Ntumfor Barrister Nico Halle Receives Double Awards For Peace Building

“I was inspired to create Target Peace by Ntumfor Nico Halle’s peace crusading efforts’, Founder/President, Amy Banda

“There can be no genuine peace in any society in the absence of the Core Moral Values, which include Love, Justice, Harmony, Equity,  Accountability, Respect, Fairness, and Fear of the Lord”, Ntumfor Barrister Nico Halle

The reputed international crusader for peace and justice, NTUMFOR BARRISTER NICO HALLE, who is also an Anti –anti-corruption crusader, on November 3, 2023, received two more awards for his relentless efforts in peace building.

The ultramodern conference room at the Nico Halle & Co Law Firm in the SHALOM Building Bonaberi, Douala, was the venue of the double award event, which was superbly emceed by MAUREEN NDI of Canal 2 International, with  Mr MUCHI AWAH as Chairman of the event. Worth adding that Maureen Ndi who was MC of the occasion, is also the President of the Douala Chapter of the Cameroon Association of English Speaking Journalists, CAMESEJ.

The event opened with a moving prayer by DESMOND MBU of the Nico Halle & Co Law Firm, after the US-trained Man – of – Law, BARRISTER JOHN HALLE, of the Nico Halle & Co Law Firm, had, with a well-refined touch in language and style of presentation, welcomed everybody to the occasion, presented the programme of the double award event, and as well introduced the personalities present.

“Let’s Strive To Emulate Ntumfor Nico Halle”

In his opening words at the event, the Chairman, MUCHI AWAH, who is an Elder of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon, PCC, as well as an international trade consultant, thanked God for His Grace and for Ntumfor Barrister Nico Halle. He went on to quote Rev Jonas Ayuk Ebot, who in a medication at a similar event a couple of months ago, asserted that it is difficult to describe Ntumfor Barrister Nico Halle, because he is so many things in one.  Muchi Awah said starting from home, Ntumfor Halle is a role model as a father, and in society, he is among many things a peace crusader, a crusader for justice, a legal luminary, an anti-corruption crusader, an election expert, a crusader against hate speech and xenophobia, a generous man whose largess knows no bound, a patriotic Cameroonian, and above all, A HIGHLY COMMITTED SERVANT OF GOD.

Muchi Awah said the awards that continue to flow to Ntumfor Barrister Nico Halle from home and abroad, are proofs of the recognition by the community, the society, the country, the African continent and the world at large, of his selfless and relentless services to humanity and to the society.  “Let us all hail Ntumfor Barrister Nico Halle for all what he is doing for the society. Let us encourage him. Let us strive to emulate him. Let us pray for him”, he urged.

  Excellence In Peace Building & Nation Building

The first of the two awards that was presented to Ntumfor Barrister Nico Halle at the November 3 event, was a “SPECIAL PRIZE FOR EXCELLENCE IN PEACE BUILDING & NATION BUILDING”, given by the News Watch Newspaper with headquarters in Yaounde. The special prize was a CERTIFICATE OF RECOGNITION to Ntumfor Barrister Nico Halle, Senior Managing Partner, Nico Halle &Co Law Firm, “For steadfastness in promoting national and international peace efforts and human dignity”.

As to how this special award came about, the Publisher of News Watch, EUGENE NDI, explained at the November 3 ceremony that while they planning the celebration of the 10^th anniversary of the newspaper, they thought it would be a good idea for the paper to on that great occasion recognize some personalities, whose activities have greatly impacted the society.

Eugene Ndi said it was decided that readers of News Watch should be allowed to vote for the laureates of the awards in different categories, and a jury was set up to tally the results. The jury had as Chairman, Jude Viban, who is also the National President of CAMASEJ, with Fawoh Nancy as Secretary. In the category of the award for Peace Building & Nation Building, readers of News Watch massively voted for Ntumfor Barrister Nico Halle.

Pace Setter In Peace Building, Fight Against Corruption etc

Asserting the fact that the laureate, Ntumfor Barrister Nico Halle, merited the  Special Prize for Excellence in Peace Building and Nation Building, the News Watch Publisher, Eugene Ndi, declared that: “There is no way on planet earth that you can talk about Peace Building without mentioning Ntumfor Barrister Nico Halle. We have known Ntumfor Nico Halle as a peace crusader, a pacesetter in peacebuilding”. He added that: “We have known Ntumfor Barrister Nico Halle as a pacesetter in the fight against corruption, a pacesetter in the fight for justice, and so on. He is also an exemplary lawyer”.

