Cameroon: SW Regional Council Blessed with Effoe Limunga as Secretary

Effoe  Limunga Rebecca : Bounces back to nation-building.

By Christopher Ambe

Effoe Limunga Rebecca-fondly called Aunty Bex, a retired Cameroonian civil servant and former Director of  Intensive Vocational Training Center for Office Employees(IVTC),Buea,is pioneer Honorable Secretary (No.1) of the eight-member Executive Bureau of the Southwest Regional Council.

Many have likened Aunty Bex to an asset for the secretariat of the  Southwest Regional Council. 

As secretary, Aunty  Bex  is  otherwise known as  the “Clerk of the House ”

Regional Councils are institutions provided for by the 1996 Cameroon Constitution, but pioneer elections for the said councils only took place on December 6, 2020, close to 25 years after.

 Each of Cameroon’s ten regions has a regional council, made up of ninety (90) members, and the various executive bureaus of these regional councils were elected on December 22, followed suit by their oath-taking in court.

Effoe Limunga Rebecca, who is one of two Hon. Secretaries of Southwest Regional Council, had retired from Cameroon Civil Service in 2016 amid calls from her many admirers to seek other avenues and continue putting her wealth of experience at the service of the nation, since they considered her as a committed nation-builder.

It would be recalled that in September 2016  when  colleagues organized a sendoff party for this likeable,  patriotic and   workaholic  who just retired then  from her  civil service career as Director of the State-owned Intensive Vocational Training Center for Office Employees(IVTC),Buea, a fervent  appeal to her  to remain useful to the state was made by  many people.

 Executive Bureau of SW Regional Council after oath-taking in Court of Appeal,Buea

One of those who made the appeal was John Atosoh, then Southwest Regional Delegate for Employment and Vocational Training, who chaired her sendoff party on IVTC Campus and lauded her resourcefulness in nation-building.

    Aunty Bex, now in her 60’s, had said goodbye to Cameroon Civil Service, after serving impressively, in various capacities, for 30 years.   

Aunty Bex holds a Diploma in Secretaryship from Pitman Central College-London and another Diploma in International Business, as well as a Post-Graduate Diploma in Management Studies from Kingston Polytechnic (today Kingston University in London).

    Before becoming Director of IVTC, Aunty Bex had served dutifully for years as Private Secretary to four different Cameroon Members of Government after her further studies in London.

   For several years, she was Private Secretary to two  Ministers of Higher Education, Professor Peter Agbor Tabi (1994-97) and Jean Marie Atangana Mebara;and later  Private Secretary and Research Assistant to two Public Health Ministers respectively: Professor Gottlieb Monekosso( now of Blessed memory) and Laurent Esso(now Minister of State for Justice).

   Even before becoming Private Secretary to the mentioned  ministers, Aunty Bex on her return from studies  in London, worked at the then University of Yaoundé as Administrative Assistant. She had earlier worked in the Ministry of Post and Telecommunication before traveling abroad for further studies.

Effoe Limunga  being awarded state medal by SW Governor Bernard Okalia /file

   The Hon.Secretary No.1 has to her credit three different categories of state medals: Knight of the Cameroon Order of Valor, knight  of Cameroon Order of Merit and Officer of Cameroon Order of Merit.

   After the Executive Bureau of the Southwest Regional Council, on January 14, took their   oath of office, the Hon. Secretary No.1 of the Southwest Regional Council, reacted to her post-retirement function:

“When I retired many people thought that I should just go on working because they said I still looked very strong and young. But there comes a time in our lives that we all need to take a break from active service. And that I did.

“During this period of my retirement I have been quite active to keep my brain very alert. But all what I did was at my pace-no pressure, no stress, no tension. That is the beauty of retirement.

“Now that I have been given the mandate by my people of Southwest region, I’d work with a lot of zeal because I had rested enough. The civil service chapter ended and a political chapter has started.

“I am poised for it and God being my guide, I believe we shall make it.”

It should be  noted that Aunty Bex  has a cherished British family who guided and sponsored her professional studies in the UK.

 Mr.Chuka Umunna,one of the two children of this British  family whom she assisted in their childhood , was recently voted  as  Member of Parliament in the UK .

.Hon. Chuka  Umunna brilliantly  served as MP for three terms.

