Our dreams are now reality – Tiko Mayor

BY ATIA TILARIOUS AZOHNWI

“Our dreams for the Tiko people when we took up office at the helm of the council are now a reality. We will stop at nothing to bring development to our people and make them live a better life.”

Tiko Mayor, Moukondo Daniel and FATE's Joseph Schuld seal partnership

Mayor Moukondo Daniel Ngande was speaking at the Tiko Council Chambers on Friday, January 10, during a partnership signing ceremony between the Tiko Council and a United States based Non Governmental Organisation, the Foundation for Applied Technology in Education, FATE.

FATE, according to the Memorandum of Understanding with the Tiko Municipality is committed to assist underprivileged children of school going age pay their school fees and see them through school.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation for Applied Technology in Education, Joseph Schuld said they are also committed to enhance the education of women and the application of technology in schools in the South West, an activity they have been carrying out for many years with the collaboration of basic education officials.

With many children in Tiko already benefiting from the school fee assistance offer by FATE, the mayor of Tiko said their vision for the municipality is already seeing the light of day and they are poised to keep up, on an even greater tempo.

He thanked the Chairman of the International Corporation and Partnership Development Committee, Barrister Ajong Stanislaus for working very hard to bring quality education to the Tiko people given the sacrifice he made to get the partners come.

Mayor Moukondo pledged during the occasion that for the next five years, the development of Tiko will give him and his team sleepless nights.

Barrister Ajong (standing) assists in the signing of the MoU

“We’re out to cater for the needs of destitute children and supply computers to some schools. We urge the Tiko Council on their part to help us identify this category of persons and schools,” Joseph Schuld said.

A duty the mayor said the council will carry out in collaboration with the delegations of social affairs, education and members of the local administration.

The partnership was signed in the presence of the 1^st deputy mayor of the Tiko Council, Joseph Elundu, Councillor, community members and members of FATE.

Ekondo Titi’s own fuelling industry

BY ATIA TILARIOUS AZOHNWI

In Ekondo Titi, like in all of Ndian Division, there is no petrol station.

The absence of filling stations in Ekondo Titi does not suggest that there are no vehicles in the subdivision that serves as one of the gateways into the oil rich Ndian Division of the South West Region.

There are generators, motorbikes, vehicles and several other devices that require the use of petrol.

Fuel hawking or petrol peddling has hence become a very lucrative sector in Ekondo Titi. The industry has of recent witnessed an influx of newcomers, probably enticed by the brisk business it generates.

Most of the petrol sold in Ekondo Titi is brought in through the high seas from Nigeria, as Ekondo Titi is a border town, with its frontiers washed by the sea.

Though the fuel imported is largely not well refined and as such illegal, it is, however, flourishing despite the odds and even the potential danger of peddling with such highly inflammable liquids.

The main street of Ekondo Titi is lined up with those in the petrol hawking business. They have their tables placed along the roads. On the tables are litres of petrol, classified according to the brand.

Brands of petrol in Ekondo Titi include ‘fungui’, ‘gasoline’ and ‘super’.

Various points where petrol is sold are considered as petrol stations and as such have varied names such as KG Texaco, Fungui Yes, Petrol Station, and American Station among several others.

To set up a business, one is required to pay a registration fee of FCFA 50,000 to the Ekondo Titi Petrol Sellers Union.

Mr. Ambang Patrick, president of the Ekondo Titi Petrol Sellers Union, explains that “along with the FCFA 50,000 registration fee, a would-be member of the union has to also provide drinks to the members, usually to strengthen the sense of belonging and as well introduce the newcomer into the line of business.”

He goes on to add that such money is kept in the coffers of the union and used to assist members who are in need of financial assistance. Describing the business as one that is booming, he insisted that order must be instituted. Though he could not readily give us the exact number of persons involved in the petrol selling business within the subdivision, he, however, put the number at well over 50 persons.

One of those involved in selling petrol along the streets of Ekondo Titi is Mr. Emmanuel Chia. He told The Sun that he has been in the business for only six months and testifies that the returns are something to smile about.

 Mr. Chia, a driver by profession, told The Sun that after an accident he had, he was advised to stay off the roads for twelve months.

For fear of being idle, he entered the fuel business and it is with proceeds that he takes care of his wife and three children who are all going to school and assists his family members and others.

“... a 280 litres container full of ‘Fungui’ is bought at FCFA 135,000 from the Nigerian businessmen who sell fuel at the Ekondo Titi beach. We sell a litre of Fungui petrol at FCFA 600. The Fungui super sells more because a litre of Cameroon Super is sold at FCFA 700 here,” Chia told The Sun.

