Biography of Boniface Thomas Kelekoh Patcha
B.T. Patcha, aka “Ninja” as he was popularly known by his family and very close friends was born on December 5th 1937, to Dominic Fombe Patcha (also popularly known as DFP) and Francisca Mafor Patcha (Mama Francisca). He was the second of three children to DFP and Mama Francisca, the first an older brother, Michael-Arthur Ngehga Patcha (popularly known as Man), of blessed memory, and the last a girl known simply as Anna, who unfortunately died in 1941, the same year of her birth. It was said that while Anna was lying in state and Mama Francisca and everyone around was crying, a young Ninja climbed unto the bed and laid beside his sister, playing with the corpse. Ninja would later report that “ I have never forgotten this bit about my young sister whom I did not really know and each time I think of her, it causes me great pain that she did not live long enough; may her soul rest in peace.”
Located at the top of a small hill, it has an ideal, if not, the best climate in the whole of Cameroon; no wonder therefore why it was created and it still exists today, a health resort in Dschang known by its French moniker “Centre Climatique”. It is in this beautiful Division in Cameroon that is located the beautiful and renowned village of Balessing, the birth place of retired Sergeant Major of the Nigerian Police force, retired Sergeant at Arms in the former West Cameroon House of Assembly and now the late Prince Dominic Fombe Patcha, in the year 1909, to the Royal family of Balessing. His father, NGWANET Balessing, was the Paramount Chief of Balessing, and his mother, Ngwe Manjong, was princess of the neighboring village of Bafou/Bamendou. Not much is known of his early days in Balessing, but that he grew up strong and healthy, warrior-like and very athletic. He was very active in the cultural activities – dancing and hunting. He was handsome and graceful, and had everything a prince and befitting successor to the throne of the warrior-like people of Balessing could expect.
Being a chief, DFP’s father had other wives and consequently other children, the most known for the purpose of this account being Sa-Ngouanet, born about the same time as DFP of a mother of the Balessing tribe. The story goes that while according to the village tradition, DFP was the rightful heir to the throne, being the oldest son, even just by a few months, the mother of Sa-Ngouanet started lobbying for her son on the grounds that Sa-Ngouanet was the true son of the soil of Balessing as she was of that village while Ngwe Manjong, mother of DFP hailed from the neighboring village and therefore her son did not bear the true identity of “son of the soil”. Sa-Ngouanet had therefore been drilled into believing his mother’s destiny for him and about the age of eighteen, a dispute broke out between the two brothers and Sa Ngouanet seized a spear and shoved it right into the leg of DFP. Brave and courageous as he was, DFP ruthlessly pulled the spear out of his leg with the spikes tearing through the flesh, inflicting several lacerated wounds. He bandaged the leg with dried plantain leaves to stop the bleeding and a war was now ripe in the Balessing chiefdom, but thanks to God, DFP heeded to his mother’s advice that life was better than a disputed chieftaincy and so that very night of the incident, DFP gathered what little property he could lay hands on, abandoned his mother, sister, father, the village of Balessing, his house, farm and cattle, and left unceremoniously for an unknown destination.
DFP’s untimely departure from Balessing took him to Nigeria where he joined a Hausa community and before long, his determination to learn the Hausa language coupled with his outstanding figure, and hardworking and courteous attitude soon caught the attention of the local Hausa chief, the “Sarik in-Power” as he was titled who immediately ordered him to join the ranks of his local militia when the first world war broke out in 1914. After the war, to compensate him for his sense of responsibility and for meritorious services rendered to the chief in the days of the First World War, the chief facilitated his recruitment into the Nigeria Police Force. DFP’s career as a police officer had him moving back and forth between Nigeria and then Southern Cameroon for many years and each time he will take Michael and Ninja with him.
