Veteran journalist Prince Ndoki Essoka Mukete, one time member of the secessionist group, SCNC, and the Social Democratic Front, SDF party has declared that the prolonged delay in the tarring of the Kumba Mamfe road is a francophone ploy against the economic stability of Southern Cameroons.
Ndoki made the declaration Friday, during an exclusive interview granted The Post on issues surrounding the Kumba-Mamfe road, which the people of the Southwest have been expecting to get a new coat of tar for several decades. "I say this without any apology that, the issue of the Kumba-Mamfe road is a Francophone ploy to deprive the Southern Cameroons of their economic ability," Ndoki declared.
According to the Prince of the Bafaw clan in Kumba, repeated failures by Government, since the days of late President Ahmadou Ahidjo, to respect given deadlines for the construction of the road causes some Cameroonians to move about with the idea that, Government does not want to tar the road for fear of secessionist movements like the SCNC and countries like Nigeria.
The one time SDF Provincial Chairman for the Southwest averred that, the Kumba-Mamfe road has not been tarred because from the days of Ahidjo, Southwesterners have not agitated for it. He further stated that, tarring the road is not a favour to the people of the Southwest Region as some people think.
To him, the Kumba-Mamfe road, if tarred, will benefit the entire economy of Cameroon and the Government more than anyone else. The multiplier effect, Ndoki stressed, will be felt in homes as farmers would earn more money from their produce and not rely on political promises.
Quizzed if the already existing bridges built decades ago will be of use in the new project, the elite of the Southwest argued that, the purpose for which they were constructed has not been fulfilled and so remain valuable till date. He substantiated that, because the bridges were constructed by certified engineers of international repute, they remain valid.
Reacting to information concerning the road, the veteran journalist said any information that is not coming from Government remains false, because it finances the project.
Ndoki lamented that, the Minister in charge of Communication has fallen short of communicating Government’s' actions. TChiroma, he stated, communicates what he thinks and not Government action.
He suggested that, since the Government has all the time, it should always check its calendar properly, before making pronouncements.
Drivers May Take Laws Into Own Hands
When The Post visited the Kumba Mamfe road park at Three-Corners Ntam Friday, most drivers, who elected for anonymity, admitted nursing feelings of seeking assistance from what they called armed or pressure groups, if Government fails to commence work on the road as announced this 2014.
Bonaventure Tashia, a driver on the Kumba-Mamfe road for the last 15years told The Post that, if the problem of the road is not solved, then he would seek assistance from those who could practically scare or rattle the regime.
Tashia who is a supervisor of the Kumba-Mamfe Road Highway Drivers Association, Khuma Hidu, stated that he fears experiencing the kind of pain he went through last year when the road became impassable.
The driver said any moment from now, the road will become impassable while drivers become jobless and their wives and siblings stay without food.
The driver regretted that, the President of the Republic assured the people of the Southwest severally that the road will be tarred but that till date, the situation is worse off than before. He said before, it was the American Agro Industrial company SG SOC that used to grade the road and later on drivers learnt that Tamsol Enterprise sued SG SOC for doing its job by grading the road for free.
Moses Nganyang, with over 11 years of driving experience on the same road, told The Post that, as at Wednesday June 4, he could not drive further than Tinto Mbu leading to Tinto Town.
Nganyang regretted that, trucks transporting timber and other goods help to increase the depth of the pot holes on the road. He explained that, the sizes of the pot holes on the road increases every second as vehicles struggle to drive through.
Another driver remarked that, the stretch of the road from Eyang, Ashom to Bakebe remains a headache to drivers given its swampy nature, nurtured by the shed from ‘Indian-bamboos’.
There Is No Political Gimmick
On his part, Chief John Mediko of Konye told This Reporter that, the announced tarring of the Kumba Mamfe road is not a political gimmick. Mediko said because of this conviction; he has been talking to his subjects, urging them to remain calm because he is aware that Government is working towards making the project a reality.
The traditional ruler disclosed that, he personally talked with the leader of the African Development Bank delegation assigned to Cameroon on the project. Going by him, the Libyan assured that, Cameroon has already paid her share of the money and that the project will be realised.
Public Works Minister To Visit Southwest, June 18.
Amidst the controversy, rumour and general public discontent about the non commencement of work on the road, a source at the Meme Divisional Delegation of Public Works disclosed to The Post that, the Minister of Public Works, Patrice Amba Salla would be in the Southwest as from June 18, 2014 to confirm the list of those to be compensated in the course of the road construction. He is expected to hand over the money for the indemnities to the SDO for Meme and also to visit Mundemba and Manyu for similar reasons.
When the May 5 deadline flopped, former Public Works Delegate, Cyprain Nfor, said the Minister was still compiling the list of those to be compensated. Attempts by The Post to get updates from the new Delegate were unfruitful.
Other elite and stakeholders The Post contacted could not confirm the information that, the two Chinese Companies handed the contract will begin installing their equipments in a fortnight. Some of them think that the Government should make a declaration of the situation.
Meanwhile, as of May 25, 2014, the contract for the construction of the Kumba-Mamfe road that was awarded to two Chinese companies, China Communications Construction Company Ltd,CCCC, and Jiangsu Provincial Transportation Engineering Group, as far back as February 18, 2014, was not signed until May 26; while an Administrative Service Order for construction works to start was issued on May 5, by Minister Amba Salla.
According to the terms of the contracts, construction works on the road will be divided into segments, namely, from Kumba-Nfaitok, a distance of 105km, will be handled by China Communications Construction Company Ltd and will cost circa FCFA 32.6 billion and the second segment that is from Nfaitok-Bachuo-Akagbe, a distance of 47km will be handled by Jiangsu Provincial Transportation Engineering Group at the cost of FCFA 22 billion.
However, the entire Kumba-Mamfe road project is expected to gulp FCFA 54.6 billion. Minister Amba Salla has ordered that bituminous tarring model should be used on the road, just like the Mutengene-Kumba road.
The Post had it on good authority that construction work proper shall commence in November and that within time, the road shall be systematically graded to make for easy plying even during the up-coming rainy season.