Chia Emmanuel, just like most of his peers in the business of hawking fuel, agrees that the business is very profitable. “The turnover is fast. I sell a drum of Fungui super in less than three days,” Chia hinted.

He went further to suggest that he makes at least FCFA 50,000 as profit a week.

With FCFA 300,000, it is possible for one to start the fuel hawking business in Ekondo Titi. The hawkers told The Sun that they pay the sum of FCFA 12,000 as taxes to the council.

As advice to the jobless youth in Ndian Division and Ekondo Titi in particular, Emmanuel Chia says they should hurry up and join them in the fuel business. He says he has bought land and is planning to construct for himself a house after doing the business for barely six months.

Though the hawking of fuel in Ekondo Titi has a huge take-home, those involved in the business say it has its own disadvantages.

Just like car owners, the Fungui sellers hold that the fuel, especially Fungui gas destroys car engines.

“This thing is not really good. I know that good petrol should be clean,” one of them affirmed to The Sun.

Emmanuel Chia confessed that he once sold Nigerian gas to a car owner and it destroyed the man’s car engine. In fury, the said man caused his arrest and detention. He said he was only released after he accepted to bare the full cost of the repairs and maintenance works on the damaged engine.

As lesson he has learned, he tries to sieve the fuel using fine cloth before filling any engine, especially cars. “I’m very cautious now. I no longer sell Nigerian gas,” Chia said.

Even as the selling of Fungui is sustaining livelihoods in Ekondo Titi, the administration has advised those involved in the trade to prepare to shutdown. The sellers told The Sun that they have been on dialogue terms with the administration and that they have enough security, reason why there is hardly any case of theft.

Despite the security mentioned here above, there is, however, the insecurity of a fire disaster, given the way the fuel is peddled.

The population of Ndian and those of Ekondo Titi are still waiting for the creation of a fuel station. As they wait, the about 1000 motorbikes and other vehicles that serve as a means of transportation will still have to use Fungui.

Full Text of President Paul Biya's New Year Speech (Dec 31, 2013

Full Text of President Paul Biya's New Year Speech (Dec 31, 2013)

My dear compatriots,

President Paul Biya addressing the Nation

The year 2013 gave Cameroonians genuine reasons to feel satisfied, thus paving the way for excellent prospects for the future. 

Let me explain.

The senatorial elections of 14 April and the legislative and municipal elections of 30 September took place in a calm and transparent atmosphere. All observers confirmed this fact and I believe that it reflects the maturity of the Cameroonian people who have understood that achieving social progress requires stable institutions and sound policies. The few failings reported were not enough to challenge the validity of the said elections. In this regard, ELECAM deserves to be commended. The enhanced credibility of the legislative and municipal elections sufficiently justified the time it took to introduce biometrics into our electoral system.

I therefore believe that there is every reason for us to be satisfied with this new milestone in our democratic process. The marked increase in the number of women in Parliament and municipal councils is a further sign of progress.

In any case, having put in place the Senate and local and regional authorities, the establishment of the Constitutional Council within a reasonable timeline will complete the institutional structure enshrined in our Constitution.

Our political horizon is now very clear. It is time for serious and objective discussions on issues that are dear to Cameroonians which, as you know, are purchasing power, employment and living conditions. In other words, such issues constitute what our people legitimately expect from a prosperous and equitable economy and a just and interdependent society.

Of course, this is no revelation to us. In recent decades, we have spared no effort to improve the living conditions of Cameroonians. This has been achieved despite the often tense political context, the economic crisis and threats to peace. Significant progress - perhaps still unevenly shared – has been made.

Let me mention just two examples, namely health and our major projects.

With the resurgence of malaria in its most severe form which affects infants, we have approached international partners for assistance. With their help, we will be able to secure free treatment of this pandemic for under-five children. Furthermore, I am pleased to announce that our country’s health map will soon have three additional referral hospitals, namely the Yaounde National Emergency Centre, the Douala Gynaecological, Obstetric and Paediatric Hospital and the Sangmelima Referral Hospital.

Regarding our major projects, those of the first generation are, as you know, either ongoing or in the start-up phase.

Concerning second-generation projects which will be implemented as from 2015, the related studies and financing are currently under negotiation. These include notably power generation, transportation, water supply, road and highway infrastructure as well as industrial and mining facilities.

As you can see, our economy is picking up and some kind of national consensus on the goal of economic emergence is discernible. I believe that we should muster all our energy to champion this cause and summon all our strength to ensure growth. In fact, it seems that our efforts alone, no matter how laudable, will not suffice to make Cameroon an emerging country in 2035.