During his childhood, Ninja loved sports especially football and athletics so much so that he had a football when he was only 7 years old. One unfortunate day when it was wet outside, he was out playing football with his older brother and some other boys when he fell and fractured his thigh. Dr. E.M.L. Endeley performed the necessary surgery, put his little thigh in a cast and Ninja stayed in hospital for three months before the plaster of Paris was removed and he immediately resumed his footballing hobby to the chagrin of his parents.
Another of Ninja’s early childhood memory was that each month, his father would bring his salary home, spread all of it in coins on the table and even though he was still to go to school, Ninja will join to assist him to count the money, arranging Florins known in Pidgin as “Ngamba”, Shillings, Pennies and half Pennies in their respective groups. The total amount was 13.10S, a substantial amount in those days. This was an interesting exercise that he looked forward to every month end. DFP would then proceed to allocate funds for the respective family needs- money for food, school fees, Sunday alms which ranged from half Penny for the children, to one Penny and three Pennies for Mama Francisca and DFP, respectively. DFP always had his budget worked out which took everyone’s individual and collective needs into consideration, making sure also that no matter the case, there was always something set aside for his drinks.
In January 1945 Ninja was registered as a class one pupil in the Roman Catholic Mission (RCM) School Fiango, Kumba. Pa Nguti was the head master of the junior section and his class teacher. Ninja said that he had very fond memories of Pa Nguti who was not only very fatherly and a family friend, but his wife prepared very nice koki beans which she sold during break. They bought and ate koki beans, played around the school football field and that filled them with such fond sentiments that they longed to return to school each day. One day during their usual 5 mile trek home from school, Ninja fell and bruised his knee as they were playing along the way. Not taking it seriously, he kept it a secret when he got home, but a few days later, because of a swollen knee, he could not walk. In serious pain and upon close examination by Mama Francisca, a good sized grain of sand was discovered in his knee. Mama Francisca preserved the injury for DFP’s return from work. He then invited Ninja to sit on a stool in front of him with a cane beside him. He inquired to know what had happened and when Ninja had finished his story, he started to perform the necessary surgery to remove the grain of sand which had caused a severe inflammation on the knee. “Of course I would have liked to cry out during this crude surgery but when I saw the cane besides him, I was constraint to suffocate my tears and liberated them through sweat,” Ninja recounted.
At RCM Fiango Kumba Ninja attended doctrine and received First Holy Communion. He also became a Mass server who at the age of eight years and only in the first year in the primary school, could serve at mass, answering all the prayers in Latin. It was such an exciting experience for him such that he started musing with the thought of becoming a Priest. This was especially more so because during school breaks, they visited the Rev. Father’s house and the cooks fed them with leftover food which they found very palatable.
In January 1947, DFP was transferred to the Tiko Police Station and Ninja also transferred to Roman Catholic Mission (RCM) School, Tiko. Due to his persistence, the Head Master decided that a special examination should be organized for him alone which if he passed, he would be admitted to standard one, but if he failed he would have to repeat class two, which would mean that a whole school year would have been lost. Ninja recounted that “this was my opportunity and more for fear of what awaited me at home if I failed, than the joy and satisfaction that I was making progress in my schooling. I had to pass that test and hail; I in fact passed the test and was admitted into standard one.”
Ninja vividly recollected an episode when out of an abundance of excitement of not having seen his older brother, Michael who had been separated from him because he had to attend higher primary school in Kumba, he overstepped his limits to the extent of claiming equal rights with his brother. He wrote: “My naughty exuberance was brought to the attention of our father who had a ready remedy, as if he had been expecting a case like that. One unfortunate day, there I was actually physically contending with my brother when Sgt. Dominique Fombe Patcha appeared in his full regalia. I was immediately petrified. He stood tall and gigantic and his uniform commanded a personality that would cause any hardened criminal to re-examine himself in his presence. His immediate question was whether I was contending with my older brother? He instructed my elder brother Michael to carry me on his back and walk a distance of about fifty meters and back. My brother did even running. When he brought me back to papa, papa asked me to do same. I was a very skinny little fellow and I could barely support Michael on my back, let alone move a step. My father insisted that I must bare Michael on my back and as he dared mount, there I slumped to the ground and started to cry. Then papa asked me to stand up. I did, he questioned me who was the stronger between us two, and I answered Michael. He questioned further whether I realized now that Michael was my elder brother and capable of doing things I could not do? I admitted that too. When he finally cautioned that henceforth, I should always remember that Michael was my big brother and was incapable of contending with him, I gladly accepted the warning which I remember to this date especially so that my immediate recognition of the truth not only spared me the few strokes of the cane which could have followed my obstinacy but also endeared me even more to my big brother who became my mentor and when he died I was deeply depressed.”
