"President Biya’s Achievements Have Pushed Cameroonians to Call for His Reelection In 2011''

-Ikome Williams Lifange, CPDM Apologist and Finance Committee Chairman of Buea Council

The 25th anniversary of the ruling CPDM was celebrated in Buea in pomp at the Youth and Animation Centre .At the end of the celebration, The RECORDER caught up with a die-hard militant and businessman IKome Williams Lifange for an interview and he began by introducing himself.

I am called IKome Williams Lifange( pictured in CPDM wear) , native of Na’anga –Bokwango, Buea, married and have children. Presently, I am the Director-General of LIFA-WILLS ENTERPRISE, .Buea. I ‘m also a staunch CPDM militant, Let me add that, I am a councilor and Chairman of the Finance Committee of Buea Council.

After my primary education, I went to the prestigious GTHS Ombe where I did my secondary and high school education, specializing in electricity.After school, I picked up a job at SONEL where I worked for three years .I later worked with EME Enterprise in Buea, owned by Business Magnate Ebobi Monangai.

You just celebrated the 25th anniversary of the CPDM.
Honestly speaking; do you think the party is faring well in all aspects?

The CPDM is the best party in Cameroon. That does not mean it does not have problems. There is no human organization without problems. What is important here is that the CPDM leadership quickly looks into identified problems for concrete solutions
The CPDM, as a people-oriented party, has registered a lot of achievements in the political, socio-economic, diplomatic domains and otherwise which I cannot enumerate all here; it is still doing more. No body of good faith will doubt this.
The Party’s blue print of modernizing the country is on-going.

Remember that, when Mr. Paul Biya assumed the presidential office in November 1982 the country was a one-party system. But in March 25, 1985, he transformed the lone party –the CNU into CPDM, introducing democratic reforms within the party.
In 1990, President Biya who is also CPDM national Chairman reintroduced multi-party democracy against protests from certain quarters.

On the social domain, the CPDM administration has done much putting up social facilities across the nation, to improve on living standards.

Come to think of well-equipped hospitals in towns such as the Buea Regional Hospital Annex, and in rural settings. Health centers are spread nation-wide; Modern fixed telephone is reality. With the liberalization of telephone sector mobile telephone companies such as MTN and Orange now serve millions; consider computer centers with internet link in many schools .Cameroon has an ultra modern television network (CRTV). The audio-visual sector is liberalized and there are over 100 private radios and 10 television stations operating in Cameroon. Good roads now link towns and more are still under construction; for example, the recently construed Mutengene-Muea-Kumba highway is there for all to see.

Electricity, water projects are being extended to rural areas. Almost every village has a primary school. Post primary and secondary secondary schools, as well as institutes are more common in Cameroon now than before. Think of the seven state-owned universities (Buea, Douala, Dschang, Ngaoundéré, Yaoundé I, Yaoundé II and Garoua), plus several private universities.

In the economic arena, the CPDM –led administration has created and encouraged foreigners to open companies and industries in Cameroon. His administration, in collaboration with the Brettonwoods institutions, is currently carrying out a structural adjustment program, intended to boost economic growth, alleviate poverty and misery and fight diseases. Cameroon’s economic growth keeps increasing
The CPDM government has set up youth employment programs to assist the youth create jobs opportunities, so to reduce unemployment. The Government recently readjusted salaries of civil servants by15%

Diplomatically, the CPDM government continues to forge relations and maintain good relations with other nations and international organizations.

One of the latest diplomatic victories of the CPDM government was the return of the disputed Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon by Nigeria.

As I said earlier, a lot has done. In deed, President Biya’s achievements have pushed Cameroonians to call for his reelection in 2010. You can hear such calls almost every moment, week or month.
You might have heard the clarion call not only from CPDM militants but also from other Cameroonians for him to put up his candidature for the presidential elections of 2011, when his second seven year mandate ends. This call was reiterated here in Buea as we celebrated the 25th anniversary of the CPDM.

You are a die-hard CPDM militant. Why did you join this party?