Observers and  relations  of Effoe Limunga are confident that this former British MP  would serve as a huge  inspiration to the Hon. Secretary No.1,as she sails through the "Special Status" Regional Assembly.

A soft-spoken Fako elite and a Committed Baptist Christian, Aunty Bex before her new office, was a CPDM strategist.

She was also President of SOWEDA Tenders Board. SOWDA is short for Southwest Development Authority, Buea.

With Aunty Bex as Hon.Secretary no.1, many are confident that the Southwest Regional Council will face no problem keeping records and archives for reference.

The members of the Executive Bureau of the Southwest Regional Council are:Zacheus Bakoma Elango , President; Chief Atem Ebako, Vice president(also president of  House of Chiefs); William Elangwe Itoe,Commissioner for  Health and Social Affairs ;Gobina Mokoko, Commissioner for Economic Development; Tarkang Walters, Commissioner for Education, Sports and Cultural Development; Madam. Effoe Limunga Rebecca,Secretary No.1; Fon Foto Felix, Secretary No.2 and Dr. Mbencho Andrew Tazi  as Questor.

 

 

Exclusive Interview: Former UN Senior Official Urges More Powers to Cameroon's Regional Councils

Dr.Amos Namanga Ngongi ,former UN Senior Official ,has commended the recent takeoff of Cameroon’s regional councils provided for by the country’s January 1996 constitution.

But this Cameroonian and former Under-Secretary General and Special Representative of the UN to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Head of the Peacekeeping Mission (MONUC), says the regional councils can effectively bring about the much-needed development if given more powers.

Dr. Ngongi, who had also served, for several years, as Member of the United Nations Management Board, sat down, December 23, 2020, for an exclusive interview with AFRICA EXCELLENCE’s Editor-in-Chief Christopher Ambe.

Excerpts:

At long last-after close to 25 years that Cameroon’s Constitution provided for Regional councils, elections for regional councils took place last December 6. And on Tuesday December 22, the ten regional councils in Cameroon voted into office their executive bureaus. What is your reaction to this democratic development?

 First of all I would say it was a very impressive and historic event, the election of the executive bureau of the Southwest Regional Assembly. 

In fact, January 18, 2021 will make 25 years since the Constitution of 1996 provided for regional councils. It is a great sigh of relief that finally the long-awaited regional institutions are being put in place. 

It is a major step forward. I know a lot of people would say it has come too late, but it is necessary that the constitution should be implemented.

 And it is being implemented. In my view, we are at the end of the first phase of the process. The real test will be the functioning of the institutions being put in place and effective implementation of decentralization.

The Regional Councilors are now known but not their offices.  Take the case of Southwest region where its regional councilors held their first session as of right but at Buea Council Office.  One would have expected the councilors to do that in their own office. What is your take on the fact that the child has been put to bed before they are looking for its permanent house?

Let us start by congratulating the president of our regional assembly (Southwest). It is wonderful to have experienced people who have discharged high responsibilities in the country before being charged to take care of the region.

 The President, Mr. Bakuma Elango Zacheus, his Vice, Chief Dr. Atem Ebako and the other members of the Bureau are known personalities. My congratulations to the President and his team. Let us focus on the people first before the buildings. They can meet in the Buea Council, deliberate and take decisions that will foster the socio-economic development of the Region.

 I am sure the Mayor and Buea Council will be happy to host the Regional Assembly for as long as they need the premises. Every effort should be made to construct a befitting structure for the South West Regional Assembly as soon as possible.

Do you think putting in place of these regional assemblies can really bring about the much-needed development, conscious that they are deliberative organs with limited powers?

We all know that deliberation is not in a vacuum. The Regional Assemblies and Councils have been given areas in which they participate or collaborate with the Central Administration.  

They can thus put original ideas on the table. The Southwest Regional Assembly can propose concrete, implementable programs for the national investment budget and some for implementation with regional resources. Investment projects can also be prepared that can attract external partners.

 The scope is quite broad and should be fully exploited. It does not mean they themselves must implement them directly. The Regional Assembly has an opportunity to sharpen the identification of its areas of competence. These have not been cast in stone.

In effect, are you saying that you believe they can bring about the needed development?

 I believe the Regional Assembly can bring about change because we as Anglophones are used to the bottom-up approach to development.

