Cameroon:Buea Mayor Brokers Peace Between Nigerians And Irate Youths

By Elvis Tah

Buea Mayor Charles  Mbella Moki:Peace Crusader

Calm has finally been restored at the Buea Town neighborhood and Nigerians are now carrying out their businesses unperturbed, after a serious crisis between the youths of that neighborhood and Nigerians paralysed commercial activities.   

The crisis that rocked the Buea Town neighborhood was finally laid to rest by the Mayor of Buea, Charles Mbella Moki, during a crisis meeting that he convened at the council hall.

The meeting was attended by members of the Nigerian community in Cameroon, led by the Consular Officer of the Nigerian Consulate in Buea, Ugochuku Onuzuike, members of the Babuti youths, representative of the Paramount Chief of Buea, Chief Ngongi, and members of the family who lost one of theirs in a brawl with a Nigerian, which led to the discord.  

During the meeting, the Mayor warned the irate Buea Town youths not to take the laws into their hands because his municipality is not a place where jungle justice thrives.

The Mayor also divulged the message of the Southwest Governor, Bernard Okalia Bilai, who gave firm directives that at a time when Buea is preparing to host the Head of State, he is not going to tolerate any form of lawlessness. He warned that anybody who will be caught fomenting trouble will be brought to book.

Mbella Moki told the Nigerians who had shut their stores for the past three days, following threats from the irate youths that any store owned by a Nigerian that will be found opened within the week, will be vandalised, to open up the shops and that they will be protected by forces of law and order.

Chief Ngongi begged the deceased’s family to accept what ever decision that government will take concerning the burial of their son and circumvent any situation that can add more tragedy to the already aggrieved community. He said if government decides that the corpse should be ferried to their village in the West Region for burial without any wake keeping at their residence, they are bound to accept it that way because it will only be for the sake of peace.  

For his part, the head of the deceased’s family, Sebastian Misele, who is also Babuti Quarter Head, gave assurance that he has cushioned the youths that nobody should take the laws into his hands as their brother’s assailant is already facing the law. 

Meanwhile, the Consular Officer of the Nigerian Consulate condemned in strong terms, the homicide, perpetrated by his compatriot.

“The Federal Government of Nigeria doesn’t support lawless citizens. The Nigerian government takes care of its citizens where ever they are in the world and our government always advise its citizens in the diaspora to respect the laws of their host countries,” Ugochuku Onuzuike said.

He added that Cameroon and Nigeria are compelled to live together as one because there are so many things that bind them together.

“It might interest you to know that the assailant, Emmanuel Chuku, was born here in Cameroon,” he said.

The trouble between the Buea Town Youths and the Nigeria started on Saturday, May 26, during a marital negotiation between the Misele Family and the Chuku family, which was abortive due to a vendetta that had rocked both families. During the negotiations which resulted into a brawl, one of the bride’s brothers, Philip Djieuteu Misele was stabbed to death by one of the bridegroom’s brother, Emmanuel Chuku.  

 The death of Djieuteu caused irate youths of Buea Town to go berserk, attacking and vandalising the shops of Nigerians in Buea Town, which resulted to heavy material and human casualties.

Emmanuel Chuku, who was also badly wounded, and some of his relatives, were arrested and detained at the Buea Central Police Station

-The Post

Biaka Francisca: Business Genius as New SW Regional Delegate of Chamber of Commerce

She has  26 years of business management experience -both nationally and internationally

 By Christopher Ambe

Governor Benard Okalia & Mrs.Biaka Francisca

Mrs. Biaka nee Hongla Francisca, it would appear, is better known in the Southwest Regional Headquarters of Buea-Cameroon, where she resides, as the Administrator of the famous ST. VERONICA’s MEDICAL CENTRE since 1997. 

But this beautiful ,well-educated, duty-conscious and soft-spoken spouse and mother is very much loaded with challenging  responsibilities, which she has  reportedly  been performing to the satisfaction of the public and those who have entrusted her with such. She is generally described as a force to reckon with; an achiever.

