By Joe Dinga Pefok
Stephen Itoh Esoh, Chief of Ekondo Titi, in Ndian Division, and PAMOL Board Chairman, was Saturday, February 2, elected President of the Southwest Chiefs Conference, SWECC.
Among some of those elected into the new Bureau of SWECC with a two-year mandate, was N.N Mbile Jr, the Chief of Lipanja.The elections took place during the Ordinary General Assembly of SWECC in Mundemba with the main item on the agenda being the transition of the management of the association.
Power was being transferred from Manyu to Ndian Division, after a delay, as the outgoing President's mandate was overdue.Prof. Elvis Ngolle Ngolle, Minister of Forestry and Wildlife, represented the Prime Minister, Chief Ephraim Inoni.
In the Prime Minister's speech, he paid tribute to the successive leaders of SWECC for ensuring, in a consistent manner, the chiefs' active participation to all events that have constituted the defining moments of the nation.
He underlined SWECC's consistent contribution to the country's socio-political evolution.
The Prime Minister hailed the Association's consistent and constructive
argument over the years about the implementation of the
decentralisation provisions.
Chief Inoni's message noted: "The government very much recognises the great role you play, and stands by you in your noble cause of building a united, democratic and prosperous, modern nation".
Additional Funds For Muea-Kumba Road
The Prime Minister, who is also a Southwest Chief, enumerated some of government's fulfilled promises to the Southwest. He recalled, for example, that last year a new bridge was constructed over River Mungo at the cost of more than FCFA 4.5 billion, while the Mutengene-Muea road was fully rehabilitated at the cost of FCFA 4,776,241,960.
Talking about the Muea-Kumba road, Inon's message noted that the initial estimated FCFA 16.3 billion for rehabilitation work on the road, has been raised to FCFA 24.3 billion, in response to the demand to raise the quality of the road.
On his part, Ngolle Ngolle advised the chiefs not to take the Head of State's promises to the Southwest for granted. He said that the Prime Minister's conviction that the Government-Southwest Partnership has been the best guarantee for the development of the province, and that SWECC has been a major force in building this great partnership.
"It is indeed a partnership no Southwesterner can afford to play with, if we care about the great destiny that awaits this province," the speech read. While congratulating the out going SWECC Executive "for a job well done" Ngolle Ngolle said: "The Prime Minister has no doubt that the chiefs have elected those who will continue the laudable legacy left by their illustrious predecessors."
Ndian Chiefs Unhappy
In an earlier welcome address, the President of the Ndian Divisional Chiefs Conference, Linus Motiti Anono, described the Division as the heart beat of the Southwest Province. He, however, regretted that it has been abandoned. Chief Anono expressed the people's disappointment with the government. He said the people of Ndian have given so much to the country but have known only misery.
"We the people of Ndian are familiar with the conspicuous lack of basic social facilities to our communities - pipe-borne water, rural electrification, communication facilities, non-reception of radio/TV signals, absence of proper farm-to-market roads, untarred major roads including those that link our Division to other parts of the country, and so on," said Chief Anono.
Chief Anono, however, recognised the fact that the government has made some efforts to address some of the "plagues" in the Division, and added that the efforts are far from being significant as the Division has remained underdeveloped for years.
"We, the Chiefs of Ndian are not happy with the way the government treats us. The CPDM government should scratch our backs, as we have always scratched its back at elections. We expect the government to scratch our back by providing our Division with concrete development projects, as it has been done elsewhere in Cameroon," the Chief maintained.
In attendance also was the Minister Delegate in the Ministry of External Relations, in charge of Relations with the Commonwealth, Chief Joseph Dion Ngute, who is also a chief.
Call For Unity
On his part, the outgoing President of the Southwest Chiefs Conference, HRH Nfor Tabetando, refuted allegations that he had tried to modify SWECC Constitution at the end of his mandate so as to stay on in power.
He said the allegations were the handiwork of his detractors. He, however, praised their chiefs in their maturity in handling the issue, which, to him, would have brought a rift between them.
Tabetando painted a positive balance sheet of his mandate: "We want to believe that we succeeded in our endeavour and we accomplished what we set out to do. We improved on the image of the Southwest chiefs and in the process set the standards for similar associations. Our name, therefore, is now recognised both nationally and internationally and is acknowledged as a symbol of innovation. Today, we are leaving behind an enviable legacy which we treasure so much."
He stressed the importance of unity in the Association, asserting that SWECC will only continue to grow from strength to strength if the members continue to nurture the spirit of unity in action.
All i could say is that South West Chiefs are not different from the CPDM dominated parliament. They have all sold their consciences to the detriment of us their children and other generations to come. It is time they keep political-fooling-around aside and talk hard on development issues of the province. South West need just roads: taring of principal roads and maintenance of farm to market roads.
South West Chiefs must wake up and be bold to call a spade a spade.
Kenedy Epie
Helsinki, Finland
Posted by: kenedy Epie | Saturday, 09 February 2008 at 10:59 AM
WELL I DO HONESTLY BELEIEVE THAT THE SOUTH WEST CHIEFS HAVE NO ROLE TO PLAY IN THE EDEVELOPMENT OF THE SOUTH WEST PROVINCE. ITS A SHAME FOR YOU GUYS TO EVEN DARE TO MENTION ANY FORM OF EFFORTS THAT YOU ARE MAKING TOWARDS THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SOUTH WEST PROVINCE. I CAN ASSURE YOU THE CHIEFS THAT ALL YOU PEOPLE CARE ABOUT IS THE STIPEND THAT THE GOVERNMENT GIVES YOU PEOPLE SO THAT YOU CAN BE A BRIDGE IN THE ELECTIONS RIGGING PROCESS. YOU HAVE SOLD US YOU CHIEFS, YOU HAVE FAILED AND FAIALED WOEFULLY. SO I WILL PARDON YOU NOT TO EVEN DARE TO TALK ABOUT SOUTH WEST IN TERMS OF DEVELOPMENT BECAUSE AS IT STANDS THIS IS THE MOST UNDERDEVELOPED PROVINCE IN THE WHOLE COUNTRY. WHAT WE GET IN TERMS OF THE NATIONAL CAKE IS TOO SMALL VIS-A-VIS OUR CONTRIBUTION TO THE GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT OF THAT COUNTRY. ITS A SHAME THAT IN THE 21ST CENTURY CHIEFS CAN STILL COME UP AND TRY TO DECIEVE PEOPLE. APART FROM NGOLLE NGOLLE WE HAVE NOT HAD A FULL FLEDGED MINISTER IN AGES YET WE THE CHIEFS KEEP ON WORKING WITH THE CPDM TO SELL THE CHILDREN OF SOUTH WEST PROVINCE JUST BECAUSE OF 100000FRS CFA THAT YOU GUYS ARE BEING GIVEN. WHAT A SHAME?
Posted by: MOTABENAMA | Tuesday, 12 February 2008 at 09:39 AM