nfor Professor Ako Edward Oben, who passed away on 18 August 2025 after a brief illness. Chief Ako was a scholar of rare distinction, a traditional ruler with integrity, and a true son of Manyu whose light will shine forever. His life was a journey of learning and service, one that lifted his family, advanced Ossing through development projects and enriched generations of Cameroonians.

Born on 18 May 1951 in Ossing Village, Eyumojock Subdivision, Manyu Division, Chief Professor Ako hailed from the Boh Ako clan of Ebarensi Quarter. From childhood, he displayed uncommon brilliance and a firm moral compass. Those who knew him as a boy remember his sharp intellect, calm nature, and sense of purpose far beyond his years. He began his education at Basel Mission Primary School, Ossing, obtaining his First School Leaving Certificate in 1963. His teachers quickly recognised his intelligence and discipline. He went on to the Bilingual Grammar School, Man O’War Bay, where he earned his GCE Ordinary Level in 1969, and then to the Cameroon College of Arts, Science and Technology, Bambili, where he completed his Advanced Level in 1971.

In 1975, he graduated from the University of Yaoundé with a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in English and French, a bilingual foundation that defined his academic identity. Ever eager to broaden his horizons, he travelled to the United States in 1976 and obtained a Master’s degree in Afro-American Studies from Atlanta University in 1978. His research explored African American, Afro-French, and Caribbean literatures, reflecting his deep engagement with the shared struggles and triumphs of people of African descent. Determined to go further, he pursued a PhD in Comparative Literature at the University of Illinois, which he completed in 1982.

While completing his doctorate, he lectured at the University of Illinois, earning admiration for his brilliance, humility, and dedication. Yet even at the height of his promise abroad, his heart remained at home. Upon earning his PhD, Dr Teddy Ako returned to Cameroon, determined to serve the nation that had shaped him.

While studying in the United States, he met and married Mrs Ray Ako, his lifelong companion and pillar of support. In 1982, after returning to Cameroon, he joined the University of Yaoundé as a Senior Lecturer, beginning a long and distinguished academic and administrative career. Over the years, he served as Dean of Student Services, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs, Vice-Rector for Research and Cooperation, and Chair of the Department of English. In 2005, he rose to the rank of Full Professor of American and Commonwealth Literature.

Beyond academia, Professor Ako also served his country as Technical Adviser at the Secretariat General of the Presidency of the Republic. From 2008 to 2017, he was Rector of the University of Maroua, where he played a vital role in expanding higher education in Cameroon’s Far North Region. Since 2017, he had served as Pro-Chancellor of the University of Buea, continuing his lifelong commitment to nurturing minds and strengthening institutions.

A teacher to many and a mentor to more, Professor Ako’s influence reached across continents as he supervised more than twenty doctoral theses, over forty master’s dissertations, and countless research projects. His former students, many now professors, administrators, and leaders, speak of him with gratitude and reverence. His classrooms were places of transformation, where intellect met integrity.

Yet beyond the university and the nation, his heart remained anchored in his beloved Ossing village. For decades, he was a pillar of community life, serving as Branch President of the Ossing Development and Cultural Association (ODCA) and Assistant Secretary-General of the Manyu Elements Cultural Association (MECA) in Yaoundé. He believed that true progress begins at home in unity and culture.

When fate called again in 2019, after the passing of Nfor General James Tataw, the chieftaincy stool of Ossing returned to the Boh Ako clan. Guided by ancestral wisdom, the elders and kingmakers unanimously chose Professor Teddy Ako to lead the village. He was presented to the Cameroon administrative authorities and to the world on 9 August 2020, and formally enthroned as Chief of Ossing on 9 December 2022, a historic day that affirmed the people’s faith in his ability to unite and transform their village.

From the outset of his reign, Chief Ako focused on rebuilding and modernising Ossing. One of his earliest projects was the installation of solar streetlights throughout the village, illuminating every quarter and bringing safety after dark. He also expanded access to clean water, ensuring that most quarters had functional boreholes. The Agborkem Quarter and Market Square, now with a 24-hour water supply, stand as symbols of his practical leadership.

Under his stewardship, the Ossing hospital, long abandoned was restored, and the government schools that were derelicts due to the Anglophone crisis revived, returning essential services to the community. Perhaps his most ambitious vision was the Ossing Multipurpose Centre, now partially completed but already serving as a hub for social, cultural, and educational activities. Equipped with running water and modern flushing toilet facilities, it stands as a living testament to his foresight and commitment. Fittingly, he will lie in state in this monumental hall, a place he dreamed, designed, and delivered.

Chief Ako led with transparency and accountability. When Chief Ako took over the village in 2022, there was little appetite from the Ossing children to contribute towards development in the village. The Traditional Council had barely any money in its coffers. However, after his coronation, Ossing’s sons and daughters at home and abroad gave generously towards development projects because they all felt confident in his stewardship. In less than three years, he mobilised over 100 million CFA francs for development, funding boreholes, solar lighting, and the multipurpose hall. Among his final acts was the revival of the Badi Water Project, now operational. At his passing, the Ossing Traditional Council’s account held CFA 7,745,594, evidence of his integrity and careful management.

Fluent in Kenyang and Keyaka, he bridged the linguistic divide in the village with ease. He valued every quarter and treated all his subjects with fairness and respect. Chief Professor Ako lived by principle, and was gentle in speech, humble in manner, and steadfast in purpose. He sought not wealth or political status and appointment, but impact. Those fortunate to know him remember his calm voice, his patient listening, and his quiet wisdom.

Together with his lifelong wife, Mrs Ray Ako, they raised four children and were blessed with five grandchildren, all living embodiments of his values of service, faith, and integrity. He also leaves behind his loving sister, Mama Catherine Ako, and the entire Ossing community, who mourn him deeply. As Ossing mourns, it also celebrates a life that uplifted many and brought genuine development to the village. Chief Professor Ako leaves behind a proud village, and a grateful nation. To Ossing, he was more than a chief; he was a bridge between past and future, proof that integrity, compassion, and leadership can walk hand in hand.

His legacy lives not only in the papers and books he wrote, and the students he mentored, but in the light shining over Ossing’s streets, the clean water flowing through its quarters, the schools operational in Ossing now, the multipurpose centre that bears his vision, and the hearts he inspired. His life reminds us that greatness is not measured by titles or possessions but by the lives we uplift and the values we leave behind. Though he has journeyed to join Ta-Ako, Ta-Tanyi Besong, Nfor SA Arrey, Ta-Agborebang, Nfor Tataw, Ta-Etchu, Ta Ta-Manyi, and other distinguished ancestors of Ebarensi and Ossing, his legacy will endure because Ossing is a better place because of Nfor Prof. Ako Edward Oben.

May his soul rest in eternal peace. May his wisdom continue to guide Ossing. Long live Chief Ako’s legacy. Long live Ossing.

By Sessekou Isong Asu, London, with additional information from Ossing Traditional Council