SDO stops DO from handpicking chiefs

The Senior Divisional Officer for Fako, Zang III has ordered the Divisional Officer for Limbe I to stop the process of handpicking Quarter Heads in Limbe I.

The information was confirmed by close administrative sources last Friday, May 29.

When The SUN visited the Divisional Office that same day, we gathered at the secretariat that the process has been suspended temporarily but that interested aspirants were still depositing their files as requested by the Divisional Officer of Limbe I, Epale Seraphin. The Divisional officer was, however, not on seat on to talk to The SUN and all other attempts to get to him proved futile.

The move by the Senior Divisional Officer comes after a lot of pressure from many quarters castigating the action of the Divisional Officer.

The Limbe Traditional Council had written a strongly worded letter to the Senior Divisional Officer to this effect.

The Limbe Chief’s conference had also called on the administration to take action on what they termed is “a violation of the customs and tradition of the land”.

The drama began when a radio announcement referenced G.37/03/71/615/BADL of 22 April 2015, by the Divisional Officer for Limbe I, informed all “living forces of Cassava Farm, Mabeta New layout, Livanda Congo and Coconut Island quarters that in view of consultation and eventual designation of quarter heads who shall have the status and prerogatives of 3rd Class chiefs…. aspirants to the post of quarter heads are invited to deposit their complete files at the private secretariat of the Sub Divisional office , Limbe I before May 10 2015.

The Divisional Officer said this move is in line with Decree No 77/245 of 15th July 1977 to organise chiefdoms in Cameroon.

Documents to be submitted by interested candidates according to the Divisional Officer’s communiqué include; a stamped application, birth certificate, non conviction certificate, medical certificate, a copy of act creating the concerned quarter, national identity card, curriculum vitae and copy of highest academic certificate.

By interpretation, the Divisional Officer of Limbe I is definitely saying that all existing quarter heads in Limbe are no longer quarter heads since he will have to replace them with the new ones that will emerge at the end of the process.

It equally implies that the Divisional Officer will have the prerogative of choosing who becomes quarter head or not since the application process involves selection of candidates who would have submitted their documents.

Other worries are that “What is wrong with the existing quarter heads and why does the Divisional Officer wants to replace them.”

Non indigenes dethrone quarter head

Meanwhile, even before the Divisional Officer for Limbe I, Epale Seraphin was cut short by the Senior Divisional Officer for Fako, non-indigenes and a majority from Bangwa extraction residing in New Town West Quarter are reported to have ganged up and dethrone their indigenous quarter head.