A collection of stories on the subject by Sammy Oke Akombi was launched in Yaounde last week.

There is no gainsaying that corruption has already been identified as a major hindrance to Cameroon’s development. The fact that the country has twice been infamously listed as the most corrupt nation in the world has not left the authorities and creative writers indifferent.

And so Sammy Oke Akombi’s latest literary piece, ‘The Wages Of Corruption,’ was launched in Yaounde on Friday, August 29, 2014, at the Contemporary Arts Gallery/National Library. Speaking at the event, the first reviewer, Jerome Ndjock, a Sub-Director in the Ministry of Communication, said most characters in the 13 stories seek to improve their livelihoods by hook or crook. He described corruption as the consequence of the deviant behaviour of Cameroonians, not a curse. According to him, the solution to the problem lies in leading a life guided by a free conscience.

The second reviewer, former university rector, Prof. Beban Sammy Chumbow, described the author as an evangelist crusading against corruption. Corruption, he noted, is so endemic in the country that the stories, which he qualified as a compendium of episodes, better portray it through their true-to-life angling with which readers can easily identify. Referring to Biblical consequences of sin, Prof. Chumbow said corruption attracts curses and damnation even much later in life.

“The book is well-written in simple pose, making copious use of idiomatic expressions, with the episodes believable. The author has researched well into the subject and everyone who reads it will be touched. It x-rays corruption to help the common man see it from various dimensions. ‘The Wages Of Corruption’ is therefore a mirror of various facets of corruption in our society,” concluded Prof.  Beban Sammy Chumbow.

Commenting on his work, Sammy Oke Akombi, who is Director of the Buea Pilot Linguistic Centre in the South West Region, said society should not wait for things to get out of hand before taking strong action against corruption. The event also saw an ovation-reception for a recital of the poem, ‘To my brother the thief,’ by Sammy Oke Akombi, which was performed by a group of young boys. The chair of the occasion was Mrs. Lydia Efimba, while veteran journalist, Eno Chris Oben, served as compere.