Communiqué on fare increase ignite conflict between Magloire and Nkili

Following a communiqué signed last Wednesday by the minister of trade, Luc Magloire Mbarga raised the minimum taxi fare from 200 – 250FCFA leading to a conflict between him and his counterpart Robert Nkili.

Nkili who apparently was not in favour with Magloire’s move signed a similar communiqué from Yaounde instituting the same rule as did Luc Magloire. While Magloire took the decision on a campaign mission in Douala to caution people to not take advantage of the situation not to sanction consumers with exorbitant prices as a result of the fuel price hike. Nkili however on his part signed the communiqué in Yaounde shortly after that of Magloire was read on state radio.

Even though neither Nkili nor Magloire has made any open statement as to whether either of them is gratified with the right to decree the increase of taxi fare, rumours around has it that Luc Magloire Mbarga may have stepped into Nkili’s shoes to execute functions which does not fall within his area of operation.

Meanwhile Magloire’s attendants are arguing that as minister of trade, he is in charge of prices, which give him the authority to intervene in the price control in any domain. But his critics have refused to see any reasoning in the argument raised by his advocates.

This school of thought argues that as trade minister, Magloire is concerned with the control of prices of local commodities and not prices of services. A Yaounde-based teacher told The Guardian Post that he was yet to reconcile the action of the trade minister with his actual competences. He regretted the fact that a government minister of Magloire’s standing could go this far to usurp functions that are not officially his.

Albeit in Douala on a mission to caution traders against taking advantage of the fuel price increase to swell prices of local commodities, Magloire has come under stiff disrepute after last Wednesday’s communiqué.