Babungo/Misaje Stretch To Gulp FCFA 31 Billion, Ring Road Abandoned

The abrupt stop on the works on the ring road project in the North West Region is raising much dust among supposed beneficiary communities located on that road. The road construction company SOGEA SATOM charged with the tarring of the stretch Babungo/Kumbo has packed out of the project site leaving patches of uncompleted works on the road. According to the Follow up Committee Chair for public investment projects in Bui, Hon Kwe Andrew, the government made allocation of FCFA 3 billion last year for the completion of the works yet nothing was done and Company is saying nothing to the beneficiary population.

SDF MP for Jakiri, Hon Wirba Joseph was emphatic that the present state of the road is serving as a death trap for commuters and warrants immediate remedy by the concern construction company. To add salt to injury no allocation was made in the 2016 budget for the ring road tarring project. Last year information circulated that the emergency budget masterminded by the Head of State was to tar 50 kilometers from Kumbo to Nkambe which is a distance of 70 kilometers and today allocation is made but for maintenance not tarring.

Presently works are ongoing rather on the Babungo, Oku, Nkor to Misaje stretch which is described as the ring road corridor or better still feeder road. This project to tar this stretch is jointly funded by the Cameroon government in partnership with a Canadian funding body. Upon completion this project would gulp FCFA 31 billion. Though many see the abrupt stop of work on the ring road as abandonment by government, one of the accused the CPDM guru said to have diverted ring road funds to the Babungo/Misaje stretch, Dr. Fuh Calistus Secretary of State for mines, industries and technological development insist that government is still sourcing for funding to continue the work given that PM yang has peculiar interest on the ring road project.

In a picture presentation, the Divisional Delegate of economic planning for Bui, Chief Dominic Asaah drew the attention of the follow up committee members during the fourth quarter meeting, to the realities in the field. The committee denounced some bad practices by contractors such as use of inferior material for projects rendering such as dead traps upon completion. Some constructed structures have collapsed in just few years of use. Some projects were abandoned and others poorly done. The issue of boreholes unrealized came to the fore and stakeholders were reminded that most of this borehole projects were transformed in to small water schemes at various council areas. In all in 2015 PIP Bui had FCFA 928 million worth of projects and has recorded 90% in realization of the 97 operations with 9 projects still ongoing. The success story could be attributed not only to the concerted efforts of all stakeholders; it required the strict procedural of the award and execution of projects as enshrined by delegate of public contract for Bui, Tanyi Christopher and Chief Dominic Asaah of minepat.

By Ignatius Nji