International financial institutions have sounded this friendly warning to us; and it is in our interest to heed it. In 2013, our growth rate stands at 4.8%, and thus below our forecast of 6.1%. Of course, there is nothing so dramatic about this, yet it clearly indicates that we need to redouble our efforts.

Our growth is currently sustained by buoyant oil revenues and public appropriations. Private investments remain inadequate. We still need to improve the business climate, but this certainly does not spare us from pursuing ongoing structural reforms and further strengthening fiscal discipline.

Definitely, there is still room for improvement in the effectiveness of our economic policies. We have a growth and employment strategy which guides us towards achieving our goals. But, how come then that in some sectors of our economy, State action often seems to lack consistency and clarity? Why is it that in many cases, decision-making delays still constitute a bottleneck in project implementation? Why can’t any region of our country achieve a public investment budget execution rate of over 50%? Lastly, one can rightfully question the usefulness of certain project monitoring committees which are unable to take any decisions.

What we need in the coming years is a real contingency plan. With the GESP, we have a trend chart. Now is the time to act.

Our short-term priorities are well known, namely:  to correct our growth curve by creating jobs and maintain a high level of performance over several years in a row. To this end, we need to set timelines on our roadmaps and strictly adhere to them.

It will be absolutely imperative that we address the causes of our weaknesses by removing sticking points,     areas of dispersion and duplication.

Would we be unable to do what some other countries comparable to ours have done or are doing? I do not think so. We have talented, resourceful, well-trained and enterprising men, women and youth, who are capable of meeting these challenges. We have abundant and diverse natural resources as well as modern and democratic institutions. Our country is peaceful and stable. What then do we lack?

I think we need to improve in two key areas: prioritizing general interest and coordinating our efforts.

Though attached to our communities of origin - which does not prevent us from being fervent patriots whenever national honour is at stake - we are an individualistic people, more concerned with personal success than general interest. Our administration remains susceptible to private interest, which is most often in conflict with national interest. Such trends must not be tolerated in a modern state.  

At one stage of implementation or another, most of our major projects involve the skills of various services. I am not sure that there has been effective coordination between them. Clearly, therefore, there is a need for improvement in this regard.

My dear compatriots,

I would now like to draw your attention to a problem that has reached disturbing proportions in recent months – that of insecurity in our country.

Not long ago, we were striving to overcome “ordinary” insecurity. Simply put, we fought minor and organized crime in urban areas and “highway robbers” in remote rural areas. 

For some time now, a new form of crime referred to as cross-border crime has reached a worrying scale, particularly in the northern and eastern parts of the country.

This has been brought about by the presence around our borders of armed bands, driven by extremist ideologies and lured by profit. They do not hesitate to cross over to our territory where they commit various atrocities. This phenomenon is not entirely new. However, it has witnessed a fresh upsurge as not long ago there was an attack in Kette Subdivision in the eastern part of our country. Elite units have been deployed to the area to check such incursions. 

Over the months, in the Far North, such criminals have kidnapped foreign nationals for ransom. Memories of the abduction of the French family MOULIN-FOURNIER are still fresh. Thanks to our cooperation with the Nigerian authorities and French services, we were able to secure their release. More recently, a French priest was manhandled and taken to Nigeria. I strongly condemn such unspeakable acts perpetrated in the quest for gain against defenceless persons, including children. 

Of course, we are doing our best to prevent and combat such acts, and we will not relent. 

I congratulate the élite units ensuring security in these areas and urge the local population to cooperate with them as necessary.

For some time now, terrorism has also become rife at sea. Its motivations are mainly financial, but the methods have not changed. They consist in inspecting ships to loot the contents and kidnapping crew members for ransom. Cameroon has witnessed this in its maritime space.

The phenomenon has expanded to the entire Gulf of Guinea, such that the maritime trade of countries located in this area is being compromised. There was a first response at the Summit on Maritime Security and Safety in the Gulf of Guinea, held in Yaounde last 25 and 26 June.

It is clear that, whether on land or at sea, security, which is first and foremost a national issue, also has a collective and even international dimension. It should not be underestimated. Where it is not guaranteed, anarchy settles in, abuses become rife, economic and social progress grinds to a halt. Examples of such forms of breakdown in societal values, unfortunately, abound in our continent and even in our immediate external vicinity.

While it is true that the affected areas of our territory are very limited, we remain on the alert. Our security forces on the ground can intervene at any time. This is an opportunity for me to stress that each one of us must be aware of the benefits of living in a stable country where institutions are functioning normally, where the security of people and property is guaranteed, and where every citizen can nurse hopes of a better life.

