The
United Nations Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Central Africa in
partnership with the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural
Organization UNESCO will on the 3rd of May, 2017 organise a round
table conference in Limbe South West Region.
The
event to assemble invited English Speaking Journalists in Limbe will take place
with the theme: Freedom of information, the right to know.
Amongst
the speakers will be Jean Roland Onana of UNESCO who is expected to present a
paper on the theme of the 2017 World Press Freedom Day and the Situation of
journalists around the world and Fonyuy Kiven T. Frankline on Freedom of
information, the right to know.
A
panel discussion on how to overcome challenges to media freedom will
characterize the second half of the day with very meaning media professionals
amongst them George Ngwane, Tarhyang Tabe, Epie Ngome Victor, Zachee Nzoh
Ngandemou; Kwi Bangsi.
This
year’s event comes at the time when journalists in the North West and South
West regions of Cameroon have been forced to go without internet for over three
months reason why in Bamenda, the Cameroon Association of English Speaking
Journalist CAMASEJ NW chapter will lead an event dedicated to reflecting on
journalism without the internet and collection of funds for journalists in
detention across Cameroon. The Bamenda event according to Ngong Song Jean Marie
CAMASEJ NW chapter Secretary General will start with an ecumenical service, fund
raising for detained journalists and later paper presentations on the
challenges facing journalism practice in Bamenda and the North West Region as a
whole.
World
Press Freedom Day is observed internationally every May 3, with the intention
to bring to the fore the challenges facing journalists around the world in
particular situations as relates to freedom and access to information.
The
North West and South West regions will be observing this year’s World Press
Freedom Day with fresh memories of the arrest of Tim Finnian Publisher- Editor
of the Life Time Newspaper based in the North West, Tilarious Atia Buea CAMASEJ
chapter President and reporter with the Sun, Amos Afung The Guardian Post
Southwest and littoral bureau chief amongst others who have been caught in the
“cross fire” as they discharge their duties.
The
recent closure and re-opening of Radio Hot Cocoa Bamenda and the indefinite
suspension of some staff from broadcasting just like the closure of Jakiri
community radio and recent suspensions slammed on newspapers and journalists
plus constant treats of bans and suspensions will also remain vivid in the
minds of pressmen and women as they observe the day.
2011
25000 recruitment of young graduates
Assistant
Lecturers petition government for non-posting
Representatives
of some candidates pre-selected to be posted into state universities across
Cameroon within the 2011 recruitment of 25000 young unemployed graduates into
the public service within the 2011 fiscal year have remained restless after
what they describe as the delay and refusal to effect their posting after their
recruitment by the Ministry of Higher Education.
The
several written complains with some dating back to 2012 which the guardian post
stumbled on copies addressed to different stakeholders amongst them The
President of the Republic, The Prime Minister and Head of Government, The
minister of Higher Education, The Secretary General in the Ministry of Public
Service and Administrative Reforms, The Chairperson of the National
Anti-Corruption Commission (CONAC) and The Chairperson of the National
Commission for Human Rights and Freedoms,
the disgruntled lecturers say their non-posting is “not only causing
unemployment distress to deserving class of scholarly Cameroonian youths and
their families, but also the deleterious effect of inefficiency and less
productivity in our university in particular and economy in general.”
In
the different complaints, the disappointed lecturers are even proposing to be
posted to other ministries where their services could be useful if the Ministry
of Higher Education where they were originally employed does not need their
services.
The
protesting lecturers have lamented over the ill treatment of “their complete
files submitted at the inspection service of the Ministry of Higher Education
within the stated time frame and had receipts of depositions of complete
documents issued them.” In what looks like an accusation for government
disrespect of constitutional provisions like justice and equity, the assistant
lecturers note that “some candidates shortlisted in the various categories in
the list of pre-selected assistant lecturers have already been poste to various
state universities.” This in some way promotes “nepotism, favouritism and all
other aspects of corruption and discrimination which the constitution
condemns.
The
close to 25 signatories are also worried about the constant talk by various
Vice Chancellors and Rectors of State universities of great need for university
academic staff yet their case remain meaningless to everyone.
At
near bended knees, the Assistant lecturers say they are still prepared to work
relentlessly and selflessly once posted in assisting in the transformation of
Cameroon into an Emerging Economy by the year 2035.
Bafut diaspora
to boast Council development efforts
Councilors of
the Bafut Council have endorsed a proposal by the Mayor of the Council to
receive a caterpillar within the Public Private Partnership PPP intended to
boast the development efforts of the Municipality. The deliberation which came
with six others was adopted during the 2016 management and administrative
account session of the council Thursday April 20, 2017. Substantiating the
move, Mayor Langsi Abel Ngwasoh explained that the caterpillar gift is from the
Bafut community in the United States of America culturally known as Manjong has
decided to offer the equipment within the PPP for the development of the
municipality. According to the Mayor, proceeds from the equipment will be shared
between the council and the Manjong USA and when the council is no longer in
need it will be returned to the primary owner.
