Gymnastics at Meta Fon's Meeting With Mayor

Gymnastics at Meta Fon's Meeting With Mayor

The executive of the Mbengwi council, represented by the mayor, Ndangsa Kennedy Akam, his first deputy, Fonjong Doreen Anwi and the council's Secretary General, Ndokonyi Musa Gwianguh has held an acquaintance meeting with traditional authorities of the Meta clan, Friday  July 31st 2020 in the council hall.

While opening the meeting, the mayor said his first reason is to acknowledge the fons as custodians of the land and secondly, to apologise to them on behalf of the government for all the loses they've incurred in the course of the ongoing Anglophone Crisis. He regretted that all this while, most fons no longer reside in their palaces due to threats, bitter experiences in the hands of either of the both armed parties in the conflict or material and human loses they've incurred.

Session

Mayor Ndangsa Kennedy also cautioned the fons not to quite because of their experiences, that there are many other locals that have had their own very bitter experiences too from the crisis but haven't escaped. "If we all go out, who do we expect to come and control the land for us? he sort to know. "I am on a mission to build this municipality. I need to know all my fathers. That's why you all need to brainstorm with me your son to look for a way forward for Mbengwi, our land" he added.

In presenting a situational analysis of the municipality since the advent of the crisis, the Mbengwi Council's Secretary General, Ndokonyi Musa Gwianguh regretted that he met Mbengwi in peace, in 2014 when he was appointed but not long afterwards, it got swallowed by violence before his naked eyes. Looking at the other side of the coin, he said "We are blessed in this municipality because this was the only council out of Mezam Division that didn't close its doors or markets throughout the crisis, thanks to the dynamic approach of various stakeholders in handling the crisis here."  

Ndokonyi Musa also assessed the socio-economic life of the municipality which to him experienced disruptions as they've been uncalled for killings of humans, inhabitants could no longer bury the dead as before, no more marriages and other fanfare occasions, businesses either witnessed a drastic drop in income or completely closed down, thus retarding life and the communal spirit seized to exist causing a decrease in feeding and living standards.

Revenue Recovery: Sheds Sealed by the Council

In effect, traders in the Mbon market stopped paying rents for over 3 years thus indebting the council that as a result couldn't pay workers because revenue wasn't generated. The council recently decided to embark on a revenue recovery exercise in the Mbon market, sealing several shops whose owners were almost taking council sheds for their personal property. Before doing this, the S.G said taking into consideration the crisis, the executive sat and decided to cancel owed rents for one year six months. 

Politically, the council's scribe pinpointed that they've been conventional and unconventional attacks on individuals as people used the crisis for political gains or scores settling thus disrupting family unity, at times forcing family heads to flee. Summarily put, he said "We have been living under tension for four years" He however remarked that on a positive note, despite all these challenges, the administrative account of the council has been steadily increasing from about 300 to over 600 million at moment. "As divine custodians of this land, your contributions are indispensable for this council executive to develop Mbengwi municipality" Musa told the fons as he ended his assessment.

When room was given to the traditional authorities to air their minds, a majority had two major concerns; school resumption and development. The fon of Bessi, H.R.H Fomukong Wilfred affirmed that they've been suffering for these four years with their children not going to school but expressed doubts with effective school resumption in October as is being preached now because to him no guide has been issued as to the process of implementation of the academic calendar. 

The fon of Ku, H.R.H Fonguh Henry on his part affirmed that there's nobody who doesn't want his/her child to go to school but wished an enabling environment is created by the government because according to him, "The psychological feeling in a school environment is what helps a child to learn" Security wise, he said "Even the calm that reigns now is still an uneasy one" He ended with a proposal for suggestion boxes to be installed in and around the council building so that more better ideas from both the fons and the population could be written and dropped inside to avoid people being victimised for their opinions shared in public.

In response to this, the mayor reminded all present that the solution has to come from them because in his words "We are the government" He then reminded them that most government schools were built by the community and so being their money, they must ensure it's protected and put to appropriate use. Having been a victim of kidnap, Mayor Ndangsa attested that frustration is one of the main reasons why most young boys joint the struggle and are today using it to make money. "For how long shall we continue giving them money?" he wondered.

To the fon of Chenam, H.R.H Mukom Daniel, economic empowerment of the fighters will play the magic. "By empowering them, you own and gain control over them " the fon said and proposed that the council should flood villages through the palaces with micro projects. His view was corroborated by the fon of Njaah, H.R.H Asanga Martin who said "There's no other medicine than to get these guys occupied" It has been observed that most of the youths still passing around for Amba Boys (local appellation for separatist fighters) are no longer there for the Ambazonia war of independence but because of hunger, idleness and frustration.