Mrs. Biaka Francisca was recently in Limbe installed as the new and first ever female Southwest Regional Delegate of Cameron Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Crafts (CCIMC), during a crowd-pulling ceremony- attended among other high-profile personalities, by Southwest governor Bernard Okala Bilai and his closest collaborators. She took over from Chief Etang Arrey who served in that capacity for nine years.

Mrs.Biaka Francisca was personally installed into her new functions by the President of the Cameroon Chamber of commerce, Industry, Mines and Crafts Mr.Eken Christophe.

Mrs Biaka & Mr .Eken Christophe

Commissioning her, Mr.Eken said that the dynamic business community of the Region would henceforth be “guided and served by Mrs.Biaka and her team of experienced Elected Members, to boost, promote, and sustain the competitiveness of the Southwest Enterprise sector in the face of national and global challenges” 

 The CCIMC‘s primordial role, Mr. ken said, is to foster national socio-economic development and growth. The Cameroon Chamber of Commerce was created in 1921 and has been reorganized recently. The CCIMC is a public establishment, endowed with a legal status and financial autonomy -and it is placed under the supervisory authority of the Minster of Indusrty, Mines and Technological development. It is a 160- member body and has an executive bureau of 12 members -headed by the President of the Chamber of commerce, which undertakes the administrative and financial management of the corporation.

The CCIMC undertakes three main Missions, namely: Public service mission, Professional Interest Mission and Trade promotion and cooperation mission. Other attributions include: Export certification-Issuance of certificate of origin for products to be exported; Management of Public warehouse; Issuance of consular documents i.e. certificate of non-bankruptcy, accreditation letters and attestations; sundry publications i.e. the CCIMC monthly magazine, economic reports, business statistics etc

The CCIMC president stressed that “elected members, officials and the management staff have the unquestionable role to positively impact and promote the socio-economic development of our nation and to overcome the challenges in an unpredictable world economic order.”

Mr. Ken, without mincing words said this of the new southwest Delegate: “I am confident that Mrs.Biaka will take this delegation to higher heights”.

Mrs.Biaka heads a nine-person regional executive bureau, which was democratically elected.

The other eight elected SW representatives are: Mrs.Ntube Agnes Ndobe ep.NDJOCk, NDOTA ENTERPRISE –LIMBE;Mr. Iyok  Ayuk Sammy Pride,SAMCO PAPER COMPANY-Limbe; Mrs.Mbonde  Enanga Rose, COUNTRY ROSE TOURSIM –Buea; Mr.Metouck Charles,SONARA-Limbe; Mr.Atabong Michael, MARS RESTAURANT,Limbe; Bar Abunaw Enaw Gilbert-ABUNAW LAW FIRM-LIMBE; Mr.Seme  Noungon,SEMME MINERAL WATER-Bakingili,Limbe; Mr.Takor 

 Takor,DATA ELECTRICAL COMPANY,Limbe

Profile of Mrs.Biaka Francisca

She was born in Victoria, now Limbe on September 1965.She holds a Post –graduate Diploma in Corporate Administration and Finance from Bristol-United kingdom.

Work  Experience

-Chief Executive Officer (CEO), PAN ELECTRIC ENTERPRISES LTD, Limbe since 1986

-Proprietress, POLYWORKS, Limbe 1992-2012

-Administrator of ST VERONICA’s MEDICAL CENTER, Buea since1987

-Cameroon Representative TRAFIGURA LTD, London, 1986-1999

-Cameroon Representative MARC RICH INVESTMENT LTD-London, 1999-2001

-CEO, VENUS OIL LLC –London, 2001-2005

-CEO, HUMET INDUSTRIES LTD Mutengene, Since 2006

Other Leadership positions Mrs.Biaka has held:

Mrs.Biaka gift and kisses from  loved ones

-1^st Vice-president, Business and Professional Women’s Association, Southwest Region (1991-1993)

-Vice-President, GFAC, Southwest Region since 2006

-Member, Soroptimist International, Limbe Branch

-Member, Network of Cameroon Female Entrepreneurs (NECAFEE)

-Member, Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and crafts (CCIMC) since 2002

-President, Guild of Anglo-saxon Private Higher Institutions in Cameroon (GAPHIC) since 2008

-President, Association for the Support of Democracy in Cameroon (ASDECA) Southwest Region, since 2010

