If I die championing the Anglophone cause so be it – Hon. Awudu

Hon. Cyprian Awudu, SDF MP has reportedly pulled down signpost encrypted in French at the Ayaba Hotel in Bamenda Wednesday May 27.

Awudu, member of Parliament from Ndonga Mantung, still irritated by what he described as vestiges of imperialism being forced upon the Northwest and Southwest regions of Cameroon, told The Cameroon Journal by phone yesterday that he’s tired of going everywhere in Southern Cameroons territory and reading every sign posted in French language.

Shouting that “enough is enough with Francophones in this country,” he said it is high time the constitution be respected.

“Do you visit Ayaba hotel? Have you seen swimming pool as piscine, toilet as toilettes, exit as sortir, suggestion box as boite de suggestions, lift/elevator as ascensceur etc? ” Awudu questioned rhetorically.

“Let me inform you that I have reminded the Manager of that hotel severally to remove those signs and put them back in English, but he appears to have been dribbling me all along. So I decided to remove them when we came for our party’s anniversary celebrations and I found them still the same.” He revealed.

For Awudu, the Bamenda incident, it appears is just the beginning of the revolution. He vowed that any signpost he sees in French in the two Anglophone regions will be pulled down.

Responding to our question as to whether he wasn’t afraid of the repercussions that the Biya regime may dished on him, the MP retorted, “People die of AIDS and if I should die honourably for the Anglophone cause then no problem."

Still fuming, he said “Can you imagine that there at the Regional Delegation of Agriculture for the North West, all notices on the doors are in French? You see signs like – Delegue Regionale, Chef de Service and so on. Why can we have Regional Delegate, Chief of Service?” Awudu questioned.

Attempts by The Cameroon Journal to talk to Doume Zacharie, Manager of Ayaba hotel were unfruitful as his phone rang continuously and no one picked up. Besides the signs problem at Ayaba hotel, The Cameroon Journal gathered that over 70% of employees serving the hotel are from the Francophone part of Cameroon.

“During the last layoff that took place at the hotel, most Anglophone employees were sacked,” stated a source in the hotel who opted for anonymity.

NW Governor Lele L’Afrique and SDF Chairman John Fru Ndi visited the hotel yesterday May 28 to take stock of the situation. Lele L’Afrique is quoted as expressing disapproval of the MP’s conduct and frustration at the fact that the MP didn’t consult with him first.

Colbert Gwain, blogger and civil society activist who was present when Hon. Awudu brought down the signs, told the Journal that AWUDU seems to be determined to carry this forward.

However, many are expressing fears that using the recently passed anti-terrorism decree, Awudu could be charged with acts of terror should he continue with it. But the regime may be hands tight to invoke the decree, some have argued, because of the immunity Awudu enjoys as a sitting member of parliament.