Bamenda gov’t delegate is recalcitrant - Mezam SDO

Ndoumbe Jean Pierre Dika, First Assistant SDO for Mezam, has described Vincent Nji Ndumu the Government Delegate to the Bamenda City Council as a recalcitrant administrator.

His assertion made during the Bamenda II Council budget session for 2015, left councillors flabbergasted as he exposed what he claimed were administrative lapses of the Government Delegate.

Reacting to the councillors’ complaint that the Bamenda II municipality which is the largest in the city of Bamenda has been going for years with inadequate trash cans; a phenomenon which renders Bamenda II very dirty, Ndoumbe sternly responded: “Your government delegate does not listen to instructions from his hierarchy. He thinks that since he too is appointed like us (SDOs), we are the same.”

Without mincing words, Ndoumbe said the government delegate ignored the administration when he decided to carryout out demolition of makeshift market sheds in Bamenda during this festive period when businessmen usually make brisk business; an action which according to the SDO, could lead to protest demonstration from traders.

Though the SDO acknowledged that they do not have the powers to directly punish the government delegate, he said, they can, however, write to the Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralization to call the delegate to order.

In the meantime, the Secretary General of the Bamenda city council, Victor Fomefred, who later joined the session and was briefed on the councillors’ worries, blamed the Bamenda city council’s inability to provide enough trash cans to the Bamenda II council on lack of resources. “But I should remind you that the bulk of trash cans the city council distributed are in Bamenda II,” Fomefred insisted.

He said it was because they realized that Bamenda II is the largest municipality among Bamenda I, II and III that they gave Bamenda II the highest number of trash cans.

Despite the explanation, the SDO gave an ultimatum to the city council authorities to mitigate the situation by sending more trash cans to the Bamenda II council or face the music.

Reacting to the public bashing by the SDO, Ndumu told our reporter by telephone that he could not believe the SDO made such a statement and then added: “government delegates and mayors do not take instructions from SDOs…they are nothing more than supervisory authorities.” He refused to comment further.