RIB Buea ex-trainees protest over alleged land-grabbing

RIB Buea ex-trainees protesting against the encroachment of their alma mater

  By Mosina  Belnovis*

  Former trainees of the Rehabilitation Institute for the Blind (RIB), Buea, fondly known as Bulu Blind Center, last July 22 , took to the streets (at Buea Mile 17 Motor Park), disrupting traffic in order to draw public attention to the alleged sale of the land of their alma mater.

They alleged that the Chief of Bomaka, Chief Kombe Masua Jonathan, had sold part of land allocated to RIB Buea, claiming it was a new layout given to him by the Cameroon government. This reporter did not succeed to accost Chief Kombe Masua for his reaction to the allegation.

 But according to Mr. Godfred Anutemeh, director of the RIB Buea, the protestors ought not to attack workers on the land sold out but should rather target the buyers of plots in the disputed land.

Mr. Anutemeh expressed regret that “we targeted workers of the place instead of targeting those people who bought plots in that place; we should find out buyers of the plots there and   target them if we want the problem to end.”

The Director of RIB told The Horizon that after the ex-trainees tabled their protest to the Divisional Officer of Buea, Mr. Abba Abdouraman, the latter reassured them that their complaint would be looked into for a quick solution.

The Buea DO had reportedly issued an injunction order on the disputed land, pending a solution to the problem, but people were still building houses on the said land.

   The DO, in an interview reaffirmed that he had given an injunction order when the people of Bulu Blind Center first complained to him about the alleged encroachment into their land; he revealed he had   even given an order to the law enforcement forces to arrest anyone seen building on the land, but regrettably his order was not respected by the buyers.

 The DO said the disputed land was not allotted to anyone by the Government, but promised to summon the purported owners of plots there to bring their land ownership documents to prove their case.

   Bulu Blind Center was created in 1967 by the British Protestant missionaries and was operational in Muyuka Sub-division.

In 1968, the institution was moved to its present site at Bulu village. It is fondly called Bulu Blind Center in reference to the place where the institution is found.

  The institution, powered by a presidential decree, became operational in 1980 as a specialized institution for the blind, placed under the Ministry of Social Affairs.

 The institute was created to empower visually impaired people,so they could actively  participate in the development of their communities

. Some major difficulties the institute faces, according to the director, is their land security situation and inadequate water supply in the area.

RIB   has 29 trainees: 11 females and 19 males, the director said.

( Mosina  Belnovis is a University of Buea Journalism student on internship )

NB: This report was first published in The Horizon Newspaper,Cameroon,of July 28,2022