SWELA queries Yaounde over Limbe Deep Seaport project

The Secretary General of the South West Elite Association (SWELA) has promised to lead a high-powered delegation to Yaounde to pressure the authorities to redeem their long-standing pledge to construct a deep sea port in Limbe.

Moki joseph Etukeni recently made the disclosure during a chat with the press.

According to Joseph Etukeni Moki, SG of the South West Elite Association, it has been over 25 years since president Biya promised to launch the sea port project and personally supervise its execution in Buea.

Unfortunately, not even the foundation stone has been laid. He wondered why other “grand ambitions” projects that were only conceived recently have already seen the light of day.

Speaking at the Buea Council Chambers, a discernibly unrepentant Moki frowned at the fact that SWELANS have continued to fold their arms and stay silent even as the Yaounde regime continues taking the South West region for granted.

Moki Joseph wondered aloud why despite the existence of SWELA, the South West region is continuously being sidelined in almost every aspect of national life; from appointments through the allocation of big development projects to the award of contracts for the execution of such projects.

As if to say enough is enough, Moki stamped his feet on the ground, saying “the time to act is now else, we may only end up being the best losers of the Biya era.”

But Moki did not put the blame for the sidelining of the South West solely on the Yaounde regime. He blamed South West elite in power, who perhaps because of their self-seeking, parochial interests, do not demonstrate enough concern or openly criticise the authorities in Yaounde for the ill-treatment they are inviting on the South West.

The SWELA Scribe regretted that ever since SWELA lobbied strongly and got the post of PM, successive political torch bearers of the region have only worked to protect their positions while at the same time doing little to revitalize the pressure group that fought for them.

Moki wondered for instance why South West elite in Yaounde have not added their voice to complaints by some local chiefs, lawyers, human rights groups, journalists etc about the wanton looting of ancestral lands in Fako Division and other divisions of the region by some disingenous civil administrators sent to the region.

The media outing was an opportunity for the SWELA scribe to join his voice to that of Anglophone Lawyers, South West Chiefs, and Media mavens to call for a revert to Federalism as a solution to the unbalanced development in the country.

He said in a federation there is the federal domain and the regional domain where the central authority has little influence. Then he said in a federation there will be checks and balances; governors of regions would be elected and not appointed, and in this way they will be accountable not to the central authority but to the people who voted them in office.

Though Mr. Moki did not, however, said the form of Federalism he meant, he at once elucidated that with federalism Anglophones will have reasons to smile and that it wasn’t going to alter the geographical boundaries of existing regions and administrative units in anyway.

The SWELA chieftain demanded that key projects in the region be given prompt attention. He cited among others the tarring of roads linking major cities and administrative units of the region, the creation of an English television channel, the creation of a Law School in Cameroon, the effective take-off of phase two of the Rumpi project, completion of the Kumba-Mamfe road, tarring of the Loum-Tombel-Kumba and melong-Bangem roads and most importantly the start and completion of the Limbe Deep Seaport project.

With respect to the later, Etukeni frowned at the fact that South Westerners were cheated of their deserved due; that the seaport project was diverted to kribi even though feasibility studies for the project had been completed years back.

He accused Louis Paul Motaze, Minister of Economy and Planning for diverting the Deep Sea Port project to Kribi.

Hear him: “Loius Paul Motaze diverted the Limbe Deep Seaport project to Kribi. 24 years are gone and the Kribi Deep Seaport is already a reality- a project which when SWELA was created in 1991 was not even conceptualized. The Limbe Deep Seaport which is highly rated by international experts as feasible and best for Cameroon has never received due attention nor funding for its take off.”

Moki also faulted President Paul Biya for making a promise he has never respected. He evoked that, while, on a visit to the South West Region on 27 and 28 September 1991, President Biya promised to personally ensure that the Limbe Deep Seaport is constructed and made functional.

“We will make a trip to Yaounde to get explanations on why the Limbe Deep Seaport has had to wait while other projects are ongoing,” Moki said.

Other problems he pointed out include the limping and very poor reception of CRTV signals in some parts of the South West Region, notably in Manyu, Kupe Muanenguba, Lebialem, Meme Divisions, and Idenau in the Fako Division.

The SWELA Scribe regretted that the pressure group has written several appeal letters to top government officials but have never had any response. Reason why they have decided to go to Yaounde to meet those concerned if something can be done.