Idenau Mayor at daggers drawn with Sec. Gen.

Mayor Tonde Lifanje Gabriel of the Idenau Council has expressed worries over the present state of his relationship with the Secretary General of the council, which is adversely affecting the smooth running of affairs.

The mayor, while chairing the 1st Ordinary session of the council dedicated to the examination and adoption of the 2013 administrative, management and stores accounts, bridged out to urge the councillors to call the SG, Njie Mosinga Samuel to order.

The mayor stated “There is a lack of collaboration with my SG for more than two months, such as, the SG does not enter my office or even greet me, except I call for an exco meeting. He absents from his office at times for four days consecutively without any excuse. He is the oldest worker but deliberately boycotted May 1, 2014, and when given assignments, he rarely does them, or does it at his own will."

Mayor Tonde continued “All these attitudes demoralise me in executing my functions; I, therefore, call on you councillors to better advice him to know that there are never two captains in a ship, so I remain his boss."

Visibly, the SG, who had appeared very busy facilitating issues with the councillors before the session, remained calm, and when The Sun caught up with him in an exclusive chat shortly afterwards, he acknowledged the fact that things are not smooth between himself and the mayor, and explained that the misunderstanding stems from the fact that the mayor is still to get a grasp of some council dynamics.

The SG expressed shock and disappointment why the mayor had to open up the matter in such a gathering which according to him is an in-house affair.

Reacting to the mayor’s worry, the First Assistant Senior Divisional Officer for Fako, Vincent Nafongo, while representing the SDO, called on the council executive to bury their differences, pull efforts and ideas and work as a team, putting ahead the general interest of the municipality.

He also said patriotism should be their watchword in the discharge of their mission

The accounts

The 2013 accounts were termed unrealistic because, of the 799million projected revenue, FCFA 241 663, 340 was collected, giving 30.25%. According to the mayor, the realisation rate witnessed a slight drop from 2012, which was 32.06%

As mentioned by Mayor Tonde, some 2013 projects achieved included the construction of 8 classrooms and two toilets at Njonji and Sanje, rehabilitation of the Bakingili water scheme, rehabilitation of two classrooms at GS Idenau group III, rehabilitation of Idenau block 20-earth road, payment of salaries and allowances to council workers, installation of mayor and deputies, contributions towards reunification celebrations, etc...

Nafongo Vincent, expressed worries over the huge deficits in the realisation of the projected 2013 revenue, and said forecasts were made without a mastery of either existing revenue sources, strategies were inefficient, there was laxity in revenue collection and or the revenue collected was not duly channelled into council coffers, reasons why the plan of action was not executed.

The First Assistant went on to explain to the council executive that though the account is based on the work of their predecessors, administration at all levels continues, “authority changes, but administration remains” and thus urged them to take the exercise seriously and draw up lessons that will guide them through their mandate.

As recommendations, he emphasised that they should elaborate stringent measures to bring development to the population, effectively exploit revenue sources, spare no effort in improving on council staff output, settle genuine debts and arrears owed contractors and staff, ensure fencing of council chamber, construct main market, complete water and road projects, among other things, so that their zeal to transform the municipality to a dreamland for investment, will become a reality.