 If Municipal Councils, which are the building blocks of decentralization, are able to contribute to development in their municipalities with the limited resources at their disposition, there is no reason why Regional Assemblies and Regional Councils should not be able to do so in their respective Regions.

 At the moment there are no appropriate mechanisms for neighbouring municipal councils to work together to tackle problems that are too heavy for one council.

 In the case of Fako, for example, the regional assembly provides an opportunity for the seven councils or a sub-set of them to work together and solve the chronic water problem. 

However, as you are aware, development will not be possible without peace and security returning to the North West and South West Regions.

Article 66 of Cameroon constitution calls for declaration of assets by certain categories of government officials, including “all holders of elective office.” But this article is yet to go operational. Do you have any recommendation to our regional councilors on this?

It is unfortunate that this article of the 1996 constitution has not been implemented up to date. It is corruption that is sapping the energy confidence of the population. 

When the people see that officials are living well above their means they are discouraged and lose confidence in public institutions and officials. Corruption is rampant; projects are started, never completed but the budget is spent.

 The issue of corruption is very serious. CONAC is doing its best to educate the population and conducts investigations but it lacks the power to take corrective action. 

The Head of State has on many occasions decried the high level of corruption in the country and there are many former senior government officials in jail on corruption charges. It would make it easier for people to actually monitor and respect the declarations of the Head of State against corruption if Article 66 of the constitution was implemented.

In effect, are you recommending that regional councilors should become pace-setters in asset declaration?

This is a constitutional provision. We are in a system in which a decree of application is needed before constitutional provisions are implemented. That decree has to come out.

 I think it would not be wise for regional councilors to declare themselves as pace-setters on this issue. There should be a formal procedure for the implementation of this constitutional provision.

 On the other hand the President of the Regional Assembly should ensure that he appoints men and women of probity to positions of responsibility and that there is an audit function in the Regional Administration.

From your assessment, how special is the Special Status accorded to the two Anglophone regions?

As I said earlier, we are at both the end of the first phase of decentralization and the beginning of the second phase, which means we should be focusing on effective implementation of decentralization.

 It will require several months for the newly elected bureaux to sit down and look at the provisions in decentralization law, assess where there are gaps, where clarifications are needed and where they think there are omissions. 

There could be modifications of the law in the course of implementation. Without making it a battleground, issues can be identified that would enhance the effectiveness regional assemblies and the councils.

In the Special Status of the Northwest and Southwest regions, the specificities need to be examined and clarified. 

What is clear is that the Northwest and Southwest Regions have Regional Assemblies with two chambers; a House of Chiefs and a House of Divisional Delegates while the other eight Regions have Regional Councils of a single chamber including the Chiefs.

 The North West and South West Regions will also have Independent Conciliators. Hopefully in the months ahead there will be some clarity in the substance of the Special Status that could be easily understood.

 It may be that the North West and South West Regions will have wide margins of maneuver within their areas of competence to enhance Anglo-Saxon principles and norms, especially, community participation in socioeconomic development programmes and the award and control of contracts.

 If communities can be re-engaged in support of development activities that would be great. I saw my father and his friends convert an orchard to the present community field in Victoria using machetes, shovels and pickaxes. 

The Centenary stadium was started in 1957 or so with the same instruments. As a senior primary school pupil I also worked in the stadium picking stones together with my schoolmates.

 I saw my father start a water committee in Mutengene in the 1960s that resulted in the establishment of the water system that is still in use to this day. Community participation can enhance the realization of many socioeconomic infrastructures. 

This spirit has been discouraged by a system of shadowy centrally awarded contracts that are poorly executed but I am sure the population will respond positively if approached.

Concerning the ongoing Anglophone Crisis, You recently published an article in The Horizon newspaper, titled “Cameroon’s Anglophone Crisis: Now is the time to give peace a chance!” Why do you say peace be given a chance now when we know it is necessary for our daily living?

Yes, peace is necessary every day but it has been absent from the North West and South West Regions for many years now. The contribution of regional assembles and councils to development in these regions depends on the restoration of peace and security.

 There has never been a time when the Anglophone regions were connected by better roads. From Victoria (Limbe) to Mamfe to Bamenda and from Mamfe to Nigeria. If physical infrastructure alone could bring about development, we would be witnessing today our fastest pace of development. But that is not the case. Why? Because there is not peace and Security!

