Sport Ministry jostle with Diocese over Sarah's land

The Catholic Church Diocese of Buea is petitioning to have Sarah Etonge removed from a house built for her by the National Athletics Federation of Cameroon.

The keys to the house given to Etonge, the seven-time-winner of the Mount Cameroon Race of Hope, affectionately called “Queen of the Mountain,” were handed to her by the Minister of Sports and Civic Education, Adoum Garoua on the eve of this year’s edition of the race.

However, the Catholic Diocese of Buea now lays claim to the land on which the bungalow was constructed. They want Sarah Etonge, or the Athletics Federation to provide a new piece of land elsewhere and the diocese say they will build for her. Amidst the tension, Emmanuel Motomby Mbome, National President of Cameroon’s Athletic Federation, has challenged the Diocese to a fight. He has stated emphatically that the Diocese cannot remove Sarah from the house constructed for her metres away from the Molyko Stadium in Buea.

But Fr. Bernard Asek Tambe, Chancellor of the Buea Diocese is arguing that it will be very difficult for Etonge to be left on that piece of land. Motomby has, however, said, “the piece of land in question was given to us by the administration of the South West Region. The Diocese of Buea cannot evict Etonge from that house. When the Federation started the construction, where was the Diocese of Buea?” Motomby asked.

Tambe has explained that the authorities of the Diocese were not aware or informed of the construction, considering that the piece of land is near the Co-Cathedral site under construction by the Buea Diocese on the way to the Buea Main Market.

The Federation took about six weeks to construct the house and handed over the keys to Etonge last February 14 in a public ceremony. “We were not consulted. We only discovered when they reached the roof level. And, immediately, we lodged a complaint at the office of the South West Governor who replied by saying he did not know the land belonged to the Diocese,’ Tambe said.

He revealed that “Seven years ago, the Buea Diocese acquired the land. We paid FCFA 35 million to the Molyko community through the chief and his notables. We were then supposed to give more money at the end of the legal transaction. As we did this and looked for

money, the CDC came to us and requested that they will continue using the piece of land to farm their Bananas. They did that for seven years.”

Tambe said when the CDC finally left, the Buea Diocese did not know. He said they only discovered that the CDC had left the land when they were doing supervision at the Co-cathedral site. He said they launched a complaint, to that effect, but the President’s visit overshadowed everything.

The local administration has stepped in to look for a compromise. But Tambe has said that “we (the Diocese) may relocate

Sarah Etonge, get another land for her if she wishes and build it for her.” Paul Kuoam Wokam, the Divisional Officer for Buea has called for peace while the matter is being resolved.

Sarah Etonge has in the meantime expressed shock that a long-time promise from government has come with plenty of trouble and controversy. She said if the problem is not resolved, then she is comfortable with her former house.