Close to 10 councillors out of 25 were absent from the session, some without sending a proxy. It is assumed these are those with no intentions of renewing their mandate come 2019. Thus, they took insecurity as an excuse for absenting. The 2019 Budgetary Account Session of the Mbengwi Council was held last Friday November 9 2018 in the council hall. The budgetary account is a working document that provides a provisional view of an expected revenue and expenditure management guide.
In her welcome address, Mayor Tebe Beatrice regretted that the current crisis has caused an untoward effect that challenges every aspect of life: social, economic and political not only in Mbengwi but the entire division, region and country. This has grossly affected local input and output. She however remained optimistic that as nothing lasts forever, government will soon ensure an enabling atmosphere.
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| L-R: Fouda Nicaise (D.O), Absalom Monono (S.D.O), Tebe Beatrice (Mayor) |
The two days event started on Thursday November 8th with an All Committees Meeting whose deliberations and resolutions were then reported to the proper session that was held the next day. Designated spokespersons of the Health & Education, Natural Resources, Embellishment, Works & Transport, Finance committees each took turns to report on their observations since after the last session. Each report was followed by reactions and comments. The project to purchase a hearse for the council mortuary and open a council radio station came under strong scrutinisation. The S.D.O, Absalom Monono kicked against them on basis that Mbengwi is already having several business persons dealing in funeral services and that there's already a privately owned radio station within the municipality added to the multiple ones in Bamenda town and beyond whose waves are well received in Mbengwi. He encouraged the council to involve its budget in fixed investments for income generation like opening up more markets, real estate business and not perishable investments like buying of cars that will rather demand more money to run and maintain. To Monono, when investing in a project, focus should first be on the social importance before the anticipated economic gains.
He frowned at civil servants taking advantage of the crisis not to work on false basis of insecurity, contrary to business persons who know that if they don't open their shops, they won't eat. He regretted why a whole divisional headquarters like Mbengwi, one of the oldest in the entire nation and the closest to Bamenda, the regional headquarters will not have a single Nigerian or Bamileke business magnet in the Mbon main market. He said it point blank that the Meta people don't have an open door policy. That they prefer to confiscate all the sheds in the Mbon main market and use them as parking stores rather than allow "foreigners" to come in and own the sheds. This, contrary to other areas like Ndop where the Bamilekes are the ones that have championed the economic and infrastructural development of the area.
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| Councillors & Service Heads in Session |
On the issue of Tad market that stopped functioning with the escalation of the current crisis, the S.D.O, D.O, Mayor and Councillors were all unanimous in deciding to reawaken the Meta people's historical Tad market in Nyen village. Other mushroom markets were already sprouting up around Mile 19, Njindom, Mile 18 and other areas because of the collapse of Tad market. To match words with action, on the 12th of November 2018, the Divisional Officer for Mbengwi, Fouda Etaba Bernoit Nicaise signed a communiqué compelling all vendors and buyers to immediately stop the mushroom markets and return to the original Tad market site in Nyen village. It should be recalled that business persons abandoned the market more than six months back after government troops engaged separatist fighters there in fierce battles that resulted to killings and burnings.
The icing on the cake of the recently held Mbengwi Council budgetary account session was the presentation of a Nation Builder's Award to Mayor Tebe Beatrice by NewsWatch newspaper as Cameroon's Best Female Mayor for instilling transparency in council management and championing development in the Mbengwi municipality. Reacting to the distinctive recognition, Mayor Tebe Beatrice née Mbamuku Nduku said "An award of this nature is something that goes to motivate. It is the collaboration that we have as councillors that has pushed Mbengwi Council into the limelight. I thank them so much." With every sign of joy and happiness in her heart, she added that "Hopefully as Mbengwi Council is being known from place to place, our needs will be met and we shall grab the fruits of our labour."
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| Mayor Tebe Beatrice Awarded Best Female Mayor in Cameroon |
Before the S.D.O closed the session, councillors empowered the mayor to formerly recruit a Public Relations Officer, Library Attendant and Night Watch Man, transform biodegradable waste into manure, travel to seek for more partnership and funding whenever requested by the state.
While closing the session after successful deliberations, the S.D.O for Momo Division, Absalom Monono Woloa booed at councillors and workers that had taken residence out of Mbengwi even when the atmosphere is calm thus making them (administrators) feel abandoned and lonely. Hear him, "We cannot continue to give the impression to the rest of the country and the world that Momo Division in general and Mbengwi in particular is the worst place to live in by continuing to be roving ambassadors of our municipality." He however attracted a thunderous round of applause from the councillors when he told the returnees "Welcome back and know that your presence is going to give us hope and equally to your population." Monono proceeded to congratulate the council executives and councillors for being the first within the division to hold a budgetary session for 2019 within the prescribed time as provided for by Law No. 2004/017 of 22nd July 2004.
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| L: Gwain Willibroad (Municipal Treasurer) & R: Ndokonyi Musa (Council S.G) |
As supervisory authority of the council, Monono called on the council executives, councillors and council workers to engage and join the administration in the campaign of calling all inhabitants that had left the municipality to return home and to encourage the effective functioning of businesses and resumption of schools. "We should rise above fear and put on the determination to serve our people whose only wish is to have a better life" he told the councillors.
The Mbengwi Council budget for the year 2019 is balanced in income and expenditure at the sum of 699, 274, 465 (Six hundred and ninety nine million, two hundred and seventy four thousand, four jundred and sixty five) FCFA.
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