Joe Dinga Pefok
10 October 2008
The Government Delegate to the Douala City Council, Dr Fritz Ntone Ntone, has, in a joint appeal with the Mayors of Douala urban councils, urged Government to publish the results of the 2005 population census.
The appeal was one of the major resolutions adopted at the 3rd meeting of the platform of collaboration between the Douala City Council and Douala Councils, which took place October 7.
The platform meeting came up within a backdrop of complaints by the Mayor of Douala IV Council that the council was being discriminated against in the distribution of monthly subventions and revenue from the council's additional taxes. The Mayor of Douala IV, John Ndangle Kumase, and the councillors had, during a recent council session, insinuated that the council was being discriminated upon because it is an SDF-run council.
At the October 7 meeting, Kumase, pressed hard to see that the issue of the distribution of subventions and council additional taxes be considered a major item for deliberation at the meeting.
Disagreement Over Population Statistics
But, there was disagreement on the insinuation that the Douala City Council has not been fair to the Douala IV Council in the distribution of subvention. The debate got stalked on the issue of the population of the different urban councils.
It should be noted that while Douala III and V councils have 61 councillors, Douala I, II and 1V councils have 41 councillors each.However, even for Douala I, II and 1V Councils, which have 41 councillors each, there was a disagreement between the three mayors as to whether the councils should be treated equally as regard the distribution of subventions.
For one thing, in the absence of the results of the 2005 population census, all the councils only estimate the population of their different municipalities.Following the disagreement over the estimated population of Douala IV, as compared to the other urban councils, it was agreed that only the results of the last population census can give a clear and official picture of the population.
Thus, the Government Delegate and the Mayors called on the Government to release the results of the census.Meantime, Ntone Ntone urged the Douala IV Mayor to exercise restraint and wait for the census results for things to be clarified.
While admitting that only the census results would help clarify things, Kumase insisted that the Wouri SDO, who is the supervisory authority of the councils, should intervene to see that there is equitable distribution of subventions and the council's additional taxes.
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