 Now regional institutions that were clamored for and whose absence contributed to the crisis are being put in place and now that there is increased evidence of appreciation of the discomfort and pain of Anglophones, peace is needed so as to create and enabling environment for resolution of any outstanding issues.

 We have all witnessed the pain people are going through, including the recent kidnapping of three Chiefs in Buea Municipality and the despicable murder of Chief Ikome Ngale of Dibanda village. 

When we start celebrating the opening of a few schools here and there while the vast majority are closed, when we jubilate that a few thousand IDPs have been given Christmas gifts while a million go unnoticed, when we announce with pride the distribution of a few hundred million FCFA to a hundreds of youths while millions of livelihoods have been destroyed, it is time to stop and address the issues that have gotten us to where we are before it gets worse. 

Reconstruction plans announced for the North West and South West Regions have a slim chance of success without peace. As we approach our 60^th anniversary as a country, we should reflect on our achievements and failures. Yes, now is the time to give peace a chance.

You could see that there was a general atmosphere of euphoria at the Buea Council during the election of the bureau of the SW Regional Assembly. Let us build on that, declare a ceasefire and sit around an inclusive dialogue table.

How do you feel as a Cameroonian that Cameroon which used to enjoy the moniker “Island of Peace in Central Africa” is now plagued by multiple crises?

Let me put it this way: The conflict in Cameroon is not a unique invention by Cameroon. A country is not just an anthem, a map, and a flag. A country is basically people and how they relate to each other; how they live and work together; how they interact with one another, how they share power and wealth. Building a country is work in progress. These issues need to be discussed from time to time and a modus vivendi agreed.

We should not feel ashamed that we have almost lost our appellation of an island of peace. The shame should be if we do little or nothing to regain it. Many countries, and some the great ones of today, have gone through similar problems or worse. 

The sad part for Cameroon is that elements of the current crisis were identified in the document Vision 2035 but attention was not paid to them. Cameroon is still struggling to become a country, still learning how to live together, how to respect each other’s tribal and cultural values including those inherited from colonization. 

The problems in the country are not all internal. In the East are refugees from Central African Republic; in the North we have refugees from Nigeria and IDPs resulting from activities of Boko Haram. The most urgent problem is the Anglophone crisis. If we solve that it would be easier to handle the rest and reclaim the moniker: “Island of peace.”

Dr. Ngongi, when you were a senior official with the United Nations you were instrumental in the resolution of several crises in other countries. If you were before President Paul Biya of Cameroon, what would you propose to him as the way forward toward resolving the Anglophone crisis?

We should bear in mind that no two countries or situations are exactly the same. Lessons can be learned and used to solve problems in different settings. Thus besides the normal courtesies of this festive season, I would raise three issues:

First, that he considers the declaration of a ceasefire and convening of an inclusive dialogue by an independent mediator as soon as possible. Such a modality could be attractive to the separatists. 

The pain being felt by people in the North West and South West Regions, especially women and children, is unbearable. An inclusive dialogue can result in the immediate resumption of education and socioeconomic activities in the two Regions. I would suggest that such a dialogue be convened before the 60^th anniversary of Unification.

Second, that Article 66 of the 1996 constitution be implemented with some urgency. This is needed for the population to regain confidence in state institutions and officials. In addition, the drain on the country’s limited financial resources through corruption is a serious constraint on development efforts by the public and private operators and jeopardizes the achievement of Vision 2035.

Third, that the newly established Regional Assemblies and Councils be empowered to render real services to their populations. There was great euphoria in the election of the Regional Assembly Bureaux.  This should be capitalized on. These three issues are what I would respectfully put to him. 

Do you have an appeal to make to separatist leaders?

It should be clear to all that the separatists have made their point. Many actions that are being taken by government in the past two years are in response to some of the grievances expressed by the separatists but without express recognition. 

Had these resulted from an inclusive dialogue the situation could have been different.  I would encourage the separatists to open up to an inclusive dialogue and also give peace a chance. 

 I would plead that they consider the unintended consequences of this crisis. I do not think that it is their deliberate decision that Anglophone children should not go to school or that the population should not engage in productive activities.

 I do not think they do not want Anglophones to take advantage of development opportunities around them or for the North West and South West Regions to take development advantage of their immense resources. The time is now for the separatist to take a deep breath and indicate clear willingness to participate in an inclusive dialogue.