Meanwhile, Eugene Ndi recalled that the celebration of the 10^th anniversary of News Watch took place in Yaounde on August 19, 2023, but that due to Ntumfor Halle’s tight schedule at that period, it was not possible for him to attend the ceremony to receive the award.  So he agreed with Ntumfor Halle that the award would be presented at a convenient time and place. That convenient time was Friday, November 3, 2023, and the convenient place was the conference room of the Nico Halle & Co Law Firm at the SHALOM Building in Bonaberi, Douala.

Planetary Peace Promoters

Meanwhile, the second award that was handed to Ntumfor Barrister Nico Halle at the double award event on the blessed November 3, 2023, came from a civil society group, Target Peace, whose Founder / President, is AMY BANDA, a journalist at CRTV Douala. It was an award to Planetary Peace Promoters. Worth noting one of the laureates of the award has been the former US President, JIMMY CARTER.  The name of this year’s laureate of the Planetary Peace Promoters Awards for 2023, Ntumfor Barrister Nico Halle, was formally announced by Target Peace on September 23, which was the International Day of Peace. It was in fact part of the event to commemorate the International Day of Peace by Target Peace.

The message on the award which Target Peace terms a Peace Plant, read: “This Peace Plant is handed over to Ntumfor Barrister Nico Halle, for his commendable efforts in peacebuilding. Target Peace presents this recognition to you because you have proven beyond a reasonable doubt to the world that anything violence can do, but peace can do better.  Team Target Peace thanks you for choosing to end the violence and keeping the much-needed peace”.

Was Inspired By Ntumfor Barrister Nico Halle

Meanwhile speaking at the November 3, 2023, double award event, the Founder / President of Target Peace, Amy Banda, said she created the civil society group in 2015, and disclosed that she was inspired to create Target Peace by the relentless peace crusading efforts and activities of Ntumfor Barrister Nico Halle. She expressed the profound gratitude of Target Peace to Ntumfor Halle, for the inspiration. She asserted that Ntumfor Barrister Nico Halle who is a success story both in his professional career and his activities as a prominent member of the civil society, is a good example in all the different domains in which he is, in Cameroon, Africa and beyond. “We are very proud of Ntumfor Barrister Nico Halle”, she concluded.

Ntumfor Barrister Nico Halle receiving an award from Amy Banda

175 Awards And Attributes

Worthy of note that the double awards, that is the awards by the News Watch Newspaper and Target Peace, which the crusader for peace and justice, Ntumfor Barrister Nico Halle, who is also an anti–corruption crusader and philanthropist, received on that blessed day of November 3, 2023, took the total number of awards and recognitions he has received, to 175. Better still, by the end of November 3, 2023, the total number of awards, attributes, and medals in the Ntumfor Barrister Nico Halle Award Gallery, had hit 175.  This is definitely unprecedented.

 “Men Are Led By Toys”

Meanwhile, when the laureate of the double award at the November 3 ceremony, Ntumfor Barrister Nico Halle, took the floor to thank the donors for their gestures, he quoted Napoleon Bonaparte who in referring to medals, said that men are led by toys. Halle said a toy is not only something that one plays with but is also something that warms the heart.  Looking at the historical figure of 175 awards and attributes that he has received, Ntumfor Halle said he has no target for awards, and that he will continue to crusade for Peace and Justice, as well as continue to fight against Corruption, Hate Speech, Xenophobia and other societal ills,  for as long as he is still breathing.

Ntumfor Halle minced no words that he does not buy awards, and will never do so. He disclosed that he had rejected a total of eight awards because he suspected that they were linked with some financial interests or expectations. He said if he had not rejected those awards that had strings, the total number of awards and attributes that he has received, would thus by November 3,  be over 180. He stressed that when financial interest is attached to an award, the award is fake and that he would rather be without awards than associate himself with fake awards.

“Strive To Always Do Good In The Society” / Good Legacy

Ntumfor Halle who is a highly religious person, noted as Jim Reeve sang, that this world is not our home, and that each and everybody living across the world today, will one day pass away. He urged each and everyone to strive to do good in society, so that when their time comes and they leave this world, they will leave behind legacies for which they would be celebrated, and not instead leave behind bad memories that will provoke curses. He stressed that people who do good will leave legacies that their families will feel honoured to associate with, and will strive to perpetuate.