By the end of 1947, DFP was once again transferred to the Police Station in Victoria and again Ninja had to move with him. He sought and got admission into the government school which was not so far from the Police barracks. Police Barracks children were known for their fame or notoriety. Not long after they moved to Victoria, Ninja got into a tussle with one lady at the pump where they fetched water, and during the tussle the bottom iron rim of his bucket caught him in the face slashing his nose. News of the incident reached Mama Francisca who simply burst into tears. Upon being notified, DFP rushed home from the Police Charge Office. Ninja recalled that he cannot remember exactly how he was treated in the hospital but remembers very vividly DFP’s crude treatment with ground hot pepper. “Whether I was right or not is immaterial but I dared not resist his home-made first aid treatment for fear of the cane which in such similar circumstances was always by his stool from which he performed his crude and I dare say now, effective intervention.”
It was at this police barracks that Ninja would meet one of his lifelong friends called Yana, son of Police Corporal Boniface Kwankam. Ninja recalled clearly an incident with Yana, not long after the water pump incident and before the cut on his nose had fully healed. Yana and Ninja were always together, playing football, climbing trees, fetching coconut, you name it. They shared what booties they acquired; they were truly friends in need and indeed. At the right moment, Ninja recalled, they were happy together but when the need arose, they also fought and well too, but swiftly made up thereafter. Ninja recounted one particular incident: “we were our common enemies as occasionally it happened and Yana and I had a good fight, the origin, nothing bigger than a disagreement during play in the Barracks. Being skinny and athletic while Yana was short and strongly built, during the “palapala” or wrestling, typical of fighting in those days, Yana pulled me by the neck and here I came flying down head first and crashed against the corner of a concrete pillar, and the right side of my forehead burst open letting go a gush of blood. The fight immediately halted and Yana fled for his dear life while once again, I managed to take back to my poor mother what was left of me. What else could mama do or say other than, “this pikin, you go kill me before my time”. She managed and stopped the blood and passed me on to Sergeant “Doctor” DFP who was behind the house and had overheard what was going on. Mindful that I was eventually going to get to him, he had started preparing his theater for surgery. He was seated on a small stool, my mother’s grinding stone between his legs, and he was nonchalantly grinding pepper, of course with his usual cane by his side. As soon as I appeared before him, he invited me to take my place in front of him. He then scooped the pepper from the stone while I presented my forehead. Papa introduced the burning pepper into the deep wound in my head; there was no cotton or bandage, not to talk of pain killer, and then he finished off by plastering the wound with the pepper paste. Was it painful - no it was excruciating, but like a sheep being led by its shearer, not a word because I could notice his fingers itching to grab the cane. All the tears in my head came flowing down in sweat. That was it, and I do not remember any hospital follow-up treatment for my father personally cleaned up and treated the wound with his pepper magic cure until it healed up leaving a scar to this date.”
