Poor roads: Fru Ndi wants toll gates removed

The chairman of the Social Democratic Front, Ni John Fru Ndi, has called on Cameroonians to dislodge all tollgates found on the dilapidated sectors of our road infrastructure.

He has encouraged civil disobedience in the payment of tollgates by all road users until the roads are properly maintained.

Fru Ndi made the declaration in his 2016 New Year message to the nation on Thursday, January 14 at his Ntarikon residence.

“It is very disturbing that roads are allowed to be damaged completely and then repair contracts are awarded to unscrupulous contractors and embezzlers of the regime in power,” noted the SDF Chieftain, who added: “We shall not sit and watch how gullies develop on our roads, causing ghastly accidents, destroying vehicles and paralyzing economic activity”.

Chairman Fru Ndi observed that the idea of toll gates which was an initiative of the SDF but hijacked by the Biya regime has been haphazardly implemented with disastrous consequences leading to roads becoming death traps and the funds derived from the tool gates being diverted into unwarranted and even destructive political ventures.

He added that Road construction and maintenance and the transport sector, in general, have been arrogated by the party in power as a way of financing its political activities.

“The only qualification to win a road construction contract, importation of transport equipment such as railway coaches and air planes in our country is to belong to the CPDM. Everything in this sector is done with nothing but political patronage”.

On the reduction of fuel prices announced by President Paul Biya in his end of year speech, Fru Ndi branded the move as an insult to Cameroonians justifying that fuel prices shall continue to be more expensive in Cameroon than elsewhere in Africa and the world, despite the fact that Cameroon is an oil producing nation.

He said that a reduction of 20 francs per liter of fuel means that in 2016 the price of fuel at the pump shall continue to be expensive, whereas the price of crude oil in the world market had dropped drastically by 60% since March 2015.

Harping on the threat to peace caused by the Boko Haram sect in the Far North, the insecurity in the East and great banditry in the hinterlands of Cameroon the SDF Chieftain observed that it was time to reflect on the fundamental and remote causes of this state of affairs.

“We have lived through decades of discriminatory and unbalanced development of the National territory. Some regions of our country are swimming in luxury while some other regions are in abject poverty. It is no wonder that Boko Haram found fertile ground in the far North region, and would have done same if it penetrated into some parts of our hinterlands. We had over the years drawn the attention of the Biya regime to the evil consequences that would befall Cameroon as a result of this discriminatory development of the national territory.”

He, however, lauded the bravado of valiant Cameroonian soldiers who are fighting at all these fronts to defend the integrity and sovereignty of the country.

On the issue of climate change, Fru Ndi advocated for the re-introduction of “Nature Studies” in the primary, secondary and professional schools.

He noted that it was during these studies that climatic elements such as temperature, humidity, amount of rainfall, wind direction or cardinal direction of the wind, just to mention these few, were studied by the pupils and students alike at all the levels.

“In the implementation of such basic principles, future generations will be able to mitigate the consequences of climate change and adapt to changes in weather and seasons in every sphere of life,” Fru Ndi noted.

He regretted that the CPDM obsessed Parliament blocked an SDF Private Member Bill on the protection of wetlands and water catchments only to turn around to pretend to be fighting against climate change.

To ensure democratic governance in 2016, the SDF Chairman amongst other things called for the institution of the Constitutional Council provided by the constitution 20 years ago, a consensus electoral code, an independent electoral Commission, and an electoral calendar.

He equally called for the introduction of the single ballot paper, effective implementation of section 66 of the constitution on the declaration of assets by those who hold public offices and the passing of Legislation on double nationality.