The current situation in the Central African Republic demonstrates the possible consequences of instability and disorder. Massacre, looting and displacement have become the order of the day in that brotherly and friendly country. It was the duty of, and an honour for, Cameroonian troops to participate in the operations of the multinational force aimed at restoring security and protecting people within the territory of our immediate neighbour.

My dear compatriots,

We are somewhat at a crossroads. Growth is within our reach; our budget is viable; our public debt is sustainable; in short, our economic and financial situation gives us every reason to hope for prosperity.

-It is either we take the easy road by postponing reforms, in which case in 10 or 20 years time we shall have had such a cumulative delay that we can hardly meet the needs of our people.

-Or we set high goals for ourselves, and adopt strict collective discipline, in which case we will embark resolutely on economic emergence.

I suggest that we adopt the latter option, that of sacrifice and courage.

At a time when we are beginning to see many concrete signs of our democratic, economic and social progress, I invite you to embrace a new spirit of patriotism. I believe we can do a lot better.

I am not asking for your sweat, or blood, or tears; rather, I am merely urging you to commit yourself wholeheartedly to this new phase of our Grand National plan.

At the dawn of this New Year, I would like, on behalf of you all, to address our Indomitable Lions.

Dear Indomitable Lions, 

You have qualified for the final phase of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. We want you to follow in the footsteps of your illustrious predecessors of the glorious campaigns in Spain in 1982 and Italy in 1990. Give us a thrill once again. The Cameroonian people are with you.

To conclude, I am pleased to announce the release of Father Georges Vandenbeusch. 

Thanks to the action of our services, backed by Nigerian and French authorities, this priest, so devoted to his mission, has been freed today.

My dear compatriots,

I would now like to extend to you all, my best wishes for good health and happiness in the New Year.

Happy and Prosperous New Year 2014!

Yaounde, 31 December 2013

President Biya's 2014 New Year Speech Says Little In Many Words

Paul Biya's 2014 New Year Speech Says Little In Many Words

By  Professor Asonganyi Tazoacha in Yaounde

  As usual, I sat by my TV screen around 7:30 p.m. on December 31, waiting for the end-of-year speech of Paul Biya. To kill time, I flipped to France-24 to follow the report on the release of Father Georges Vandenbeusch that was being presented over and over again by the Channel, until I was jolted to consciousness by the image of French president François Hollande making his own end-of-year speech to the French. So I flipped to CRTV to find Paul Biya already at the stage of congratulating ELECAM. This did not worry me because I knew I would follow the beginning of the speech from the background voice of the journalist that would read the English version of the speech at the end of his performance.
    At the end of the speech, without really knowing what I expected from it, I felt disappointed or dissatisfied, and decided to flip to other channels to avoid the 'griots' that were preparing to “dissect the speech” for us commoners. Although it was already past 9:00 p.m., I fell on RTS and found Macky Sall still addressing the Senegalese people. I found his own quite engaging, but had no time to sit through it, so I decided to go get the speeches from the internet. At around 10:00 p.m., I found the French versions of Biya’s and Sall's on the net but not the English version of Biya's.

    The two speeches were interesting in the way they differed from each other. Sall’s was about one-and-a-half times longer than Biys’s. As for figures - excluding dates and timeframes; figures that report government action in concrete terms - Biya’s had just four (3 reference hospitals, 4.8 % growth rate, 6.1 % projected growth rate, and 50% level of consumption of investment budget); for Sall’s I counted some fifty six in all domains of Senegalese society! Sall’s allows government action to be scientifically evaluated periodically; Biya’s does not because it is based on generalities and is really unfocused.

    Paul Biya says correctly that it is time for Cameroonians to engage in serious and objective debate of issues dear to them. To him these include purchasing power, employment and living standards. Important as these may be, Cameroonians need a pre-requisite, a constitutional framework acceptable to all. Like framers of the American Constitution that stated that “we are not giving our people the best constitution, but the best one they can accept,” we have not yet given the people of Cameroon the best constitution they can all accept. The present constitution is basically just rules and procedures to regulate the affairs of those who have power, and to help them to keep power in perpetuity. It is a constitution that serves the interests of a faction; it puts all the powers of decision in the country in the hands of one man!

     Another urgent issue that deserves “serious and objective” debate for urgent resolution is related to double citizenship, which Biya did not address. When Mongo Beti returned to Cameroon in the early 1990s, he wanted to run as the parliamentary candidate of the SDF in Mbalmayo in 1997. His candidature was rejected on the pretext that he was a French national. More recently, there is a polemic on the “American nationality” of Ndedi Eyango who recently won election as the “PCA” of the Cameroon society for music and arts. Judged by what is practiced in Cameroon generally, it seems that the issue of “double nationality” is treated with levity by the Cameroon regime; turning a blind eye here, and opening their eyes wide, depending on who you are and the interests at stake!

