Bafut Council budget prioritises health, education, culture

The 2015 budgetary session of the Bafut Council in Mezam Division held on December 19 and the plan of action aimed at transforming the Subdivision was deliberated and adopted laying emphasis on health.

Other priorities were education, road construction, culture and rural electrification.

The adopted budget of FCFA 452,333,026 has as recurrent expenditure FCFA 266,008,370 making a 58.8 percent of the total, while investment expenditure stands at FCFA186, 324,666 making 41.2 percent.

Before presenting the budget for adoption, the Mayor of Bafut, Abel Ngwasoh Langsi, called on Councillors to pray for the repose of the soul of the Bafut Council Treasurer, Johnson Ayeah Titang, who died on December 3.

In retrospect, Mayor Langsi said the plan of action for 2014 was largely executed but for a few projects which could not be realised due to the fact that the remaining financial allocation from PNDP was not realistic.

“We are made to understand that we still had a balance of some FCFA 35 million from PNDP, which made us to budget for it while it was not the case. What is actually available which is still to be executed in 2015 is the sum of FCFA 31 million which is earmarked for the opening of the Akonduo Road,” Langsi averred.

Meanwhile, for projects realised in 2014, Langsi named the pavement of the Council yard, training of Councillors, maintenance of Council roads, scholarship awards, assistance to disabled, maize seeds to women, organisation of agric show, holiday jobs to students Council football/handball and other sports competitions, lighting of streets, equipping office building, and, above all, the 2nd phase of the Municipal Stadium project which is far advanced, the construction of culverts at the Niko entrance at Three Corners Njinteh still on as an emergency. He said those realised under the decentralisation project include boreholes, didactic material to schools, equipped blocks of two classrooms in GS Manji, toilet, construction of markets sheds in Mforya and Akofunguba, the Akossia Bridge and a workshop at GTC Mforya.

The Council in 2015 intends to recruit teachers for needy primary schools and nurses for the health centre. Mayor Langsi, announced that the distribution of didactic material will be extended to private schools.

On culture, the Council will facilitate the teaching of the Bafut language in schools as well as promote the Bafut annual dance, Mansoh Festival and Council sports competitions.

The 1st Assistant Senior Divisional Officer for Mezam, Jean Pierre Ndoumbe Dika, said the performance of the Bafut Council makes him proud because few Councils realised projects up to 75 percent and urged the Mayor and Councillors to collaborate with the forces of law and order when it comes to forceful tax drive.

The MP for Bafut and Tubah, Hon. Wilfred Fusi Namukong, appealed to the population to form agricultural cooperative farming groups to benefit from huge sums Government has placed at their disposal.