There are many political parties in Cameroon and after monitoring different party activities, I opted for the CPDM, which is considered by me and many others as the best party in the country. The CPDM stands for peace, development and progress; it stands for democratic reforms, respect of Human Rights, rule of Law and freedom of Press and expression.

What then pushed you to become a contractor/businessman?

While I was with EME Monangai Enterprise in Buea I started as an electrician. Later I became the manager of the Electrical Department, and manager for Purchase and Supplies. We executed many contracts for the Government, parastatals and companies such as CDC and SOWEDA.
Mr. Monangai took me not just as a worker but as a son.

In effect, he introduced me to the business world and gave me guidelines on how to become a successful businessman. I must add here that he helped me to establish as an independent business.

I started doing contracts as an independent business with the Southwest Provincial Delegation of Public Health, then headed by Late Dr. Luma Andrew. I started by supplying stationery and then hospital equipment to Bokova and Bojongo health centers.
In 2002, I won a government contract of FCFA 25 million to construct a health center in Isangele- Bakassi., which contract I performed very well.

It was quite risky working there because of the tension between Cameroon and Nigeria over the Bakassi Peninsula. I remember that I was involved in a boat accident in the ocean, losing building materials worth over FCFA 6.5 million, which I was transporting

But as a determined young businessman I still braved the odds and executed the contract to the satisfaction of both the beneficiaries and Government.

I have been constructing classrooms under the public investment budget. I have constructed classrooms for Government schools (GS) in Bokwango, Bonankanda, and Babobog in Nguti Subdivision, where it cost 2500FCFA to transport a bag of cement. I constructed the administrative Block of GHS Bokwango Last year I did the completion of the Bwassa-Likombe health centers and supplied flying boats to the Ministry of Livestock and Fishery, intended for the Bakassi area

It should be noted that I was the first contractor to install a drinkable water supply facility in Bakassi area precisely in Kombo Itindi subdivision. I used the desalination system

In fact, I have been executing contracts especially government projects since 1996, when I got my enterprise registered.

Some contractors used to abandon projects half-done after receiving advance payment. How many projects have you abandoned?

You may be astonished to learn that I have not abandoned any and I don’t intend to .I am a patriotic Cameroonian. I love my country. It pleases my heart when a piece of job is given to me and I do it to the satisfaction of all. I like to contribute to the development of this country and to be cited as a development agent, and not otherwise.
I was brought up in a Christian family. I am God-fearing and don’t violate regulations in force.
My mentor, business magnate Ebobi Monangai never abandoned any project half- done and I won’t abandon any also. It is unfortunate that some contractors could abandon projects after receiving money.

Within the CPDM ranks, you are fondly referred to as an International Businesman.Could you throw some light on this?

The word international speaks for itself. I travel a lot. Let me make it clearer that I have international partners such as Echo-Marine in …Trinidad and Tobago. I have partners in France and Nigeria.
Again, the precision with which I execute contracts leaves no one in doubt that I can do projects any where in the world.

What is your assessment of the opposition in Cameroon?

It is a good thing that we have opposition parties in Cameroon. I want to appreciate their efforts to contribute to the development and growth of Cameroon. The opposition is there to monitor activities of the ruling party. They should continue to be pro-active, and shun all acts of vandalism, violence and smear campaign to discredit the good image of the ruling CPDM.

The Southwest Region has a new governor called Koumpa Issa.What is your opinion about him?

I know him as a seasoned administrator. He has served as governor for the Northwest and Centre provinces (now regions) for several years before being appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Southwest Region.
When the new governor paid his first visit to Buea Council, I recall, he said, “The Governor is a normal human being who will be seen in the quarters. And while in the quarters, he will behave as Koumpa Issa and in the office he will behave as governor and some times as a tiger when the situation demands, to ensure the respect of law, peace and progress.”

From his remark at Buea council, I understand that the new governor is a serious man whose actions will be for the common interest. I predict that he will be one of the most successful governors in the history of the region. I am convinced that God will guide him to success.