The
councilors during the session also adopted the management accounts of the
council which gave an income realization rate of 62%. According to the
Municipal Treasurer of the Council Nche Fru Abongwa the low realization was due
to the vacuum created by the run-away former treasurer of the council Taka
Babilla who escaped with over FCFA 17M. This did not only cost the council some
liquidity but also the inability to collect revenue due to the closure of the
Council treasury for the moment. The banning of sand trucks from within the
municipality also reduced revenue which came in as sand exploitation fees and
finally the Municipal treasurer also noted that not for the recent and ongoing
socio political crisis which prevented tax drive, revenue would have been
better. Talking to The Guardian Post Mayor Langsi noted that he is considering
2016 poor because previous years have always gone beyond that recording well
over 80% revenue collection.
With
over FCFA 15M being carried forward to 2017, the Mayor hopes to realize several
projects amongst them payment of debts, continuation of work in the municipal
stadium, construction of water points in Njimbee, Nforya, Mundum amongst
others.
Taking
turns, the Member of Parliament for Bafut-Tubah Hon Fusi Wilfred and the DO for
Bafut Jude Ebong Ewane praised the councilors for their commitment in working
for the development of the municipality. While the MP used the session to drive
home his position on the current crisis facing Cameroon from the English
speaking region. Like SDF, Hon Fusi maintained that take-off for a solution on
the crisis is the reconnection of the internet, release of detained Anglophones
and demilitarization of the English speaking regions. The DO on his part will insist
on the return to school pupils who have been off since November last year.
According to the local administrator, education remains a condition cine-quanun
for the development of every community and Bafut cannot afford to be kept
backward on development issues because of lack of education.
Basic
Education inspector reduce school to once a week
The
basic education inspector for Bafut sub division has announced the creation of
study clusters in the Subdivision as a means to manage the current school
boycott crisis ongoing across the English Speaking regions of Cameroon.
Speaking
in Bafut recently, the Inspector told Councilors of the Bafut Council and the
DO of Bafut that he has created close to ten clusters intended to coach pupils
ahead of the Common Entrance and the First School Leaving Certificate exams
expected in two months. The clusters the inspector explained group’s pupils
within a particular area belonging to different schools for coaching every
Saturday.
The
inspector who claims to have visited all the clusters told the assembly on the
DO’s request that teachers have been attending without pupils who he added are
being threatened.
The
declaration comes just a few days after a school was attacked on reopening day
Monday April 17, 2017. Though there are disagreeing reports as to the number of
youths who attacked the school with the Bafut DO’s Office talking of 20 and the
community talking of two, the much we gathered was that, after the attack, the
youths made away with the flag which later emerged at the palace of the chief
who claims to have ordered that the flag be taken bag to school.
The
DO Jude Mbong noted educational issues are very close to his heart and so no
one should tamper with the education of future Cameroonians. He notes that
while protesting it is important to look at the realities about the protest and
its possible successes. According to the DO, the civil disobedience being
witnessed has gone for too long and with the declarations of the Head of State
people should know what is achievable and what is not. Consequently people
should stop the boycott of schools and return to normalcy within the shortest
possible time.
Some
individuals have been castigated believed to have connection with authorities
in the nation’s capital for depriving poor and underprivileged people in
Njibujang Bafut Sub Division from the electrification of their homes. According
to what the Guardian Post gathered during the April 20, 2017 Administrative
accounts, the electrification of Njibujang which is a council project has met
with resistance from some persons in the said community. On the request of the
Divisional Officer DO for Bafut Jude Mbong Ewane on clarifications on the
matter as relates the supply of electric current on the installed lines, the Councilor
for the area Neba Albert Kare detailed that the delay has been caused by some
elites who claimed that they followed up the project in Yaounde. The councilor
further detailed that some FCFA 3M was earlier contributed by the community
intended to carry out the electrification of Njibujang and some people did not
contribute. With the coming of the new project by the Bafut Council with no
connection to the earlier collections, tongues are now wagging as to the where
about of the said FCFA 3M as the collectors have challenged the choices made by
the council as to who gets a free meter board which falls within the project.
But
according to the Mayor of Bafut Langsi Abel Ngwasoh the project provided
possibility for very poor homes in the community to be given meter boards. He
regretted that after the councilor took off time to identify these far below
average income earners, the said community members reportedly removed the meter
demanding these homes pay their own levies. Mayor Langsi who will qualify the
move as extortion, denounced the action calling on the situation to be
immediately redressed adding that “there is nobody who can say that he had to
follow up. I think that the state sent the credits to us in good fate and if
people did whatever thing they did somewhere let them go and ask for their
money there. It is not here (Bafut) that they have to come and trouble the local
villagers to whom we gave meters free of charge to use their electricity and
some people went around removing those meters. It is a very deplorable
situation.” He regretted that “the project has been realized but the community
is not yet using it because of the fact that the line has not been energized by
ENEO. We have made frantic efforts to see that this is regularized but as of
now the situation is still at a stalemate. We don’t know what to do for that
particular line to be energized.”
The
DO who acknowledged haven heard a lot of complains on the project requested the
councilor to meet him for a better understanding of the situation. The
councilor for the area who will also note that according to government services
the non-supply of electricity to the area is delayed by minutes in the hands of
a man not known him promised to meet the DO for a better appraisal of the
situation.
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