Awards Received:

-Silver Guild and Silver Labor Medals, November 2008

-holder of FCEM/GFAC Best Female Entrepreneur Award-October 2009

-Cameroon Knight of the Order of Valour May 2010

It is generally held that, because Mrs.Biaka Francisca is self-confident, self-motivated, determined, focused, reliable and has a strong business drive, if given the necessary support and collaboration, she will take the business community in the Southwest Region to higher heights

First Published in The Recorder newspaper,Cameroon,May 23,2012

Cameroon:Rumpi Project Needs Exceptional Extension to Fully Achieve Objectives

By Christopher Ambe 

The 13th Steering Committee of the Rumpi Area Participatory Development Project (fondly called Rumpi Project) which held at Chariot Hotel –Buea on May 16, wrapped up with the hope that, the project duration would be further extended to permit it fully accomplish its development assignments. 

The African Development Bank (ADB), one of the project’s main sponsors, is supposed to make its last disbursement to RUMPI Project by May 31, 2012, except otherwise.

 “We remain hopeful that the last request by the Cameroon Government for an exceptional extension of the project duration would be granted”, observed Southwest Governor Bernard Olkalia Bilai, who is also President of the Project Steering Committee(PSC), in his closing speech. 

The PSC is responsible for the overall supervision of Rumpi, which is a FCFA 17 billion project, launched in 2004 to reduce poverty in rural areas of the Southwest region by increasing their incomes in a sustainable manner, through improving agricultural output as well as their socio-economic environment. Due to some hitches, the duration of the   project has already been extended twice to ensure complete realization of set goals, yet the need for another extension has arisen.

 Governor Okalia Bilai said the project would have ended this May, were it not for the contracted road construction companies that could not meet the required deadline for the construction of 221 km feeder roads.

However, the Chair expressed thanks to the ADB, which had extended the duration of the project before.

Rumpi is placed under the Southwest Development Authority, SOWEDA-Buea, and co- funded by African Development Bank (ADB75%), Technical Assistance Fund (TAF 8 %), Government of Cameroon (GOC15%) and the beneficiaries (2%).

The PSC discussed the project’s progress report and agreed tha,t despite the implementation delays in the construction/rehabilitation of feeder roads, Rumpi has achieved much to be proud of.

“Therefore as we hope to wrap-up the activities of this  phase, let me  invite the management of the Southwest Development Authority(SOWEDA) to immediately go to work for the formulation of Rumpi Phase II”,the PSC chair, Governor Okalia said.

He further hoped that the project will continue to “positively impact on the lives of our people as it has been demonstrated.”

The physical execution rate of the Rumpi Project is now estimated at over 84% and a financial realization of 76.2% of load funds. The PSC Chair said the Capacity –building and Agricultural Production and Productivity Enhancement Components of RUMPI attained a very satisfactory rate of implementation of 93% and 97% respectively since June 2011, permitting the component to close last July 2011.

The Recorder gathered  that,Rumpi also did well to have constructed 20 rural markets, 35 rural water schemes, 4 health centers and several other various rural structures for which, RUMPI  Project Coordinator  Besong Ogork  Ntui  received accolades.

Mr. Ogork Ntui told reporters that the rate of feeder road realization now stood at 43%, suggesting the work cannot be completed in two weeks.

“However, we are hopeful that, if the ADB funding were to stop on May 31, the Government would not abandon those roads at the current stage. For instance, some roads have been done but the bridges have not been finished. So Government would certainly look for a way forward to complete the job”, the Project Coordinator observed.

The 13^th PSC resolved among others that:

1)The Chairperson  of the PSC should write a letter to the Regional Delegate of Agriculture for non-conformity with the resolutions of the 12^th PSC  relating to the collection of outstanding seed funds and the finalization of the seed fund procedure”

2) That the PSC endorses the necessity for the formulation and implementation of Rumpi phase II. In this regard, MINADER should include the cost of the feasibility studies for Rumpi Phase II in the 2013 Public Investment budget of the SOWEDA

3)That ,considering the major constraints encountered in the construction/rehabilitation of feeder roads ,MINADER and MINEPAT should ensure that the remaining activities (including the construction of the bridge 100m over the River Manyu at the Sabes-kendem road segment are completed using the public Investment Budget.

