SDF Chairman Embargoes Tollgate Payment On Dilapidated Roads Nationwide

 

Chairman Ni John  Fru Ndi 

Following the state of roads in the country summarily described as death traps, Social Democratic Front party Chairman, Ni John Fru Ndi has called on Cameroonians to dislodge all toll gates found on dilapidated roads and to carry out civil disobedience in payment of tollgates until the roads are properly maintained. In his State of the Union address to Cameroonian on Thursday January 14 at his Ntarinkon residence in Bamenda, SDF chieftain lambasted the Biya regime for hijacking several aspects of SDF vision for Cameroon and implementing them hazardously with disastrous consequences.

In the domain of roads, SDF crafted the vision to ensure sustainable maintenance of roads infrastructure with revenue derived from toll gates and weighing bridges which unfortunately the Biya regime resorted to divert revenue generated from them in to carrying out unwarranted and dangerous political agenda in the country. Hear him, “it is very disturbing that roads are allowed to be damaged completely and then repair contracts are awarded to unscrupulous contractors and embezzlers of the regime in power. We shall not let gullies cut across our roads, take lives, destroy vehicles and paralyze economic activity.” He furthers that the regime purports to spend colossal sums of money yearly on maintenance and construction of roads but Cameroonians do not have the roads. Fru Ndi who mid last year chased away tollgate collectors and ordered that commuters should stop paying tollgate at broken  Matazem stretch located at gateway in to the North West, laid the blame of the poor state of the roads squarely on the footsteps of those he termed CPDM contractors saying as soon as the contractor leaves the site of the job claiming that it is complete, potholes start appearing and wind and rain start washing  away the thin layers of poorly mixed tar and undrained earth roads. To Fru Ndi the only qualification to win a road construction contract, importation of transport equipment such as railway coaches and air planes in the country is to belong to the CPDM party to in turn finance the party in power.

Chairman Fru Ndi, was worried by the Head of State’s watering declaration last December that government has created over 1.5 million jobs whereas over 70% of the youths are unemployed or better still underemployed. He wondered aloud whether government claim to have created hundred of thousand jobs are the opening of churches at every neighborhood, moto-taxi, hawking, indiscriminate opening of drinking spots and other dangerous activities. He congratulated the suffering but struggling masses for keeping up the fight towards a genuine democracy. On the fuel prices chairman holds that since March of 2015 crude prices had dropped by 60% at the world market which would have reflected same on the local fuel consumption yet what was given Cameroonians was fcfa 20 and 25 reductions whereas a liter of fuel would have cost fcfa 402. Prices of basic commodities continue to rise where as living standards are still below fcfa 500 a day and worst in rural areas. To him SDF can adequately address and arrest rampant poverty and unemployment plaguing the country by exploring the agricultural sector given the rich biodiversity of the country. Statistics show that Cameroon has 21% of African fish species, 48% of mammals, 54% of birds and 50% of known continental amphibian species, 50% of reptiles, 42% of all recorded African butterfly species. Fru Ndi equally saluted the joint effort in the fight against Boko haram but blamed its penetration and presence today on government neglect in her policy of selective development.

For Cameroon to have a truly democratic government Fru Nd

i said as a matter of urgency, the revised constitution should be revised and institute a two term Presidential mandate, put in place the constitutional council and other regional structures as stipulated by law 20 years ago, effect article 66 to check embezzlement in persons that hold public offices, put in place an independent electoral commission with a biometric system from registration, voting and pronouncement of result, introduce a single ballot to curb multiple vote cast or stuffing of ballot boxes. Chairman Fru Ndi also harp on the need to revise the law on subvention to the media enabling the private media to be vibrant and to have a self regulatory instrument as is the case in other countries.