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Cameroonian Catholic Bishop Honored for “exceptional” Leadership Skills

Bishop Michael Miabesue Bibi honored by the country’s NewsWatch Newspaper for his “exceptional skills” in leading the people of God and managing the property of Buea Diocese. Credit: Buea Diocese

Bishop Michael Miabesue Bibi of the Catholic Diocese of Buea in Cameroon has been honored by the country’s NewsWatch Newspaper for his “exceptional skills” in leading the people of God and managing the property of the Cameroonian Episcopal See.

In a statement announcing the award, NewsWatch Editor-in-Chief, Ndi Eugene Ndi, said the Bishop who faced opposition following his appointment to the Diocese had achieved a lot in a short period.

“Bishop Bibi was named winner of the ‘Church Management Torchbearer Award’ for manifesting exceptional skills in leading God's people in the Diocese of Buea and for tactfully restructuring Catholic University Institute of Buea (CUIB) to fulfill its mission of molding entry-level professionals with moral and spiritual values,” Ndi said in the statement that was shared with ACI Africa on Friday, September 29.

According to Ndi, Bishop Bibi had been announced the winner of the award during the 10th-anniversary celebration of NewsWatch newspaper in Yaounde on August 19. The newspaper has been under the aegis of the Minister of Communication, who was represented at the event by the Inspector General in the Ministry.

The NewsWatch official said that Bishop Bibi and other recipients of various awards were voted by the newspaper's wide community of readers and the final results were compiled by a jury of experts made up of revered media men and women in the country.

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The chairman of the jury of experts, Viban Jude, recognized the Bishop of Buea for putting in place “major reforms including the suppression of doubtful Lay Associations of Christ's faithful.”

“Even with all that Bishop Bibi has achieved in so short a time as chief shepherd of the Diocese of Buea, he has always said that his achievements are not because of him alone but thanks to the marvelous collaboration he has received from his Priests, the religious and the people of God in the Diocese of Buea,” Viban said. 

In June 2020, Bishop Bibi made changes at the Catholic University Institute of Buea (CUIB), appointing Professor Victor Julius Ngoh as Vice Chancellor, a position previously held by Fr. George Nkeze Jingwa, whom the Bishop asked to take a sabbatical leave.

Members of the University Council disapproved of the change and dragged Bishop Bibi, then Apostolic Administrator of Buea Diocese, to court.

Magdalene Kahiu is a Kenyan journalist with passion in Church communication. She holds a Degree in Social Communications from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA). Currently, she works as a journalist for ACI Africa.