Kumba-Mamfe road, construction was to start May 5

In a typical ‘419’ case, the perpetrator demands an advance payment for service or favor that has to be performed. When he fails to deliver on the promise, he crafts a good reason for which he should be trusted for a second chance. However, he does not retreat or leave without asking for more down payments. This is exactly what a typical ‘419’ predator does. It is called fee advancement.

‘419’ is a part of the Nigerian penal code that prohibits advance payment of any kind before actual service is rendered. In Cameroon, it isn’t prohibited because the most popular ‘419’ predator is the gov’t.

The people of Bamenda know this – if you mention the gov’t promised ring road. Limbe knows it as well with the promised deep-sea port. What about people in Ndian and Mundembah? Current victims are the Meme, Kupe –Manigubah and Manyu people.

Last year, as elections approached, the gov’t of Cameroon made advancements similar to a typical 419 to Meme and Manyu people. In a calculated 419 ploy to get the people’s votes, gov’t announced that May 5, 2014 construction of the Kumba Mamfe road was going to commence. In fact, this wasn’t the first time residents of these municipalities were told gov’t had finished all arrangements to begin tarring the road.

On February 11, 2013, Peter Efande, writing in gov’t owned daily Cameroon Tribune, stated that “All things being equal, the tarring of the hitherto nightmarish Kumba-Mamfe road in the South West Region will begin in three months…” Count three months from February of 2013 and you settle on May of same year. That’s when the Kumba –Mamfe road project was first announced to commence. It didn’t happen.

But read further, the bravado that gov’t made through the Cameroon Tribune in announcing its readiness to commence the project – such a typical 419 bluff... “The joint signing ceremony of the two loan agreements between the Cameroon government with the African Development Fund (ADF) and the Central African States Development Bank (BDEAC) has been hailed as a historic milestone event by the population of Manyu Division and the South West in general. The Minister of the Economy, Planning and Regional Development, Emmanuel Nganou Djoumessi, the Resident Representative of ADF in Cameroon, Racine Khan, and the Chairman of BDEAC, Michael Adande, all braved the tortuous road and answered present in Mamfe for the tripartite signing of loan agreement.” Of course, it didn’t happen because all was about the September elections.

Last year just before that election, when it was all but obvious that the people were demanding answers as to why since the announcement, nothing took off, the gov’t in another 419 fashion, took to the media and announced that the construction work was ready for kick-off May 5 of this year. May 5 has come and gone and not even the sound of a caterpillar has been heard on the Kumba –Mamfe road.

So the construction of the Kumba-Mamfe road as announced to begin May 5 may have just been one of government's numerous 419 frauds on gullible citizens. As users of the road ask what’s happening with the promised construction, Yaounde authorities have maintained a gritty silence.

While the indigenes, especially those living along the stretch of the road grind their teeth in vain for rescue, some Manyu elites now appear to have joined them in expressing frustration over the intransigence of a government they say they have served for so long loyally.

Elias, a farmer who won’t want us use his family name and who lives along the Kumba-Mamfe road speaking to the Cameroon Journal penultimate Monday, vented deep disappointment over what he described as "419."

"Following the announcement that the road construction would begin on May 5, I could not cultivate my farm given that it was already earmarked for destruction. Now I cannot even feed my family since I was waiting for compensation from government to take care of them." Elias lamented.

Another farmer who won’t want to be named qualified the botched promise construction of the road as 'April fool' by the Yaounde regime.

A prominent Manyu elite and CPDM lackey who begged not to be named reacted so emotionally when we sampled his opinion on the matter. "Look, please, we are tired of this nonsense. Government should not take our patience for granted. Even if they decided not to start the project, they should have at least summoned us the elites to give us reason why the project could not start on the announced date. What do we tell the population on the commemoration of the national day? We may not continue to tolerate this any longer." He said.

Also commenting on the subject, Ayah Paul Abine, People’s Action Party –PAP, leader and former Member of Parliament, wondered aloud how on earth someone could go celebrating that the Kumba-Mamfe road construction was to begin on May 5, 2014 knowing so well the report card of the gov’t when it comes to promises. Ayah said the government of Cameroon should never be trusted; "as far as I am concerned, the promises of this government qualify for the saying that ‘seeing is believing."

Ayah recalled how a meeting organised by his party in Mamfe town to thank militants for votes cast at the 2011 presidential elections was disrupted on grounds that an important event to sign the road construction contract was also holding in town same day.

Meantime, Nfor Cyprian, Meme Divisional Delegate for Public Works, attempted an explanation of government's inability to commence the contract on the announced date.

"Government machinery is slow but must surely come to pass," he said, adding that even though other reasons account for the failure, another thing that could have accounted for the delay is that government has not set aside the previewed compensation to victims who will be affected during the construction work.

The delegate disclosed that on May 5 when the project was expected to start, he instead received a correspondence from his minister instructing him and his staff to go back and complete some evaluation on the road – evaluation which he said was left out during the first assessment.

Nfor grappled to re-instill hope in the hearts of the inhabitants by reminding that the construction of the road will be accompanied by many benefits to the people like the construction of a town hall, health centres, schools and even parking lots for heavy-duty equipment that would be used during the road work. The delegate assured youths of the benefits they will reap from the project, especially employment. He was quick in pointing out that there is a clause in the contract that stipulates that the local population will provide unskilled labour. But of what good is a contract that remains unexecutable?

The project was supposedly going to cost some 85.11 billion FCFA and was to be jointly funded by the government of Cameroon and the African Development Bank, ADB. While the Cameroon government was expected to contribute 27.26% of the total sum, the ADB would donate 43.58% plus 29.16% to be made available by the Bank of Central Africa, BEAC.

The contract was divided into two phases and awarded to two different companies. The first phase which covers a distance of 54.44 Km stretches from Kumba via Bakundu-Wone to Phytouk and christened Lot 1. The second phase, dubbed Lot 2 runs between Phytouk to Bachou-Akagwe with a distance of about 49.54 Km. We’re making efforts to reach the contractors to find out what is stopping them from starting the project.