What is your 2021 New Year wish for Cameroon?

Peace! Peace before the country’s 60^th unification anniversary. This will be a wonderful blessing to the people and the country. But Peace cannot be obtained by wishing, we all have to work for it.

(Courtesy: Africa Excellence magazine,January-February 2021 ,Cameroon)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cameroon: Euphoria As Michael Bibi Is Appointed New Buea Bishiop

 

By Christopher Ambe  & Sheron Tita

 His Lordship Michael Miabesue Bibi, aged about 50, was on Tuesday January 5, appointed by His Holiness Pope Francis as the new Bishop of the Diocese of Buea, in replacement of Bishop Immanuel Bushu, who retired in December 2019 after serving in that capacity since 2007.

Monseigneur Bibi is the 5^th Bishop of Buea

 Catholics in Buea, in euphoria, described the appointment of the new bishop as timely enough for the reinforcement the unity of the Diocese.

When Bishop Bushu retired at the age of 75, the Pope appointed Bishop Michael Miabesue Bibi as the Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Buea. He served as Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Buea and Auxiliary Bishop of the Arch Diocese of Bamenda until his new function as Chief Shepherd of the Diocese of Buea.

The news of Bishop Bibi’s appointment as Bishop of Buea was broken to a huge congregation of Catholic Christians on January 5 at the Regina Cathedral in Small Soppo, Buea by the Arch Bishop of the Bamenda Arch Diocese, His Grace Andrew Nkea

Bishop Bibi was born on July 28, 1971 in Bamessing, Northwest region, ordained priest on April 26, 2000. He studied in Cameroon and studied in the United Kingdom.

 In January 24, 2017 he was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of the Arch Diocese of Bamenda. He was consecrated Bishop on March 20, 2017 at St. Joseph Cathedral, Bamenda and later appointed Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Buea Diocese on December 28, 2019.

Reacting immediately after  his appointment, Bishop Bibi said of the challenge given him: “I know that with support from the Grace of God and collaboration with the priests and all the religious in the Diocese of Buea,  I will continue to work in order to make the Diocese to continue to be what it supposed to be.”

The Arch Bishop of the Diocese of Bamenda Diocese, Andrew Nkea, used the ceremony to shed light on duties of Bishop Michael Bibi  functioning as  an apostolic administrator and his becoming  a diocesan bishop.

The Arch Bishop said “being an apostolic administrator, he was governing the Diocese in the name of the Holy Father (Pope Francis) and was not a stable pastor for, at any time the Holy Father could ask him to [leave] the diocese; but now he is the stable Bishop of the Diocese of Buea and is going to govern the diocese in his own name as the local pastor and as the local ordinance.”

Professor Victor  Julius  Ngoh, President of  the Catholic  University institute of Buea(CUIB)  voiced out his expectations from the new Bishop: “ I expect him to continue with the good work he started and working very closely with his priests, religious and the various heads of institutions in the Diocese of Buea; and of course, work very closely with Bamenda bishops so that as one they can re-enforce the unity of the catholic  church not only in Bamenda Ecclesiastical  province but also in the country.”

 For his part, Emeritus Bishop of Diocese of Buea, Immanuel Bushu,who attended the annunciation of the new Bishop, said,“ I don't expect anything; the catholic church is the same for everybody, every time. When you come in, you just continue what your predecessor was doing.”

It would be recalled that as Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Buea and Proprietor of Catholic University Institute of Buea (CUIB), Bishop Bibi had made appointments in CUIB mid-2020, which sparked off a protest by some disgruntled ex-officials of the institute.

But unshaken by the opposition, Bishop Bibi invoked the Code of Canon law and the specific instructions given to him by the Holy See, bringing his challengers to order while forging ahead with his assigned duties; His duty-consciousness attracted the admiration of the Catholic Community and the general public.

His appointment as the new Bishop of the Diocese of Buea, to many, was the good news they had been waiting for.

 Michael Bibi becomes the fifth bishop of Buea.

