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Cameroon: Douala Tit-Bits - Blackmail to Silence Opposition Succeeds
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The Post (Buea)
COLUMN
17 April 2008
Posted to the web 17 April 2008
Joe Dinga Pefok
After the February transporters' strike, MINATD boss, Marafa Hamidou Yaya, and Littoral Governor, Fai Yengo Francis, fabricated a tall tale claiming that the Governor's January 15 controversial ban on public manifestations in Douala, was meant to pre-empt the planned launching of an "Operation Kenya" the opposition and civil society groups.
This, however, seemed be a blackmail meant to silence the opposition and the civil society groups. It was clear that the CPDM regime had become worried that Douala had emerged as the centre of resistance to the regime's plan to amend the 1996 Constitution and make Paul Biya life president (The Post No. 0937 of March 17, 2008). That blackmail succeeded in Douala.
From Friday, April 4 when the CPDM regime presented the draft bill for the constitutional revision, to Thursday April 10, when the CPDM with its crushing majority adopted the draft bill without any modification, there was not the least sign of any public protest or agitation in Douala.
Not even SDF militants heeded to the desperate call of their party's National Chairman, John Fru Ndi, for Cameroonians to stand up and cry foul against the constitutional revision. Opposition parties, members of the civil society, political activists and so on, all entered into their shells.
Not even Mboua Massock could dare. And now that Fai Yengo has succeeded in his mission, he can go ahead and lift his own ban and wait for compensation from the life president.
Cooking Gas "Chemists"
On April 7 in Bali Quarter, one Charles Essombe was caught secretly halving cooking gas in a 'laboratory' in his house into other bottles in a bid to make more money. Essombe was known to be dealing in cooking gas under his enterprise Gas Facile' (Easy Gas), supplying gas at people's homes on demand. What people did not know was that Essombe and his worker, Eric Ndongo, used to reduce as much as half of a gas bottle.
Thus, a bottle of gas would give them two bottles. Many complaints were launched by members of the public at the Littoral Provincial Delegation of Commerce. But the complaints were all directed against the different gas bottling companies. The Delegation then launched an investigation as more complaints came in, until the team of investigators traced the complaints to the racketeers.
'Gombo'- Grabbing Councillors
The 36 Grand Councillors of the Douala City Council, who include the five Douala Mayors and the Mayor of Manoka Rural Council, met in a session on April 11 to examine and adopt the 2007 Administrative Account. In his report, the Government Delegate to the Douala City Council, Dr. Fritz Ntone Ntone, said the council realised 72 percent of the 2007 budget, which had been balanced in projected revenue and expenditure at a little over FCFA 35 billion.
The Wouri SDO, Bernard Atebede, in his capacity as supervisory authority, 'examined' and adopted the Administrative Account without bothering. The Grand Councillors instead had time to prepare a motion of support to the Government Delegate, congratulating him on the way he handled the upheavals of February 25-28. It is not known what special thing Ntone Ntone did during that period.
However, observers could understand that the Grand Councillors acted in appreciation of the big 'gombo' which Ntone Ntone has been dishing out to them in the name of sitting allowances and other advantages, since they came in after last year's Legislative elections. It would be recalled that soon after the election, the Government Delegate who was happy to see the end of those he considered as his predecessor's Grand Councillors, had quickly organised a one-week sensitisation seminar for the Grand Councillors, where he 'washed' each of them with over FCFA 700,000 for the five days which they spent in Bonanjo.
Board Chairman Defends CIMENCAM
Former Communication Minister, Pierre Moukoko Mbonjo, is a 'wonderful boy.' He was installed on April 8 as the Board Chairman of CIMENCAM by the Minister of Industries, Mines and Technological Development, Babel Ndanga Ndinga. Later that same day, Moukoko chaired his first Board meeting and issued a communiquÐ' the next day.
Barely a few hours after being installed, Moukoko strongly defended the company as regards the issue of cement shortage in the market. Like the CIMENCAM officials have been claiming all along, the new Board Chairman also blamed the scarcity of cement solely on unscrupulous businessmen who hoard the product.
"CIMENCAM is doing its best to serve the market. There is, in fact, no shortage of cement, but rather there is a lack of fluidity in the movement of cement from the manufacturer to the market," said Moukoko. "If cement is not available today, it will be available tomorrow, or a few days later.
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70,000 bags of cement are produced by CIMENCAM each day for its clients," he added. CIMENCAM was created in 1963 as a state-owned company. But in 1996, the French group, Lafarge, took over its management with 55 percent shares.
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