Thus, involving them in activities that will occupy them and generate income for their pockets will free their minds from thinking about kidnaps for ransoms, harassments and threats. Reports from most interior villages hold that a good number of the fighters have come to self realisation that the Ambazonia dream is a mirage and have turned their backs against the struggle. Such are now involved in sand and stone digging, farming, firewood fetching plus other mean jobs just to make ends meet. They can no longer regain normal life in Mbengwi central like doing business or riding commercial bikes because of fear.

Tembe Abraham Muki represented the fon of Gundom. In his opinion, the problem stems from themselves. That each time a group seats and strategize on how to resolve the crisis or maybe propose ways for schools to resume, one of the attendees will go and leak the plan to either the separatists or the military thus endangering the life of he/she that gave the idea and the next thing will be threatening calls or kidnap. To him, if plans could be drawn, implemented and kept a secret, the crisis will be over.

Among the attendees was the erstwhile mayor of the Mbengwi Council Fonanih Johnas Asah who sat in as representative of the fon of Mbengwi. To him, any talk on school resumption must first start with the questions "Is it an absolute necessity that our children should go to school? If yes, how do we convince those against it? How do we deal with the diaspora that keeps making great promises to these guys on the ground, making them see heaven tomorrow?" His current counterpart in response affirmed that sometimes back he also carried peace plants and marched on the streets but had to backpedal when he came to self realisation that it was a farfetched dream and those spearheading it have ever since been using the struggle for personal financial, material and political gains through scores settling, kidnaps, killings, threats etc.

Ndangsa wished all those in the villages especially the half educated ones could be discouraged from watching the Ambazonia Broadcasting Channel (ABC) which to him is a pure propaganda channel still inciting the Amba Boys and giving false hope to viewers. To strike a deal with the fighters on the ground to produce an enabling environment for schools to resume, Ndangsa said "You can't force somebody with a gun to buy your opinion and so the only way out is to lobby and negotiate because at the end of the day, they remain humans, still with some sense of reasoning" He went on to task the fons to go back and mobilise their communities to clean the schools and get set their children for resumption.

In addition, he called community work to be organised to clean palaces, markets, roads and squares. He disclosed that the council will soon be organising a cleanest village competition and such are the areas that will be evaluated. Moreover, he revealed that a consignment of 350 solar street lights will soon be arriving the municipality and his plan is to see that all villages in the entire municipality have at least one planted at their  squares.

H.R.H Barrister Teghen Humphrey, the fon of Barakwe, in contributing his own quota to the deliberations opined that the solution to all what was being discussed lies above, that until the president of the republic calls for a ceasefire and reorganises an effective dialogue session, little or nothing may change. Pertaining to school resumption, to him, while calling on parents to get their kids ready for school, the council should also recruit teachers and get them ready to go teach mostly in those remote schools that will be lacking teachers. Concerning development, the fon requested that the council executive must endeavour that all villages feel their impact through execution of projects without political linings. 

While almost all the blame went on Amba Boys, the former deputy mayor of the Mbengwi Council, Fobang Roland who was recently kidnapped in Njah-Etu and kept in the fighter's detention camp for days begged to differ. From his experience and exchange with the boys, he said they too are rather blaming the fons for abandoning them, their palaces, villages and subjects to go seek refuge elsewhere to the point where they are now instead solving matters the fons and their traditional councils would've been handling. "The simple thing to do is just to listen to them and also talk to them" he opined.   

The last reaction came from H.R.H Mbacham Enoch of Wumnemburg who said, "First things first, my brothers that escaped should all return to their palaces and stay there." He added that the mayor should involve the fons in council sessions and constantly talk with them or their village development association presidents. This idea was bought by the mayor who immediately concluded that they shall be holding quarterly meetings till the end of the crisis, meaning the second meeting will come up in October. 

While closing the session, the 1st deputy mayor, Fonjong Doreen Anwi pleaded with the fons to help guide them, the council executive to work better. "I have the conviction that our children will return to school and in effect, the economy will regain steam and life return to normal" she ended. Before departure, the fons visited the offices of the two mayors where they poured their blessings on them after being assured the doors will always be open for the royal authorities to pass by with any proposals on how to move the municipality forward.