Father George Nkuo named Bishop of Kumbo

Interviewed by Mirabel Azangeh Tandafor

With the nomination of Bishop Cornelius Fontem Esua as Archbishop of Bamenda early this year, Christians in the Diocese of Kumbo have constantly expressed their impatience over the naming of their next bishop. So the news of a new Bishop for the Kumbo, on Saturday afternoon was a welcome relief for many people. In Buea, there has been a steady influx of merry-makers to the Bishops? House in Buea. Amidst the jubilation, L?Effort camerounais caught up with the new Bishop for an exclusive interview. Excerpts.

My Lord, how did you receive the news of your nomination as the new Bishop of Kumbo?
Nobody expects a thing like that. It was a surprise. Actually, I was out of the country when my Bishop called me back. That was breaking news for me because I was not expecting anything like that at all since I was going to be out of the country for about three months. I then had to rush back home. It was a big surprise to me.

What were you doing out of the country?
I accompanied the Catholic Women Association, CWA, of which I am the National Chaplain. We went for the World Meeting of Catholic Women Association. We were going to have a General Assembly, and after that I was going to take a short holiday.

How do you think your new flock can help to make your ministry move smoothly in Kumbo?
It is a journey of faith. I will like to accompany the people of the Diocese of Kumbo, bring the word of God to them and I am hoping that they will join us to proclaim and build the Kingdom of God in that diocese. I will just be continuing what my predecessor, Archbishop Cornelius Fontem Esua started.

What about the priests and Religious?
I know a good number of them. I have been working with the priests as their Provincial Chairman of the Association of Diocesan Priests. So I know their concerns, their expectations. They know me. I am one of them. I think the important thing is that we should work together; work hard, preach the Gospel, be dedicated and take active part in building the Kingdom of God in Kumbo.

What message do you leave behind for your former parishioners and collaborators?
In Buea, I have been Education Secretary for Catholic Schools. I can only tell the teachers and principals, managers and students with whom I have worked, that we have done a great job and I would like them to continue to foster Catholic education in the Diocese of Buea. I know they are capable of the task. My main wish is that that they should continue to build these schools because that is where the future of the current generation lies.

Do you have a message just for educationists?
Actually, I have worked mainly as education secretary. I have never really been a Parish Priest. But I also have a very keen interest for Pastoral Work. The people of Buea with whom I have worked for 12 years, know that I like celebrations; celebrating the word of God with them, celebrating the Liturgy with them. I will like to encourage them to be more dedicated, more committed in their Christian lives.
Particularly, my real concern is that as Christians, our faith should not just end at Church-going or ?Sunday-Christians?. The Gospel has to be part of our daily lives. My major preoccupation has always been for every Christian who comes to Church to take back with him or her a piece of the Gospel that will help change our lives.

How prepared are you, as an individual, to meet your new folk?
Who can ever be prepared? Nobody is ever fully prepared. All I know is that I have been a priest, I have always done my best to be a priest and I will continue to do my best in the new task that awaits me. There is no other way to prepare than to pray and ask God to assist you and to follow all the directives of the Church at any point in time.

Any special message?
I wish like to thank God for calling me to serve him in a new capacity as Bishop of Kumbo, and I ask the people of God to pray that I live up to the task and dedicate myself entirely to that service. I also ask God to bless me and the people I will be serving.

Thank you My Lord.

Brief Biography
Rev Father Geaorge was born in 1953 in Njinikom. He attended primary school there, and secondary school in Bishop Rogan College, Buea. He went to St Thomas Aquinas Major Seminary in Bambui, where he completed in the third batch and was ordained priest by Bishop Pius Awa in 1981.
He has served in parishes in Mamfe and Kumba and was the Bishop?s Secretary in Buea for some time. He pursued further studies in Ireland on Education. He is an educationist by profession. When he returned to Cameroon, he was appointed Catholic Education Secretary two years later, a position he occupied for the past 12 years, until his nomination on July 8, 2006, as Bishop of Kumbo.
Bishop George Nkuo is from a family of five. Both his parents are of blessed memory. He is the first boy, and has two brothers and two sisters. His older sister, who is the eldest among the children, is a Franciscan Sister in Shisong.