4) That the Rumpi Project management should revisit the issue of certain unpaid allowances to researchers of IRAD Ekona for their eventual liquidation.

First Published in The Recorder Newspaper,Cameroon,May 23,2012

Cameroon:SW Chiefs Say they’ve not abandoned detained Chief Inoni

Plan to make statement after meeting with authorities 

Ex-Premier,Chief Ephraim Inoni

By Christopher Ambe

Wide-spread allegation  that chiefs of the Southwest Region have not shown real concern  ever since one of theirs, Ephraim Inoni , Chief of Bakingili  and former Prime Minister ,was arrested and detained in Kondengui ,one of Cameroon’s maximum security prisons, accused of  embezzling  public funds in what is  now known in Cameroon as the Albatross Saga ,has been described as unfounded.

The chiefs have, through their president, dismissed the talk, insisting they have not abandoned Chief Inoni, who is said to have been very supportive of the Southwest Chiefs Conference while serving as Prime minster and Assistant secretary-General at the Presidency of the Republic.

The chiefs say they will react when the time comes.

Chief Inoni is one of several former ministers now in detention charged for attempted embezzlement / embezzlement of public funds.

Although some  critical observers  allege that the charges have been trumped up to target potential political threats to Biya and his cronies, the Presidency of the Republic has said  the charges are not politically motivated.

 His Royal Majesty, Fontem Njifua, Fon of Fontem who is the newly elected President of the Southwest Chiefs’ Conference (SWECC), on May 11, told The Recorder in an exclusive interview:

“It is true that Chief Inoni is one of the prominent chiefs in the Southwest region. It is also true that he is a popular state personality, because he has served this country as former Prime Minister and as former Assistant Secretary-General at the Presidency of the Republic. It is also true that he is a member of the Central Committee of the ruling party.

But “I think that it is still premature for the Southwest Chiefs Conference to issue a statement to that effect, because we have not yet met with him to know why he was picked-up; We have not yet met the Minister of Justice to tell us why our colleague was arrested, neither have we met the Prime Minister or the Secretary-General of the Central Committee”

But told by The RECORDER that many people are disappointed that the chiefs have not yet made their powerful voices heard on Chief Inoni’s detention, Fon Njifua, who is the Fon of Fontem, retorted:

“The chiefs have their programme.The public cannot think that, they would push the chiefs to act or prepare a programme for the traditional rulers. By the way, it is important for the public to know that matters concerning chiefs are not always discussed in public”.

Many Anglophones were taken aback by the arrest of Chief Inoni.  Many years ago he was in the forefront in the fight against corruption and is credited with an anti-corruption campaign styled Operation Antelope, which he launched that led to the identification of hundreds of ghost workers who were feeding fat on the public purse. Operation antelope enabled the sate to recover billions of FCFA.

Particularly angry with Chief Inoni’s arrest are Southwest elites. They showed this anger recently during a fund-raising in Kumba for the Reunification‘s 50^th anniversary celebrations. 

At the ceremony, Professor Peter Agbor Tabi, Assistant Secretary-General at the Presidency proposed that a motion of support be addressed to President Biya for intensifying the fight against embezzlement of public funds, following   the most recent arrests which included that of Chief Inoni, but the assembly of elites erupted with shouts of disapproval; they reportedly booed and jeered Professor  Agbor Tabi for his suggestion.

The President of SWECC  spoke to The RECORDER   in Buea  at the Southwest Chiefs Secretariat, following  the  handing over ceremony  between the former SWECC executive body and the new one-led by Fon  Njifua of Fontem ,which  executive was elected last April 14 in  Menji-Lebialem.

After the formal handing over ceremony, the new SWECC Executive paid a courtesy call on the new Governor of the Region, Bernard Okalia Bilai.

Fon   Njifua said some of the immediate priorities of the new SWECC leadership include contributing to the successful organization of the 50^th Anniversary celebrations of Cameroon‘s Reunification, billed for Buea this year and the construction of the SWECC Permanent Secretariat Near Muea,in Buea

First Published in The Recorder newspaper, Cameroon,of May 23,2012