Not long after this incident, DFP was transferred to the Southern Police Training School, Enugu, Nigeria as discipline master and musketry instructor, and again Ninja had to relocate to Nigeria. Ninja recalled that this was a very difficult time for the whole family as DFP’s transfer had been so precipitated but not his salary and for several months the family struggled. There was nothing in the house to eat, DFP had no money and being new to the region, there was no tribal or social meeting from which he could borrow. There was no land for Mama Francisca to cultivate a garden or the means to prepare little things which Ninja could go around and sell and bring in some money to boost the family income. “It was a very miserable time for us and since I was not attending any school, it was very difficult to make new friends to distract me,” he stated.
DFP was promoted to the rank of Sergeant Major and with that his salary situation was regularized and his first pay following his promotion came on time together with all arrears. Life was back again in the family- new life, new hope and in the evenings, they sat around after meals and told stories and acquired experience. One day, Ninja vividly remembered, DFP came back home in a somewhat high spirits and Mama Francisca called him to order, reminding him that they were still in a totally strange land where help may not be easy to come by and therefore he ought to be prudent with his expenses especially in socials. DFP retorted with the questions “Francisca, how many times have you gone to the market and made your purchases and all of a sudden a child offers to help you carry some of your merchandise? How many times have you been offered spontaneous assistance by persons whom you apparently did not know?” DFP’s reply resonated with her for she immediately recalled that what he had asked, occurred quite often and for that matter, the persons offering assistance did not seem to demand pre-payment. DFP’s follow up was equally mesmerizing – “Francisca, why do think that you receive such favorable treatment?” He then proceeded to explain that since he was a known figure in service and subsequently in the society, his services to and relationship with other persons known or unknown, could have either a positive or negative impact on his family especially when one is in a foreign land. Therefore, he had as his number one responsibility to create and establish wherever, a wholesome environment and conditions to favor every member of his family once such a person was identified. That newly learned philosophy and doctrine completely captivated and became firmly imprinted on the mind of a young Ninja, who from that day onwards vowed to do likewise for his own family. He wrote, “it is an experience which henceforth, has seen me through my life and I say to my father even today that he is in his grave, PAPA THANK YOU.”
Even though Ninja had not yet enrolled in school since they arrived Enugu, every Sunday, he accompanied his parents to church and he would always sit with the choir and join in singing some of the responses in Latin. The choir master, unknown to Ninja, was taking note of him and started to inquire about him. One Sunday after mass, he called Ninja to himself and asked who he was. Ninja responded that he was the son of Sergeant Major Patcha, and that they had recently been transferred from Cameroon and he was still seeking admission to St Patrick’s School Coal Camp Enugu. The choir master asked for his school transfer certificate which he brought to church the following Sunday. He reviewed it, asked him a few questions and seemingly satisfied with Ninja’s responses asked him to report to school the next day, thereby granting him admission into standard two. The choir master turned out to be his class teacher who earlier had inadvertently received favorable remarks about that “new” Sergeant Major from Cameroon recently transferred to the Southern Police Training School. This was yet another living example of DFP’s life philosophy, benefiting his family.
The feast day of St Patrick, the Patron Saint of the school was celebrated elaborately, Ninja recalled. There was Holy mass with the choir in attendance; sporting activities and then a feast. He enjoyed singing, especially the Latin Mass, participated in numerous sporting activities and the school feast which included slaughtering cows, cooking all sorts of food, some of which left overs, he had the privilege of taking home.
Being that his father was the musketry instructor, Ninja would frequently accompany DFP to the firing range on Saturdays as he instructed and trained the recruits in shooting or musketry. Ninja would practice shooting live rounds of ammunitions from distances ranging from 15 to 300 yards. Unlike DFP, Ninja was a poor shooter but nonetheless enjoyed the experience. During the passing out parade at the end of the recruit training, Ninja recalled his pride and joy witnessing DFP as he marched at the rear of the last squad with his gigantic figure standing out elegantly as he performed his movements. Unconsciously, Ninja was gradually being inducted into the police force and this started becoming evident in his life style in the way he dressed, walked and especially in the way he wore his blue-black beret true to the style of a police constable.
