Women of Mettle Bow Out:
Life, Times of Abunaw Marie & Barrister M. Weledji
By Mildred Ndum Wung Kum
Cameroonians have continued to mourn the demise of the country’s pioneer female Administrator of Prisons , Nana Abunaw Marie.
Nana Abunaw Marie died last Friday, March 8, at the Buea Regional Hospital Annex from an illness.
Before her death, she lived in Buea, headquarters of the South West region of Cameroon. Nana Abunaw Marie, a mother of seven was married to Justice Nana Kwamu. She hailed from Besongabang in Manyu division.
She left an indelible print on the justice system in Cameron and held several high profile positions in the penitentiary administration before going on retirement in 2015. She was appointed pioneer female Director of ENAP in 1997 and was succeeded by another female, Immaculate Fonkem in 2004.
The deceased was later promoted as Inspector General in the Ministry of Justice in Charge of Penitentiary Administration in August 2004 where she served till 2007.
She then extended her service to the National Commission on Human Rights and Freedoms from February 2007 to May 2015.
Her administrative roles were blended with humanitarian services. Nana Abunaw Marie set up a nonprofit organisation, Justice Equity Prison Fellowship Cameroon known by its acronym as JE-PFC, based in Buea.
It provided encouragement, vocational training and support to prisoners who faced difficulties.
The organisation is on record as having paid the fines of 15 inmates on January 1, 2023. This was done after they completed their prison terms but unable to pay court fines to the sum of 1.5 million FCFA.
The late Nana Abunaw Marie obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Benin, Nigeria in 1980.
She later got admission into the National School of Penitentiary Administration, (ENAP) Buea. She later studied at the National School of Administration and Magistracy (ENAM) Yaounde, where in 1993, she had a postgraduate diploma in Penitentiary Administration.
Barrister Miriam Weledji
Barrister Mrs. Miriam Ngunjo Shalo Weledji was fondly known as Mami Weledji.
A refined legal practitioner, she was among the first Cameroonian women to be called to the Bar and her name is Number Two on the current Bar Roll.
She was born on December 13, 1937, in Bamenda, North West Region.
Her education began at the Conven School, Great Soppo Buea from 1944 to 1952, where she had the First School Leaving Certificate.
She then attended the Holy Rosary College, Enugu in Nigeria from 1952 to 1955 and obtained the Teachers’ Grade II Certificate.
She decided to further her education and in June 1958 and 1960, Miriam Weledji had her Ordinary Level certificate and Advanced Level certificates respectively.
Between 1965 and 1966, the deceased attended the University of Oxford where she bagged a Diploma in Administration. She then enrolled into the Holborn College of Law in London from 1966 to 1968 and obtained a Bachelor’s in Law ( LL.B) with Second Class Honours.
Between 1968 and 1969, she got admission into the University College of London. She became a Barrister-at-Law and an Honorable member of Gray’s Inn in October 1968.
Weledji returned to Cameroon enrolled as a Barrister and Solicitor of the West Cameroon Supreme Court. That was on June 9, 1969.
She founded the Ngede Law Firm in Limbe, Fako Division of the South West Region and served as the law firm’s Principal until her demise.
Weledji served as President of the International Federation of Female Lawyers ( FIDA) Cameroon from 1994-2000 and later became FIDA Cameroon Honorary Life President.
She was also a gender activist and contributed in fostering women’s rights. She leaves behind five sons and a daughter. She was equally into business and owned the famous Holiday Inn Resort in Limbe.