Limbe Stadium: Biya’s name mooted over naming feud

The dispute over which village should lend its name to the new 20,000 capacity stadium in Limbe, Fako Division, has deepened further with hostility raging between the indigenes of Mokindi and Ngeme.

It is reported that despite the efforts of traditional rulers of the area grouped under the Limbe Chiefs Conference to find a lasting solution to the crisis, the Mokindi Ngeme villagers have refused to agree.

It was on the heels of this increasing tension that the Minister of Sports and Physical Education, Bidoung Mkpatt, dispatched his Secretary General, Oumarou Tado, to tackle the issue.

On Monday, January 11, 2016, accompanied by Southwest Governor, Bernard Okalia Bilai, a delegation from the Ministry of Public Contracts and top security operatives, Tado held a meeting with the local traditional and political elites at the Limbe City Council Hall.

Governor Apologises

Opening the deliberations, Governor Okalia Bilai on behalf of government apologised to the Fako Chiefs in general and the Limbe Chiefs in particular for constructing the stadium on their land without their consent.

“The fact that government didn’t invite you before the commencement of this project does not mean that you were undermined or disrespected. This was because the project was a gift of cooperation from the Chinese and we could not have said no to a gift,” Okalia stated.

He thanked the Chiefs for what he termed their patriotism and urged them to “play your role as custodians of the area. Those who can communicate with the gods of the mountain and the sea should do so.”

The Governor also beseeched the Chiefs and the population to work harder to ensure that Cameroon’s right to host the AFOCAN should not be reverted.

“From February, international delegates will be coming to inspect what Government has been doing; if the work is not up to standard, the competition might not hold,” Okalia said.

Though Okalia refused to be drawn into the naming argument he suggested naming the pitch as the temple and cathedral of football.

When the President of the Limbe Chiefs Conference took the floor to reveal the name they had agreed on for the stadium based on the historical evolution of the people, the Governor instructed him and his colleagues not to disclose it, but to put it in writing as a proposal and forward it to the Minister of Sports.

“You may make public your proposal here while our father up there also has his own name for the stadium,” Okalia said.

After the Governor’s advice, the Chiefs, the Governor himself, Minister’s representative, Mayors, MPs and other elites withdrew from the hall and deliberated for close to an hour.

Afterwards, the Governor Okalia Bilai thanked the Chiefs and the political elites for their cooperation, and they handed over the proposed name for the stadium to the Minister’s representative for onward transmission to the Minister.

It was, however, whispered the the Chiefs and political elites were coerced into proposing that the stadium should be named after Paul Biya.

Fallouts

Meanwhile, in a reassuring tone, the Government Delegate to the Limbe City Council, Andrew Motanga Mojimba, said though the population is bracing up for the competition, they are equally asking for more fallouts as a host city.

“The AFCONS will come and go, but it should leave behind indelible marks such as good roads, better lighting system and potable water among others,” Motanga said.

Motanga said Limbe has only one access road into and out of the town, which makes it impossible for the over 20,000 fans that will be trooping into the stadium during the competition to access the town easily.

“We are requesting Government to create another access road from Man O war Bay passing through Bimbia to Tiko,” Motanga said.

Just like Hon. Gladys Etombi, the Mayors of Limbe I, II and III said for Cameroon to successfully host the AFCONS, hospitals and other medical facilities in the city need to be upgraded.

According to them, the Limbe Regional Hospital and other medical facilities in the municipality are below international standards and cannot adequately meet the medical needs of foreign guests.