Ntumfor Halle said he learnt from his father core moral values like humility, love, forgiveness, honesty, respect, accountability, transparency, the spirit of hard work, and the fear of the Lord.  He said when he was young he watched closely how his father who was a Man – of – God, went around the community preaching peace, and trying to reconcile the people who had problems with others. He said when the time came, and God the Creator called home his beloved father, he decided to commit himself to perpetuating the legacy that the father left behind, which are the core moral values that he leant his father.

Ntumfor Halle expressed the wish that when his time too will come for him to go home, one of his children too will take up the legacy that he will leave behind, and strive to perpetuate it just as he did with the legacy of his father.  Worth noting that three of Ntumfor Halle’s children attended the November 3 occasion, and the message or the wish he expressed, was thus definitely noted by the right persons to whom it was directed.

Alarming Increase In Hate And Wickedness 

The peace crusader, Ntumfor Halle, said his heart bleeds to see what is happening in the world today. A world where he pointed out, there is little or no love, but there is rather more hate and more wickedness, as well as an increasing rate of the non – respect for human rights. He expressed deep concern that there is an alarming increase in hate speech and xenophobia in many parts of the world, including in our beloved country, Cameroon. Ntumfor said the world rumbles every day with conflicts or crises here and there, with fighting here and there, with killings here and there.

Ntumfor Halle wept that man is, unfortunately, destroying the world that God created for people to enjoy and that selfish interests, arrogance, greed, and alarming disrespect of the rights of the minority or the weak, and the show of force, have instead become the order of the day.  He pointed out that bloody conflicts are going on in different parts of the world, with hundreds of people dying each day.

Halle regretted that when there is, unfortunately, a crisis like the ongoing Anglophone Crisis in Cameroon, there are some unscrupulous people who instead exploit the situation to make money and such people would not like the crisis end, despite the number of people that are dying. He referred to the money made out of crisis, as blood money.

No Genuine Peace Without Core Moral Values

The crusader for peace and justice, Ntumfor Barrister Nico Halle, who pointed out that bloody conflicts everyday range in different parts of the world, also noted every day there are also calls for peace around the world. But he argued that if the calls for peace are not working, it is because peace does exist in isolation. He said for peace to exist in a society for example, there must be in place the platform of the core moral values that leads to genuine peace, or that creates a conducive environment for peace to exist.

Ntumfor Halle explained that core moral values that constitute the platform of peace, includes LOVE, HONESTY, JUSTICE, RESPECT FOR ONE ANOTHER, HARMONY, PATRIOTISM, EQUITY, TRANSPARENCY, RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, ACCOUNTABILITY,  AND ABOVE ALL THE FEAR OF THE LORD.  He asserted that when these core moral values are embraced in a society, genuine peace automatically finds its place. He noted that when these core moral values are absent in a society, the environment becomes conducive to violence, hate speech and so on.

Peace Thus Goes Hand–In–Hand–In–Hand with Core Moral Values

Halle explained that if there is love and harmony in a family or society for example, members of that family or society will hardly insult or fight with each other, whereas if there is no love and harmony, there would be hatred with all the consequences. He asserted that if there is embezzlement of public funds in a country, citizens who feel robbed of basic amenities, services or development projects that the Government would have provided with the stolen funds, will certainly be angry or feel bitter against the embezzlers.  As is the general tendency, those people in the society or country who feel deprived of basic amenities, services or development projects because of the embezzlement, cannot talk kindly about the embezzlers.

The reputed international peace crusader, Ntumfor Barrister Nico Halle, explained that he had to expand his crusading mission to include crusading for justice, as well as being an anti–corruption crusader, because he realized that peace is interwoven with some core moral values like justice, equity, and accountability, and so talking only about peace without those core moral values, cannot bring genuine peace in society.

Awards Dedicated To the President Of CONAC / Media Organs

Meanwhile, Ntumfor Barrister Nico Halle dedicated the award or Special Prize For Excellence in Peace Building & Nation Building which he received from News Watch Newspaper on November 3, 2023, to Rev Dr Dieudonne Massi Gams, the Chairman of the Anti-Corruption Commission commonly known by the French acronym, CONAC, for his relentless and courageous efforts in the fight against corruption in the country, as seen with the last report that the commission made public recently. As an Anti –anti-corruption crusader, Ntumfor Halle said he stands in solidarity with the Chairman of CONAC and his team, in the report the Commission recently released.

As for the second award which Ntumfor Barrister Nico Halle received on that November 3, which was from Target Peace to Planetary Peace Crusaders, he dedicated it to all media organs in the country that are engaged in working for genuine peace in the society and are as well engaged in the fight against the embezzlement of public funds, corruption, hate speech and xenophobia.