The four who preceded him were:

Bishop Peter Rogan(1950-1962); Bishop Jules Peeters (1962-1973); Bishop Pius Suh

Awa (1973-2007); and Bishop Immanuel Bushu (2007-2019)

Cameroon: UN Inaugurates Rights Resource Centre in Buea

Officials and rights crusaders at Inauguration of HR Resource Centre,Buea

 By Christopher Ambe

The United Nations Center for Human Rights and Democracy in Central Africa in Yaounde was  in Buea from December 2-10, 2020, and carried out  a series of human rights activities including the launching of the first-ever Regional Human Rights Resource Centre.

The UN Center began its activities at Mountain Hotel Buea with a three-day (December 2-4) “Sensitization Workshop for Media Professionals on Human Rights and the Socio-economic Impacts of COVID-19 in Cameroon, during which journalists were drilled on communicating from a human rights perspective and they drafted COVIC-19 sensitization messages.

The three-day workshop, which assembled 30 journalists from Northwest,Southwest,Littoral and Centre regions, was facilitated among others, by Fonyuy Kiven Timothy,Human Rights Officer ,Information & Advocacy at the UN Human Rights Regional Office for Central Africa.

 The workshop was followed by rights sensitization visits to schools in Fako Division led by Fonyuy Kiven Timothy, and some Human Rights journalists.

Then, on December 10, 2020, which was the  72^nd Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,Louis-Marie Bouaka,director of the UN Center for Human Rights and Democracy in Central Africa, inaugurated  the first-ever Human Rights Resource Centre  in Buea.

Louis-Marie Bouaka 

The Buea resource centre is a partnership between the UN Rights Center in Yaounde and the Center for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa (CHRDA), Buea.

The HR resource center, which is located at CHRDA premises, is open to the public for education and research.

CHRDA,which has existed for over 15 years, was founded by   Barrister Felix Agbor Nkongho, who is also its CEO. Agbor Nkongho is a renowned Cameroonian rights crusader.

“We hope the HR Resource Centre would be useful to everyone; it is open to the public,” said Agbor Nkongho at its inauguration,which was witnessed among officials by Christopher Tambe Tiku, Regional Secretary of the National Commission on Human Rights and Freedoms, Southwest Region. 

Agbor Nkongho was thankful to the UN HR Regional Centre for its support towards the realization of the HR resource centre.

“Let us keep fighting against injustices in all forms. Let us ensure that we are the change we need to make Cameroon a better country.”

Every year, December 10 is celebrebarted as International Human Rights Day. The theme for 2020 International Human Rights Day (IHRD)   was “Recover Better”.

 Mr. Bouaka, who inaugurated the HR resource Center later, same day, held a press conference on the 2020 IHRD and co-chaired the launch of a CHRDA handbook on Human Rights at Mountain Hotel,Buea.

“The Universal Declaration of Human Rights sets out a broad          range of fundamental rights and freedoms to which all of us are entitled,” the Director of the UN Human Rights center told the press conference. “It guarantees the rights of every individual everywhere, without distinction based on nationality, place of residence,gender,national or ethnic origin,religion,language,or any other status.”

Answering questions from reporters, the Director emphasized the relevance Human Rights in daily lives.

Officials inside the Regional Human Resource Centre,Buea after inauguration

With regards to the Anglophone Crisis,Mr. Bouaka regretted that “ the right to education has been violently undermined along  with the right to life”. He added, “It is important to recover better the schooling conditions of children in the Northwest and Southwest regions, but also the North.”

The director admitted that 2020 was a very challenging year for human rights as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, which he said exacerbated the already existing human rights concerns within the sub region.

“Our capacity to implement the sub regional programme was greatly reduced due to the barrier measures put in place by governments of the sub region”, noted the director who added that thanks to ICT the UN HR Centre touched “indispensable targets with key human rights messages around the COVID-19 pandemic, and advocated for human rights complaint measures to deal with the virus”

He hoped that in 2021 the HR Centre would “get more people to know about their rights and thus contribute to s society of Mutual respect, accountability and the rule of law.”

At the book launch, Mr. Bouaka hailed CHRDA for publishing a handbook on human rights, which he recommended as a “unique tool for national human rights actors.”

The Nigerian Consul-General for the Southwest and Northwest regions attended the press conference, book launch and inauguration of the HR resource centre.

 

 

President Paul Biya: ‘Anglophone Crisis’ has caused untold damage to Cameroon.

In his New Year message to the nation delivered on December 31, 2020, President Paul Biya admitted that the insecurity now prevailing in the Northwest and Southwest regions provoked by the Anglophone Crisis, has caused untold damage to country. 

