What Did Bamenda Reap From Biya’s 2010 Visit

- Government Delegate Ndumu Looks Back In Anger

By Tetuh Mbah

Vincent Nji Ndumu is the Government Delegate to the Bamenda city council. He is the one who welcomed President Paul Biya to his city, his second home, last December 2010. All necessary dispositions had to be put in place to beef-up the status of Bamenda. It is even on record that some 5 billion FCFA was earmarked to upgrade Bamenda city. Yet, less than 2 years after the event, Bamenda is back to square one. This is the worry expressed by Vincent Nji Ndumu, the dynamic Government Delegate to the city.

While welcoming Adolph Lele Lafrique last Thursday July 5, 2012 during his maiden visit to Mezam, Ndumu brought up quizzical worries. One of them was the deplorable state of road network within the city of Bamenda. Ndumu said “during the Head of State’s visit to Bamenda in December 2010, to celebrate 50 years of the Cameroon Armed Forces, serious work was not really effectively done on our roads”; adding that “some of our major road junctions are already full of potholes and our inner city roads are in no better shape”.

The Government Delegate thereon requested the intervention of the governor and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development to fox-out a repair scheme.

Ndumu also exploited the NW governor’s visit to make startling worries about his management of the Bamenda city. He could not understand how, Bamenda, ranked the third city in Cameroon, witnesses disorders in the business sector, especially on issues concerning Okada riders.

“The Okada sector is a total disaster”, Ndumu quipped adding that motorbike riders have very little or no training of the highway code, yet think they are above the law: “We are facing a phenomenon of outright public danger…”, Ndumu averred. He further regretted how with such myopia, things could move well, moreso as motorbike riders are at the centre of most accidents and even gang-up against constituted authority.

Ndumu also exploited the governor’s visit to Mezam, to relaunch his plan-of-action when he took over office, some 3 years ago. He said though Mezam division has at least one million inhabitants, Bamenda alone has more than 500.000 people. He therefore cautioned those who build in high risk zones to beware.

The Government Delegate also harped on the issue irregular parking along the main streets of Bamenda; a situation Chronicle is aware, had been found partial solution to. Also, he was perturbed over the management of travel agencies. Chronicle is aware that the Bamenda city council has a dream to centralize the park to operate as an airport, where varied aircrafts take-off and land.

Governor Lele Lafrique was not surprised about some of the worries of the Bamenda city delegate. Ndumu told him that the security situation in the city was worrisome. That hardly does a day go by, without an armed robbery taking place in Bamenda, noting how ‘with every passing day, Bamenda is becoming more and more unsafe”. Ndumu voted that something has to be done.

In response, Governor Lele Lafrique singled-out the domain of commercial motorbikes, to acknowledge the blatant disrespect of rules and regulations in force. To him, “this sector has been regulated by a prime ministerial text”; adding that “no one is above the law”. Accordingly, “we shall no longer tolerate the deviant and irresponsible behaviour  reported of late in his sector”. He reiterated how “I have given firm instructions to the administration and the forces of law and order to bring order in this sector and I shall personally follow it up”.

It was indeed a concluding phase of Governor Lele Lafrique’s visit within the seven (7) divisions of North West. He was thus bound to address regional issues, Bamenda being the seat. The new governor acknowledged the fact that he had received complaints about the thermal plant. He said some administrative and technical formalities are still to be carried out for it to go fully operational.