In 1950, DFP was again transferred to the Southern Police College (SPC) Ikeja, Lagos and once again Ninja had to change school and make new friends all over again. He gained admission into Central School Agege, some four miles away from home. While this was tedious he nevertheless found it exciting because often they were lucky to ‘steal’ a train ride to and from school, running the risk of jumping out from a moving train if unfortunately your destination was not included in its regular stop for the day.
That same year, DFP was again transferred to the Southern Cameroons Police Force (SCPF) Headquarters in Buea. He was assigned to the Bamenda Up-Station Police Barracks. After several negotiations with regards to where Ninja will attend school, Dr. J. N. Foncha admitted him into Roman Catholic Mission School (RCM) in Mankon. It is worth mentioning that although Bamenda Government School was adjacent to the Bamenda Police Station, Ninja preferred to walk back and forth, up and down the famous Ayaba Hill on a daily basis in order to pursue a Christian Elementary Education.
It was at RCM Mankon that Ninja would meet another one of his lifelong friends and brother, Christopher Atang, in Standard Five. Their teacher in Standard 5 was Dr. Foncha. RCM Mankon was one of the best elementary schools in Cameroon at that time, staffed by a team of professional teachers, including the Honorable Augustine Ngom Jua who taught Standard 6, and Mr. Vincent P. Domatob, the Headmaster of the school. In addition to excellent performance in academics, Ninja excelled in all sporting activities such as athletics and soccer. Christopher Atang wrote, “that was why Mr. Clement Njob and Mr. Sylvester Tibui (the athletics coaches), regarded Boniface as an asset to RCM and because of his excellent performance in sports, our junior sports and soccer teams always won numerous prizes and shields during Empire Day celebrations.”
In 1952, Ninja gained admission into St. Joseph’s College, Sasse in Buea. In Sasse he joined the company of the infamous “Members of the World” class of 52 in pursuit of an excellent Christian and sound secondary school academic adventure. He also reunited with his police barracks friend Yana. Ninja continued to excel as all round athlete in Sasse always participating in track and field and soccer. While he worked hard to maintain his place among the top 20 in a class of about 65 students, he was excellent in sports, discipline, manual labour, and leadership. He was a Boy Scout of the 4th Buea, Sasse College Troup. He attended the Man-O-War Bay Courses. In 1955-57 he represented the college in the Southern Cameroons Athletic Competitions in both track and field events winning gold and silver medals. He was in the Sasse College XI in 1956 and 1957 winning the Commissioner’s Cup twice. Similarly in the annual Southern Cameroons Schools meets Ninja shone in all events. He wrote that “I remember in 1957, my last year at Sasse and then College Athletics Team Captain, I represented the college in what was called “hop – step and jump” or in athletics terms, triple jump. I established a record in the event that year.
Still in Sasse in 1953, Ninja would again meet another of his lifelong friends and brother, Clement Ekeme. He was a class behind Ninja but their friendship survived till January 20, 2017, Mr. Ekeme said. He also wrote, “it is unimaginable for a Dschang man and a Balimba man to become brothers and stay so close over decades. You did so much for me, my family and many others…. You were a man of great integrity and all your days as one of the highest ranking police officers in the country your name was never associated with the ills of the profession.”
In 1956, DFP, now a Retired Sergeant Major, marched on Sasse to withdraw Ninja into the Nigerian Police Force so as to avoid a Patcha void in the Force records. Michael’s intervention with their father saved Boniface, so his friends nick named him “Prussman.” He graduated from Sasse on December 6th, 1957 earning First Division at CANTAB. Ninja could have gone direct to U.C.I (University College, Ibadan) in pursuit of a Degree Programme in any field, yet chose to keep his bargain with the father.