                  HEAD OF STATE’S NEW YEAR MESSAGE TO THE NATION

                                     ********

 Fellow Cameroonians,

 My dear compatriots, 

 I am convinced that you understand why I am beginning this traditional message by talking about the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic on our planet. In this regard, 2020 will undoubtedly be remembered as a dark year marked by hundreds of thousands of deaths worldwide.

 Like almost all countries, Cameroon was affected, perhaps less severely than other States. Despite our efforts, COVID-19 plunged many families into mourning and seriously hampered the functioning of our economy and society.

 I take this opportunity to hail once more the dedication of our physicians, nurses and health personnel as a whole, thanks to whom many lives have been and continue to be saved. It is perhaps too early to try to draw lessons from this painful episode which, moreover, is continuing.

 Needless to recall that this pandemic is not the first and history has it that epidemics wiped out entire populations, the most recent occurring in the wake of the First World War. Should man take the blame because of his wanton exploitation of the planet’s natural resources and his constant engagement in conflicts leading to massacres and diseases, as well as experiments to develop new weapons? I believe the question needs to be asked. 

Whatever the answer, our era should take credit for clearly posing the problem of the relationship between man and his natural environment. This was, I believe, the objective of the Paris Conference on Global Warming, whose recommendations are still relevant today. 

 In any case, we should not rest on our laurels. I have personally observed that most of our fellow citizens no longer comply with the protective measures prescribed by the Government.

 At a time when, everywhere else, there is a second wave of the epidemic, coupled with the appearance of a new and more contagious strain of the virus, I urge you once again to put on your face masks, to wash your hands regularly and to consult a physician or any other health personnel if you notice any symptoms. This is the only way to save lives and to curb the spread of the virus. 

My dear compatriots,

 Our focus on the health situation did not prevent us from devoting ourselves to other essential tasks related to the management of our country, namely: - maintaining security and peace throughout our national territory; - strengthening our democratic process; and - pursuing our economic, social and cultural development programme. 3 In recent years, our country has been facing external threats, particularly on our eastern border and in the northern part of our country. In the first case, the threat comes from highway robbers lured by easy prey, namely peaceful stockbreeders and their herds. 

In the second, the threat now takes the form of isolated raids by Boko Haram or suicide bomb attempts by teenagers. The effective vigilance and action of our Defence and Security Forces have significantly reduced the activities of these criminals. The situation is different in the North-West and South-West Regions where armed groups maintain an atmosphere of terror and insecurity. 

They attack isolated communities and educational institutions from time to time to discourage parents from sending their children to school. The list of atrocities and crimes committed by these groups is already long. One of the most heinous of them is that which took place in Kumba recently, resulting in the death of seven school children with several others injured. 

 This crime, which is a shock to the human conscience, will not go unpunished. All the perpetrators will be hunted down relentlessly and brought to justice. Already, public opinion, particularly in the two regions concerned, can realize, if that is not yet the case, that these so-called “secessionists” are actually nothing more than murderers, and what is more, murderers of innocent children. 

To say that the Kumba carnage caused widespread outrage is an understatement. I would now like to appeal, once more, to the sense of responsibility of the friendly countries hosting the sponsors and of the organizations financing and running the armed gangs in the North-West and South-West Regions, through various channels. All those who would be identified at the end of investigations as initiators or accomplices of these odious crimes will answer for their actions.

 Yet our Government has continued to demonstrate its commitment to openness and dialogue by, for example, releasing many former secessionists and facilitating their reintegration into society. Furthermore, after the Major National Dialogue, the Government fast-tracked the implementation of an ambitious decentralization policy which includes a special status for our North-West and South-West Regions, which takes into account their specificities and aspirations.

 I once more urge the youths who have been enlisted in armed gangs to come out of the bush and sign up with the Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) centres in order to return to a normal life, like their other young compatriots.

 The prevailing insecurity in the North-West and South-West Regions has caused untold damage to our country. Our democracy allows for the peaceful expression of all opinions, in compliance with the laws and regulations in force. Otherwise, peace and stability would be jeopardized.

 I hail the patriotic spirit of those of our fellow citizens in the North-West and South-West Regions who are not only increasingly cooperating with the Defence and Security Forces, but are also courageously fighting these armed gangs. They have realized that these gangs are not acting in the interest of the people.

