What was the outcome of the Donga Mantung economic tour?

In late March of this year, the governor of the North West region undertook a tour of Donga Mantung division. It was dubbed “an economic tour”. An exploitation tour was a more apt description.

According to official sources, the governor was to be accompanied by at least 40 specialists and decision-makers whose contributions would presumably improve the lives of the people of that division. The delegation and convoy was impressive; all riding in gas guzzling SUVs. The security detail was presidential compared to other countries.

Donga Mantung as we all know has been Balkanized (or if you prefer decentralized) for ease of exploitation into five subdivisions namely; Nkambe Central, Ndu, Nwa, Misajie and Ako. Arguably, these are some of the most marginalized or impoverished political subdivisions with hardly a tax or income generating base. All of them are tittering on the brink of bankruptcy. Some, as of late March, had not paid their staff that live from pay check to pay check, in over three months.

Yet for the governor’s tour they were tasked to come up with 8.5 million francs CFA purportedly to pay for transport for the governor and his entourage. The break down was as follows: Nkambe and Ndu the big boys had to come up with 2million francs each and the other three were saddled with 1.5 million each. So from the financially pressed councils, the governor (the man with the unusual name) and his entourage pocketed 8.5 million for the inconvenience of traveling through the dusty roads of Donga Mantung.

The take-away in many societies would be considered criminal and felonious. But in Cameroon, it is routine business. The councils were robbed of money that would have been used to provide basic services to its citizens. This was an addition to entertainment which by Cameroon standards includes veritable feasting. I am not concerned with what the divisional delegates and the other government functionaries came up with to keep their jobs.

Let’s not forget the Mbororos or Fulanis who had to come up with additional contributions in the form of cattle and goats. A day or so after the governor left, I was waiting for a bus to Bamenda and behold right in front of the bus stop was an ELECAM employee (you can’t miss them from their fancy badges) tethering six (well fed) goats. I was wondering what an ELECAM employee was doing with goats so early in the morning! On investigation and as I had been imagining, it turned out that the goats were donated to the governor by impoverished Donga Mantung farmers.

Corruption at the local level is so egregious that government paid (by extension taxpayers) officials who refuse to perform duties unless there is something in it for them. For example, the SDO or district officers do not undertake visits to villages unless the villagers pay for their transportation. And even when they do, there still demand other perks such as goats or cattle and the usual entertainment of food and drinks.

These officials would not be so reckless in their demands if they were indigenes or better still elected by the people. At the moment, we thrive on a system of exploitation. The natives are resigned to this situation and have been conditioned to believe, erroneously that it is part of doing business.

They believe and know that the situation cannot be changed since the corrupt practices emanate from the (very) top. The expectations of public servants going to the division are that, at the end of their tour, they will be materially better off. It is the land of opportunity especially for owning precious cattle.

What has materially changed to enhance the lives of the people of Donga Mantung since the governor’s visit? I dare say hardly anything. If anything, the councils have been left in a financial quandary. I just hope the councils have managed to even pay their staff.

For the past decade or so, the Cameroon government has been wrestling with the concept and implementation of decentralization. Charged with implementing this is the most centralized and bureaucratic ministry. It would have been cheaper to just visit neighbouring Nigeria to learn and see how it is implemented especially at the local level. So far, the most successful aspect of decentralization has been the decentralization of corruption.

It is so entrenched in the culture and the way of doing business at the local level that development projects are held hostage. And so we read, see and wonder why the abysmal execution of public projects.