By Christopher Ambe Shu
Shortly after publicly calling on President Biya to pronounce Buea host of the golden jubilee of Cameroon’s reunification, the Buea Traditional Council (BTC) again on July 28 stormed the office of Southwest Regional Governor and handed what a source described as a ‘hot memorandum’ intended for the Head of state, to Governor koumpa Issa, for onward transmission.
The nine-person delegation that handed the memo to the governor was led by Hon.Peter Ray Ikundi, vice chair of the BTC, which is headed by the Paramount Chief of Buea ,retired Justice SML Endeley who reportedly due to ill-health could not be on board.
Governor koumpa who received the memo promised to dispatch it with immediate effect.
Nothing leaked to the press with regards to the content of the memo as delegation members were tight-lipped when confronted by inquisitive reporters.
But political pundits believe the memo must be emphasizing, among other things, the readiness and justification of the people of Buea to host golden jubilee of reunification, as well as Bakweri urgent demand for more settlement land from the Government.
“Land is no longer a negotiable issue, it is an imperative. Bakweri villages of Buea need land”, Professor Ndiva kofele kale, distinguished professor of law in the USA and native of Buea told reporters recently, regretting the expropriation of Bakweri most habitable land by the Germans, which land was later ceded to CDC on a lease basis.
The expropriation has left the Bawkeri, natives of Buea with little or no land and many of them have been pushed by the situation to settle on hills.
It is even worse now that the Government has limited their access into the Mt Fako forest; they fear that their children may not have land in future to build on if the government does not return to them enough land
Also,Buea people are reportedly not happy with attempts by elites of some other regions to persuade the Head of State to ignore Buea and choose another town as venue of the reunification celebrations.
“There is no reason why the venue of the celebrations should not be Buea,”Professor kale, had earlier told reporters. “Buea is where the reunification idea-in the legal terms, was conceived and consummated.”
Buea, which is today the headquarters of the Southwest Region of Cameroon, had been capital of German Cameroon, Seat of British Southern Cameroons and Capital of West Cameroon State.
Professor kale told reporters last July 28 that October 1, 1961 is a date of double significance to Anglophone Cameroon.
“First it was the day British Southern Cameroons got rid of the yoke of colonial rule and became independent. So on October 1, 2011, Anglophone Cameroon shall be celebrating their independence...October 1.2011 marks 50 years of an independent state for Anglophones.
“Second, as we were consummating our independence, we also agreed to reunify with our brothers of French Cameroon,” the law professor noted.
He said the modern history of Cameroon is 95years(1916 to 2011),adding that for 56 years(1916 to 1972) of the 95 years, Buea was the main radiating center for English speaking Cameroonians.
It is highly hoped that President Biya, after reading the memo, would waste no time in endorsing Buea -so to appease Anglophones who feel grossly marginalized in their union with La Republique du Cameroun, with some of them calling for secession-championed by SCNC.
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