The Distict officer for Limbe I, Seraphin Epalle, recently visited the Meveo Chiefdom within his municipality, during which he held a meeting with some members of the royal family, notables and elites, at the end of which, the DO was well furnished with the method on how the chieftaincy stool operates in the village.
It was explained to the DO and his entourage that at the Meveo chiefdom, succession to the throne is by heredity; the chieftaincy stool is occupied by a nominee, chosen by the royal family, which has been the tradition and practice for the last five occupants.
According to the indigenes, there are three stages in succession by virtue of the 1977 chieftaincy text; the royal family chooses the person, hands to the king makers who examine and qualify him and present to the administration who then appoints and confirms the individual.
Also, as to the notables, it was explained that they are made up of the four existing family heads, and the first son of the eldest son of the family head of the royal family.
In no time the meeting ended on a positive note, with the DO congratulating the village stakeholders for their maturity and unity. Chief Henry Fonderson explained to The Sun that “This census is very important because, the last document I saw as a census in Fako was established in 1927; even the last gazette of chiefs was in the 1960s."
I think it is geared towards establishing an updated gazette of chiefdoms in Cameroon, which is very important because the chieftaincy crisis we are suffering around the country today cannot be over emphasised. We have situations where royal families are popping up from one place to another, people citing history that they come from royal families, which in some cases are true, while some are false. This exercise, to the best of my knowledge is aimed at putting an end to such situations. Also, Chief Fonderson, while noting that his chiefdom has just recently settled at its present site, said the village is constantly moving ahead in terms of development, as various strategies have been put in place to encourage indigenes to support development “The operation one man, one house,is going on well, as it can be observed that a number of houses are already being built, and we are giving out one hectare land free to all those building”, he said.
Furthermore, concerning the community hall project launched some months back, the chief explained that it is equally under way, though slow, due to some paper work at the level of the council. With the peace and unity which characterise the village, Chief Fonderson said it will take no time for the village to meet its aspirations.
