John Fru Ndi, Chairman of Cameroon’s most populous opposition party, the Social Democratic Front (SDF), staged a protest on 22 August 2025 at the Matazem gateway to Bamenda.
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| SDF Chairman in Matazem. Photo by Ojong Stephen |
The SDF leader said he was demonstrating against the deplorable state of the Bafoussam–Bamenda road, where a section between Babajou and Mbouda had left traffic paralysed for nearly an entire day. After inspecting the damaged stretch, Fru Ndi returned to the Matazem toll gate, ordered ticket sellers to leave the premises, and demanded that no tolls be collected until the road was rehabilitated. By the time he arrived, the toll gate had already been locked.
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| State of the road. Photo by Ojong Stephen |
Fru Ndi argued that it was unlawful to charge road users when the highway had become almost impassable. His protest followed a crisis meeting in Bamenda between regional travel agency operators and Governor Adolphe Lele L’Afrique, held on the day traffic was blocked. The transporters threatened to suspend services unless the road was repaired and declared they would no longer pay toll fees. Despite appeals from the governor, they maintained their refusal to pay.
Since the protest led by Fru Ndi, toll collection at Matazem has been suspended, while temporary works are underway to make the road passable. The action marked his second protest in less than two weeks, the first being against what he described as violations of land tenure laws by the Fokou enterprise in Mile Four, Nkwen.
Travelling into Bamenda from other parts of the country remains a major challenge due to the poor condition of the road.
By Bakak Derick