Bali Mayor Wandum Ernest Buga has defended the development record of the Bali Council from 2020 to 2026, citing investments in water supply, roads, education, healthcare and market infrastructure despite security challenges linked to the ongoing armed conflict in the North-West Region.
Speaking during a press conference in Bali on Friday, the Mayor said the council had deliberately adopted a low-profile approach to development to protect projects, council staff and other collaborators from potential attacks and vandalism.
He explained that the prevailing security situation had made publicising council activities risky, prompting him to avoid directly associating some projects with the council and instead acknowledge the support of other institutions and members of the diaspora.
The Mayor said the decision to hold the press conference followed negative publicity surrounding him and the council. He acknowledged that the public disclosure of certain activities could expose projects and put the lives of collaborators, including council staff and councillors, at risk.
The press conference, which brought together journalists, quarter heads and council staff, was described by Mayor Wandum Ernest as the council’s first formal accountability exercise since he took office in February 2020.
He said the exercise had initially been intended to take place annually but was delayed because of security concerns.
Recounting the situation he inherited in February 2020, Mayor Wandum Ernest said the council was operating from a makeshift office outside the municipality after its former council hall was burnt. He also reported that local revenue collection had been disrupted since 2017, staff salaries were unpaid and more than 80 per cent of projects had been abandoned by contractors.
Against this background, the Mayor said his administration established three priorities: restoring service delivery, reviving socioeconomic activities and contributing to peace through development.
He maintained that the council had relied heavily on state funding to implement public investment projects, particularly during periods when local revenue collection was almost nonexistent.
“Bali Council under my stewardship has not recorded an abandoned project,” he said, adding that no payment authorisation sent to the council had been returned to Yaoundé.
Mayor Wandum Ernest also claimed that the council had performed strongly in the execution of public investment budget projects in Mezam Division and the North-West Region, despite the security and operational difficulties.
Water supply featured prominently in the Mayor’s account of the council’s achievements. He said the administration prioritised access to potable water in 2020 to reduce the risk of waterborne diseases, including cholera, and support efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19.
Among the projects cited were the reconstruction of dam chambers for the Koplap gravity water system, the Kutandsti 60-cubic-metre water scheme, the Ngwandikang water scheme, water points in Bangu and Bakali, and the resumption of work on the Bawock gravity water scheme, which he said had been abandoned since 2018.
Further interventions included the extension of water pipelines from the Njenka tank to administrative quarters in Gwan, rehabilitation of water systems in Mantum and Djenka, and the construction of a 50-cubic-metre overhead tank with a five-kilometre distribution network at Naka.
On road infrastructure, Mayor Wandum Ernest cited the construction of the first phase of the Ngwantkan Bridge in 2020 and completion of its slab in 2021–2022. He also listed the rehabilitation of the T-Junction–Bamombo–Ngehgab farm-to-market road and improvements to communal roads linking Mbufung, Gungong, Etoma, Nahkoton and Upper Mbufung.
Another major project was the reinforced concrete bridge over River Kufom, linking Bali and Mbengwi, which he said was constructed with support from the Road Fund. Road grading works along the CCU–Ngwandikang stretch, covering approximately four kilometres, were also highlighted.
The Mayor said the council had undertaken rehabilitation works at Government School Bali Japanese School Complex, including four blocks of three classrooms in 2022. Further interventions included the renovation of Government Nursery School Bali Japanese School in 2024 and additional school improvements in 2025.
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In the health sector, Mayor Wandum Ernest cited the construction of a VIP toilet at Gungong Integrated Health Centre, the supply of medical equipment to health centres in Wosin, Mantum and Naka, and the construction of the Wosin Integrated Health Centre through SAPIDACAM support.
He added that work at the Mantum Integrated Health Centre had been completed and that the second phase of fencing around the Bali Urban Integrated Health Centre had been carried out.
The council’s economic interventions, according to the Mayor, included support to the Bali Nyonga Palace Museum and the Bossa and Bawock palaces in 2022.
He also cited the provision of an extruder to the Bali Fish Farmer Cooperative, distribution of agricultural inputs to the Mbimni Nchusam Common Initiative Group and municipal farmers, construction of meat sheds at Njenka-Hausa, and the construction of 16 market sheds at Bawock.
For 2026, the Mayor listed the renovation of the Bali Main Market and the acquisition of a 20-tonne dump truck as major developments under his administration.
Mayor Wandum Ernest further announced that the new council office complex at GRA Gwan, near the Divisional Officer’s office, had been completed and received in 2025. The council returned to the Bali Municipality in 2026 and is now operating from its home municipality, he said.
Presenting figures for the council’s investments, Mayor Buga reported that the 2022 Basic Investment Programme recorded an allocation of FCFA 160.5 million, with a 100 per cent execution rate.
He also cited FCFA 600 million under SAPIDACAM for 2022, bringing the combined figure for the two programmes to FCFA 760.5 million.
For 2024, the Mayor reported FCFA 442.71 million under the Additional Investment Programme, also with 100 per cent execution. He said the 2025 Basic Investment Programme recorded 100 per cent physical execution, while FCFA 261 million was projected for 2026.
The figures were presented by the Mayor during the press conference. Independent verification of the reported allocations and execution rates was not available at the time of reporting.
Addressing concerns and rumours about the award of council contracts, Buga said the Mayor did not personally award contracts from his office.
He explained that projects were first identified through the Council Development Plan and subjected to feasibility studies, soil tests and environmental requirements before being put out to tender.
According to him, tenders were published through the national online procurement portal, COLEPS, and in accordance with procedures overseen by the Public Contracts Regulatory Agency and the Ministry of Public Contracts.
He said the council’s Internal Tenders Board was responsible for opening and evaluating technical and financial bids under the supervision of the relevant public procurement authorities.
The Mayor also clarified that the contract price should not be confused with the direct cost of executing a project. He explained that contract sums include taxes, the contractor’s profit and other costs, while the valuation of quantities and pricing follow established state procedures.
His explanation was intended to address concerns about how public investment funds were calculated and used. The detailed contracts and project accounts were not independently examined during the press conference.
Mayor Wandom Buga called on residents, quarter heads and community leaders to take responsibility for maintaining infrastructure delivered in their localities.
He said water catchment management committees had been established for schemes in Koplap, Kutandsti and Naka, and urged residents to protect the facilities against vandalism and neglect.
The Mayor added that projects were selected in consultation with village and neighbourhood committees, arguing that community participation should continue after construction and handover.
“Government and Council will build, but only the community can sustain,” he said.
He also appealed for unity and cooperation as the council continued its activities in Bali, saying development efforts should not be undermined by the prevailing security situation.
Concluding his presentation, the Mayor rejected what he described as attempts to discredit his administration, suggesting that criticism had intensified ahead of elections.
He maintained that his administration remained committed to delivering services to the population and invited critics to assess the council’s work on the ground, particularly in roads, water supply and other public infrastructure.
By Bakah Derick for Hilltopvoices Web
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