Walter Wilson Nana
Buea, Cameroon
The Bishop of Kribi in the South Region, Chairman of the National Communication Council, NCC, is dead. He died in a hospital in Pretoria, South Africa at 8:40am on Wednesday, June 4 after a protracted illness. The Bishop’s death hit Yaounde with unprecedented surprise.
A gloomy atmosphere could be discerned on the faces of the personnel of the NCC when these reporters visited the premises at the Bastos neighbourhood in Yaounde, as the sad news was announced. Grief and consternation had taken over every face. Wailings of disapproval rented the air as workers at the council learnt of the death with disbelief.
Late Mgr Joseph Befe Ateba during a trip to Radio Buea
Shock and melancholy equally gripped Christians of Kribi Diocese when the news fell there like a bombshell. According to the Vicar General of the diocese, Mgr. Jean Medounga, the Bishop’s demise raged through the town like a disaster.
Biodata
Mgr. Befe Ateba was born on April 25, 1962 in Nkoebe village in Mbalmayo, Centre Region. After his primary and secondary education, the young Ateba received Priestly Formation at the Saint Therese Minor Seminary, Mvolye and the Immaculate Conception Major Seminary in Nkolbisson. He was ordained Priest on July 20, 1987 for the Yaounde Archdiocese.
Befe Ateba did University Studies at the Media Service Centre in Kaduna, Nigeria and the Advanced School of Mass Communication, ASMAC, in Yaounde. He holds a Baccalaureate in Theology and a Diploma in Communication Sciences.
He became the Vicar General for the Archdiocese of Yaounde in 1987. In 1989, he was appointed Parish Priest of Kondengui and head of social Communication in Yaounde Archdiocese. He will become the Regional Secretary of the Commission in charge of Social Communication within the Association of Episcopal Conference of the Central African Region in 1995.
In 1998, he was a member of the Committee of Social Communication in the Episcopal Conference of Cameroon, and press attaché of the Symposium of Episcopal Conference of Africa and Madagascar.
He became the Parish Priest of St Joseph Anglophone Parish in Mvoga-Ada, Yaounde in 2004.
From there, he was appointed the pioneer Bishop of the Diocese of Kribi in 2008. July 7 2011, President Paul Biya appointed Mgr Befe Ateba the Chairman of the National Communication Council.
With his demise, Mgr Befe Ateba has left the NCC without a head and the Catholic Church mourning the loss of one of its Apostles. The Bishop was also known for his intellectual prowess and eloquence. Many observers have described the late Bishop of Kribi and NCC Chair as a skilful yet humble person.
He spoke seven languages, including; French, English, Latin and Ewondo fluently.
