By Ignatius Nji
The Mayor of Nkambe Council, Ngabir Paul Bantar has
challenged the military corps in his municipality to stop cutting down council
trees and selling to the electricity management corporation ENEO. He reminded
the Governor that the trees on the parcel land ceded by council for the construction
of the military camp in Nkambe have not been compensated. The Mayor intimated
that a proper assessment of these trees were carried out by the forestry
authority on the 21 hectares of land ceded by the council to the military and
evaluated to the tune of FCFA 64.8 million for compensation to the council.
The Mayor says this money has never been paid to the council
yet the trees are being fell and carted away in two trucks on weekly bases out
of the municipality sold to ENEO. After the military constructed a petrol
station and the colonel’s residence, no francs of that money is said to have
been paid to the council. The council according to the Mayor is not even
allowed access in to the area to cut down the trees and leave. The aching part
he said is they started felling these trees and selling to the electricity
corporation and the population started raising eyebrows that the Mayor was
behind the sell of these trees and proceed starched in to his pocket. These
trees must be compensated for in one way
or the other he said, given that due process was followed in conformity with a
Prime Ministerial decree stating that matured trees on a piece of land should
be compensated upon ceding the land for public utility.
The matter was reported to the SDO of Donga Mantung and the
Governor yet the military would not allow the council to go in and cut the
trees. The Mayor later reported the matter to the Justice and Peace Kumbo which
a human rights consortium and he was advised to write to the Minister of
Defense and if nothing is done then further actions would taken. The Mayor
reportedly wrote to the Minister of Defense on the issue. By reporting to just
anybody the Mayor says it is very painful that a forest sustained by the he
wants that the council should either be paid the compensation, allowed to get
in to the forest and cut down the trees and leave or the military should carry
out a project for the community worth that amount or more. The Mayor insisted
that if the council is allowed access to cut down the trees that which have
been cut and sold by the military must be compensated.
The Mayor equally raised
some worries on the state of street tarring project in the town of
Nkambe and construction of a bridge over river Mankeng in Wat area that have
come to a halt. Some three kilometers of road is supposed to be tarred by surface
dressing and the road work has taken too long given that the jobbing order
specified three months and is over a year already. The population that was so
excited at the on set is beginning to get worried. The Mayor says this contract
was awarded at the level of Yaoundé and seemly the contractor might have
financial difficulties which should sort it out with his bankers. The project
is not well done and is not completed. The Mayor related to this reporter that
he has made a formal report to the Divisional Delegate of Urban Development and
housing to forward to his hierarchy. In Nkambe Council area two health centers
have been constructed in Mbirboh and Chup villages and can not go operational
just because the two were not created by Government notwithstanding that the
communities are in dare need of these health facilities.
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