After completing from Sasse and successfully passing the West African School Certificate, Ninja, like his father decided to pursue a career in the Police Force. In October of 1958, he joined the Nigerian Police Force as a Cadet Sub-Inspector and for 14 months thereafter trained as a Sub-Inspector of Police at the Southern Police College, Ikeja, Nigeria, the same one where DFP had been one of the pioneer instructors in 1950. In 1959, Ninja graduated best all round Cadet Sub-Inspector. Ninja thereafter successfully completed several career enhancing training and certification courses including a 5 months detective course at the West Riding Constabulary in Wakefield, Yorkshire, England as well as a further 3 months Detective and Intelligence course in Scotland Yard, London, England, between 1960 and 1961. He returned to England in 1966 for a 6 months Senior Police Officers Command course at the Police Staff College, Bramshill, England. Returning to Cameroon, he continued an illustrious and extremely successful career in the West Cameroon and eventually the Republic of Cameroon police force, earning meritorious promotions, awards and decorations including the country’s highest honor “Chevalier de L’Ordre de la Valeur.” By the time his 34 year career as a police officer came to an end in December of 1992, Ninja had attained the rank of Commissaire Divisionaire de Police, literally translated as Divisional Commissioner of Police, the highest attainable police rank in Cameroon, and equivalent to the rank of Police Commissioner or Police Chief, in England and the United States respectively. At the time of his retirement, having served in almost every conceivable role of a police officer in Cameroon, he was Inspector General #1 of 3 at the General Delegation of National Security, consequently the highest placed career policeman in Cameroon. Throughout his illustrious career and indeed his adult life, permeates examples of the life changing philosophy that had so engrained in his young mind from DFP many years back in Enugu, Nigeria. He taught both the junior officers assigned under his guidance, and his colleagues by his good example of honesty, humility and dedication to one’s job.
In 1962, while working in the West Cameroon Police Force Headquarters in Buea, Ninja lived with two other friends, Richard A. Titang, the “RAT” or “Pope” as he was commonly called, because he excelled in almost everything imaginable, the good and not so good, and Evaristus N. Balon, who was nicknamed “DD” because he was hard of hearing in one ear. Ninja recalled that they lived a “communist” life style as they shared almost everything. They were popularly known as the three musketeers, by the elite population, members of the Buea Mountain Club to which they belonged. Eventually a fourth person, Nicholas Njopa Kaba, “Njops” for short was inducted as a musketeer and 4th roommate in the one bedroom house that was Ninja’s official residence.
Ninja recalled an incident in 1963 when Njops came to his office to challenge him that he had broken his 1957 triple jump record. He wrote, “we decided to settle the matter by driving to the jumping pit at Sasse College. Of course on the way, we stopped by the Buea Mountain Club for a “quick one” as was customary. By the time we finally arrived Sasse, none of us were in any condition to jump but we did, nonetheless. Suffice to say that our efforts that day was a complete mockery of us as they were far below both our past performances and a shame to the event of triple jump itself. Thereafter, we decided to drive on to Limbe to celebrate what we had woefully failed to accomplish.” Together Njops, the RAT, DD and Ninja, lived hilariously in the true spirit of the Latin expression, “puerorum est talia facere,” which simply means that it is becoming of young men to do the things that young men must do, and that is exactly what they did.
It was through Njops that Ninja first became very close to his wife, Theresa. At that time in 1966, Njops was an electrical engineering student in Newcastle and Ninja was undergoing a senior police officer’s training at Bramshill. Ninja recollects how Njops invited him to spend some time with him and upon arriving at Newcastle, met two young ladies, Theresa and Agnes, who were also spending their holiday with him. “If this was a planned coincidence, I was not privy to it despite the fact that these two ladies were known to me, albeit from a distance. Needless to say, things evolved between Theresa and I and the rest, as they say, is history. Several years later, back in Cameroon, Njops’ hard work finally paid off as Theresa and I were married in 1969,” Ninja wrote. On numerous occasions, Ninja has written and confided in people about how Theresa has been the bedrock of his life, his support and strength. On the occasion of her 70th birthday celebration after narrating the story of an elderly gentleman who was always anxious to go and visit his wife who had Alzheimer’s at a nursing home even though she no longer remembered him, Ninja said of Theresa, “true love is neither physical nor romantic. True love is an acceptance of all that is, has been, will be and will not be. I thank my dear wife for giving me true love even when I did not deserve it.”