 I would also like to commend here the bravery of our Defence and Security Forces that have not failed in their duty to protect the integrity of the national territory, the people and property. They deserve the respect and consideration of everyone.

 I encourage them to keep it up and to remain a republican force that respects human rights. It is equally regrettable that some of our compatriots, who rallied around a personality who failed to achieve his ambitions during the last presidential election, took advantage of security and health difficulties to try to stir up a revolt falsely referred to as “peaceful marches”. 

Fortunately, very few people took part in these marches, thanks to the maturity of Cameroonians. Needless to recall that in a democracy, access to political office is secured through the ballot box and not through the street, certain media organs or social media networks. 

 This is precisely the case in Cameroon where the democratic process is being conducted in accordance with the provisions of our Constitution and the rules laid down by our laws, as amply illustrated by the following recent happenings:

 - In March 2018, the term of office of Senators was renewed. 

- In October 2018, the Head of State was elected with an overwhelming majority

. - In February 2020, legislative elections were held, with the Government securing a comfortable majority in the National Assembly.

 - On the same date, municipal elections put an end to the system of government delegates in major towns, which are now managed by elected mayors.

 - In December 2020, regional elections completed the implementation of the provisions of the decentralization process.

 Thus, with each passing day, our political will to implement the democratic agenda that is in line with the genuine aspirations of the Cameroonian people is further strengthened, an agenda initiated upon my accession to the helm of State and which led, a few years later, to the institution of the multiparty system.

 To those who are criticizing the imperfections of our democracy, I would like to say that it took us just a few decades to put it in place. The major democratic countries, for their part, did so only after several centuries marked by revolutions, civil wars and even episodes of dictatorship. For my part, I am well aware of all that is still to be done

. I am, however, convinced that we are on the right track and that soon we will all be proud of our democratic progress. My dear compatriots, It must be acknowledged that the international context - in particular the coronavirus pandemic and the decline in global growth – took a toll on the performance of our public finance and our economy during the year that is drawing to an end.

 While maintaining our growth targets, we had to take fiscal consolidation and economic support measures in order to weather these difficult times and enable the implementation of a recovery policy in 2021. Thus, a decision was taken to finalize African Nations Championship (CHAN) 2021 and Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2022 projects, and to continue to implement plans for the reconstruction and development of the North-West, South-West and Far-North Regions. 

 Despite these efforts, it is expected that our growth rate, which had stabilized at around 4% in recent years, will witness a sharp decline in 2020 and that inflation will inch up.

 This is undoubtedly due to the impact of the global economic downturn and our domestic economic trends, especially the increase in security spending. Nonetheless, Cameroon’s economy has maintained a certain capacity to rebound despite the difficulties. Thanks to support from our international partners and, in the event of a decline in the pandemic, there is reason to hope for recovery in the coming months.

 In the same vein, I would now like to draw your attention to the recent launch of our National Development Strategy (NDS) which replaces the Growth and Employment Strategy Paper (GESP) that has come to an end. 

 The National Development Strategy defines the main thrusts of our planning up to 2030. 

The document draws lessons from past experiences and sets new goals for the next decade, notably the structural transformation of our economy and inclusive development.

 It will therefore be necessary to step up the fight against poverty, unemployment and the lingering informal sector. It will also be necessary to strive to achieve an 8% growth rate by embarking on the  structural transformation of our economy and enhancing the effectiveness of public spending. 

In so doing, we will put all the odds of achieving emergence by 2035 on our side. Naturally, we will also continue to implement our social development policy which was defined at the start of the current seven-year term concerning youth employment, education, health and family.

 These, my dear compatriots, are the outlines of the action that the Government has, despite the difficulties, strove to implement in recent months and that it will continue to implement in the coming years, which will be crucial for our progress towards emergence. 

I am convinced that we will be able to achieve our objectives, provided that we agree to make the required efforts and to embark on the needed reforms. Fellow Cameroonians, My dear compatriots, 

The year that is ending has not been an easy one. We had to meet many major challenges. We must remain united and determined, like in the past. The Cameroonian people have always risen to the challenges facing them. We should be proud of this. 

Happy and Prosperous New Year to you all.

 Long live the Republic!

 Long live Cameroon!