Patrick Esunge Ekema, the Mayor of Buea Council, revisits the recent celebration in the town of the Golden Jubilee of Cameroon's reunification.
Lord Mayor, what is your appraisal of the 50th Anniversary celebrations in your Municipality Buea?
I want to say very clearly that I am really elated. It was my first time to have such a privilege to have a one-to-one audience with the Head of State today, 22 February, 2014 before he left for Yaounde. I was received alone by the President. I was expected to have an audience of 10 minutes but the conversation was quite interesting and appealing and we had a conversation for 20 minutes.
The Head of State is particularly impressed and he expressed it by his own words of mouth and action. He was so happy with what we have done so far in terms of the up keep of the City of Buea and the mobilization of the population which of course I championed. I feel honoured and I thank the population for being so responsive at very short notice.
This is because we expected the President on the 20th but he instead landed on the 19th February. I feel particularly impressed with the discussions I had with President Paul Biya. The discussions were not personal but geared towards the development of our municipality.
What did you tell the Head of State, Lord May?
Our first point was the issue of the City Council. He has assured and reassured me. The second issue was the protection of the newly constructed infrastructure particularly the monument and to formulate ideas on how to protect not only the monument but the rest of the infrastructure.
We equally discussed on the middle ridge which was removed from the Buea Boulevard and he demonstrated a lot of interest on the reinstatement of the middle ridge. Thirdly, we talked of the improvement of the agricultural sector given that about 70 percent of the population in Buea is involved in agricultural activities. You know we are actually the breadbasket of this nation. As a solution we thought that we should improve on the farm to market roads. I made a fervent appeal to the State to see if we can get some heavy duty equipment to facilitate that task. The Head of State has assured me.
Will the equipment come to the Buea Council?
Yes, and so we will certainly increase our access roads to the farms. He made a lot of emphases on the up keep of the newly created structures. He assured that there will be State allocation to that effect. Consequently I will be meeting him again in the days ahead in yaounde to conclude on these issues. If you followed his departure, I was the last person he greeted before boarding his helicopter. He reminded me to meet him in the days ahead.
Many expected you to speak to the Head of State as a representative of the South West Region but you seemed to have limited your scope of interest to Buea. What did you tell President Paul Biya during your audience in the interest of the South West in general?
I had an assignment to deliver a welcome address to the Head of State as the Mayor of Buea. This is why if you followed my address keenly, I did not go through the protocol arrangement of addressing myself to the many other personalities. I addressed myself to the head of State. I was charged with the responsibility of welcoming him. I welcomed him and I had to tell him one or two issues in my municipality. People will want to say what they are saying but nobody contacted me that we have this preoccupation in our Division or in our Sub-Division.
But was it not your place to contact them?
ication from anyone I assumed that all was well. Like I say, I am Mayor of Buea. I am not Mayor of South West. Buea was the host of this event and that is why I had the opportunity to welcome the Head of State. I was not given an opportunity to lay problems to the Head of state but rather to welcome him in Buea which is the head quarters of the South West Region.
By your thinking, does reunification extend to unifying the various tribes and regions of Cameroon or it remains a matter between the former West and East Cameroons?
It is a rhetoric question but I want to be very clear. When we talk about reunification we are not talking about the reunification of a mother tongue or the geographical division. We are talking about identifying ourselves as people who were brothers but at one moment divided by European imperialism. That is where we are and we are celebrating the fact that we have come together again.
What should the public of Buea immediately expect after this anniversary celebration apart from some infrastructure that has been developed?
I think what is expected is to see how we can maintain the huge investment we have in Buea which was our first preoccupation. Secondly we are responding to the issues which were raised in my speech. I am sure our Head of State will react to one or two points raised in my speech about the City of Buea. The public should be quite expectant and be sure that the goods will be delivered.
Which were the other personalities received by the Head of State?
The first of course was the father of the town in my humble person. The next was a delegation of about 25 ruling party local authorities. The third delegation was made of members of Parliament and Senate. The fourth delegation was the South West Chiefs' Conference headed by the Fon Fontem Njifua. The last delegation was the regional administration that is the Governor and the six Senior Divisional Officers.
Have you met other Mayors and authorities after your meeting with the Head of State?
Yes we have been meeting and they have all expressed their satisfaction with a job well done by one of theirs.
Did the President promise he will come to Buea again soon?
He will be here regularly. He was overwhelmed first with the climate and his residence here in Buea. I am sure in the days ahead we will have him here regularly. It is his house. It is not like he is visiting Buea. Whenever he wishes he will come.
Why was your speech not bilingual to mark the bilingual character of reunification?
I decided to speak exclusively in English because the President was visiting one part of the Nation that is English speaking. I did not want to conduct myself into errors. I had to use the language I master best.
We have noticed the presence of many handicapped persons in your office after the Head of State left Buea. What business had you with them?
After the Head of State left we discovered that the handicapped were not received. They were a little bit frustrated. It is one of my responsibilities as a Mayor to take care of social peace and social needs. We brought them from the Governor's residence. Here in the Council and in collaboration with the Senior Divisional officer for Fako and the Divisional Officer for Buea, we have given them food and money for their transport. They came from Yaounde, Bamenda Tiko, Limbe and other places to grace the reunification ceremony here in Buea.
What last word, have you for your Buea population?
I want to thank the population for having been so responsible the way they participated and behaved themselves. Above all I thank them for their turnout. That demonstrates the love they have for the Head of State and the institutions he incarnates. The press has once more shown the high level of maturity. They have worked so hard before, during and certainly after the event.