In 1959, Michael, Ninja’s older brother married Mauritia in Kumba. Michael was a pharmacist and was transferred to the General Hospital in Bamenda and Mauritia, taught at RCM School, Mankon. Ninja was to suffer a huge loss that had a profound and lasting impact on his life. In June 1963, he recalled, “my elder brother, died in our hands in Buea. All the lights, however, seemingly went out for sister Mauritia with three young babies to take care of. My parents thought the end of the world had come; as for me, I was lost in wandering thoughts how I would manage, my mentor having suddenly disappeared.”
In his later years as he tried to grapple with and understand the whole concept of retirement, Ninja would travel extensively between Cameroon, America and Europe, visiting with and spending time with his many children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Notwithstanding his age, he was still strong, healthy and independent. He was firm and resolute in his faith and sought to lead a spiritual life by example. He never missed church, always prayed the rosary and his many grandkids had become used to the image of granddad pacing around the house or yard in his bath robe, shaving cream on his face and a big Rosary in hand. He was very active in the administration of his local church having served as parish chair person on several occasions and also offering up his home to his local parish to assist in the accommodation of members of the clergy and Reverend Sisters. Back in the days when his children were younger, he would always offer up their services in church for various church activities such as wiping the benches or moving furniture around, much to the chagrin of the children. It was also during that time that his name changed from the more conventional “daddy” to “Ninja”. It was typical for Ninja to always have a house full of people ranging from his kids to his nieces, nephews and siblings. It seemed like every time when the children were doing something that they should not be doing, unannounced and unbeknown to them he would mysteriously appear, literally catching them in the act. This seemed like a common occurrence around the house and so he was “christened” “Ninja” reflective of the masked covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan, skilled in the art of espionage and infiltration.
Ninja always carried a planner as well as sheets of letter sized paper stapled together with names and dates of birth of all his children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, other family members and close friends. Every year he would have someone re-write all of that information onto new sheets of letter paper as the old pages became crumpled and worn out and also as the information needed updating. He would offer mass for each person on their birthday and feast day and follow up with a phone call, without fail, no matter where.
Another venture that Ninja was becoming more and more committed to was the Michael & Mauritia Patcha Foundation (MMPF), a not-for-profit organization founded in honor of Michael and Mauritia Patcha. MMPF seeks to promote community wellness and health education to the underprivileged regions of Cameroon, through medical missions, and the collection and dissemination of health-related data, particularly on cancer, malaria and AIDS. He was a board member and honorary chair of the MMPF, Cameroon board. He was very proud of the work of the foundation and always sought to be of use and assistance to the Foundation in some way whenever he was in Cameroon.
Ninja leaves behind his wife, Theresa; children Stella, Marie Claire, Jacquie, Emmanuel, Serah, Dominic, Marie, Kenneth, Raymond, Kevin, Roland, Francisca, Laura, Edith, Yvette, and Doreen with two of blessed memory – Ruth and Michael; 38 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren. He also leaves behind a step mother, 6 siblings and a whole host of friends and well-wishers, the majority of whom had come to regard him as brother, father or grandfather. He lived like his dad before him, touching countless numbers of lives, not seeking anything in return. As a husband he was supportive, as father dependable, caring and strict all rolled into one. A God-fearing man, who despite his accomplishments remained true to himself, his upbringing and to his community. He was an epitome of simplicity, a benign giant, fair minded, generous, kind, friendly, funny, courteous, and humble. Patient to the extreme, his tolerance was well-nigh elastic. At work, play or home, he remained guided by the contents of the “DESIDERATA”, which he kept always prominently in view.