    Yet, the issue of double nationality is an important issue long resolved by many countries. Taking Ghana which many people consider as a “good example” of liberty and democracy in Africa, after the country reached its own “tipping point” in 1980s and actually tipped into chaos and disorder for some time, they got their axe together, so to say, and made a spectacular turnaround; they crafted a constitution in 1992 which laid down limits within which government power would be exercised. In 1996, to ensure that Ghana and Ghanaian citizens exploit all avenues opened up by globalization, article 8 of the constitution was amended to introduce dual citizenship as follows: “A citizen of Ghana may hold the citizenship of any other country in addition to his citizenship of Ghana; without prejudice to article 92(2)(a) of the constitution, no citizen of Ghana shall qualify to be appointed as a holder of any office specified in this clause if he holds the citizenship of any other country in addition to his citizenship of Ghana: Ambassador or High Commissioner; Secretary to the Cabinet; Chief of Defense Staff or any other Service Chief; Inspector General of Police, Commissioner, Customs, Excise and Preventive Service; Director of Immigration Service; Any office specified by an act of parliament…”

     Back to the speech, Paul Biya said in many words that the Vision-2035 crafted by his government is a mirage. Indeed, the poverty reduction strategy Paper (PRSP) that came before the Vision did not work, and the revised version now called the growth and employment strategy paper (GESP), which we are told, will address the first 20 years of Vision-2035 will not work too for the same reasons. In short, the manner in which we are governed today provides no hope for the famous Vision.

    In this other speech, there are still rhetorical questions Biya keeps asking himself, since he is the one at the foot of the proverbial wall. Are we different from others that are succeeding in other places? What do we lack? What is the use of some follow-up commissions? Why does government action lack coherence and transparency? Why are there so many administrative bottlenecks? And so on! Well, speeches and questions, however well framed, however good or impressive, cannot on their own change anything; only institutional politics can. As John Maxwell would tell him, the attitude of the people is a reflection of the attitude of the leader; or better still, those closest to the leader determine his level of success or failure.

    As Karl Marx would also advise him, the human world is open to human actions because it is a creation of man. What obtains in the Cameroon society today – the stagnation, the corruption, the domination of self interest, generalized laxity – is generated by human action or inaction with Paul Biya as a willing accomplice in their perpetuation during the last (over) 30 years. He is mired in a routine that seems to be impossible for him to break. Added to that, his own party people have become confused and settled on empty slogans like “grandes ambitions,” “grandes realizations,” none of which has content nor implies a politics of existence, like “socialism,” “liberalism,” Marxism, Leninism, Maoism did. He has put in place an absolutist infrastructure that sees all “new” action as a dangerous rupture with his routine of facility and “order.”

     He keeps telling us that we are advancing in “democracy” because we are organizing elections. Fareed Zakaria would tell him that for countries like ours, democracy and liberty are not the same. He always pays little attention to how much elections are undermined by crooks, thugs, party zealots, fanatics and ethnic bigots, all elements that block progress in all domains of our society. Indeed, laxity and generalized failures of our society have led to an unstable equilibrium that is constantly used as justification for the existence of the regime; as a measure of the “success” of the regime. Those who complain about the failures of the regime are always asked to look across our borders to see that there is chaos outside, and "peace" within. In this, Paul Biya and his acolytes do not seem to buy Malcolm Gladwell’s “Tipping point” – the magic moment when a “peaceful” society gets to a point and tips into chaos. We have witnessed such tips in Ghana, Kenya, the Arab world, South Sudan, Central African Republic, you name them. They are jointly testimony to the fact that societies like ours - under the cloak of  electoral fraud, longevity in power, corruption, abuse of human rights, ethnicity, nepotism, use of government institutions and powers to impose social unity and cohesion, and all other abuses - are close to the brink. 

   Paul Biya has been around for quite some time because this was his 32^nd New Year address to Cameroonians. Like the many rendezvous’ he missed with the people during 2013, he obviously missed this one of December 31, 2013. Since he still talks about “un délai raisonnable” [a reasonable time] for putting in place the constitutional council that was supposed to have been in place since 1996, time does not seem to be his problem, although it is not on his side. The speech, like past ones, left us with much uncertainty, even if we are certain that the next New Year speech of the President of the Republic to Cameroonians will be either the first or the 33^rd.