World Habitat Day 2020: What Development for Mbengwi?

World Habitat Day 2020: What Development for Mbengwi?

Designated by the UN in 1995 to reflect on the state of our towns and cities, and on the basic right of all to adequate shelter - SDG11, World Habitat Day is commemorated annually every first Monday of October. This year's edition that coincided with World Teacher's Day was marked under the theme Housing For All; A Better Urban Future.

Building Hosting MINDHU Momo

In Mbengwi, no commemorative activities were carried out. However, the Momo Divisional Delegate of Housing and Urban Development (MINHDU), Anyang Gordon spoke to Mbengwi Online at length on phone. "On such a day, what we usually do is to sensitise the public and also reflect on how to improve on the urbanisation and beautification of our towns. For example, the ongoing road project Checkpoint - Mbon - Africa Petroleum and also Checkpoint - G.R.A are up shoots of such reflections we had on such a day two years ago" the delegate told Mbengwi Online.

Since August 2020, intensive work has been ongoing on the stretch of road Checkpoint to Mbon Park Roundabout to Africa Petroleum Depot, Mile 18 Mbengwi. To the delegate, the project would've been realised since last year but because of the ongoing (Anglophone) crisis, the contractor couldn't bring in his equipments. He insisted that the road isn't earmarked for tarring but rather, it shall be rehabilitated with pavement blocks.

Upon Completion, the Double Lane Stretch of Road Checkpoint to Mbon Junction is Expected to Look Like This

"We (at the delegation) designed it as such for varied reasons; to reduce speed, ease movement and boost the image (aesthetics) of the town because the Mbon area is the heart of commercial activities in the municipality and at the same time, the mirror of the subdivision." explained Anyang Gordon to Mbengwi Online. He went on to explain that according to the design, Checkpoint to Mbon Park Entrance (Lewisco junction) will be a double lane while from the said junction to Africa Petroleum Depot will be one broad way.

Unfortunately, the timing of the project realisation seems to be problematic because almost everyday, its been raining heavily in Mbengwi, washing the cement and sand away, thus  hampering smooth execution as workers keep repeating work that had been done. Also, there's no signboard planted anywhere informing the beneficiary population on the contract specifications like control engineer, duration, contractor, funder etc. 

Ongoing Rehabilitation Works on the Stretch of Road Africa Petroleum - Mbon Junction

To the delegate, for security reasons, the contractor avoided this aspect. However, the law gives room for all this information to be deposited at the office of the Senior Divisional Officer by the contractor. Anyang Gordon also discarded mouth to ear petit talks that he's the contractor. "I can't be referee and player at the same time. If I dare, the government will pin me down" he said and went further to explain that MINHDU's role is to control the population's interest during the execution phase such as ensuring all punctured or disjointed water pipes and electric cables are reconnected.

The credit card for the project had long returned to the central treasury in Yaoundé. The contractor is thus doing all his possible best from his pocket hoping that at the end, a close follow up will be done to retrieve the contract budget. In terms of deadline for realisation and final handing over, the delegate couldn't specify.  That not withstanding, he hammered hard that the objective of the delegation is to ensure any Mbengwi person that stays out for long should never return home and meet the place as he/she left it but rather notice remarkable changes. 

This is How the Road Was Like Before

Sometimes back in 2019, close to a hundred youths in Mbengwi were trained on pavement blocks fabrication at the council. There was hope that during such road projects, some of these youths will be recruited to produce and mount the blocks on the municipal roads earmarked for such rehabilitation. Unfortunately, non of these trained youths has ever been seen again anywhere practicing what they learnt. Non has been recruited in the current project. Quizzed on this, delegate Anyang Gordon said these are two independent projects coming from two different directions though both were studied by their ministry. 

At press time, the surroundings of the Momo Divisional Delegation of Housing and Urban Development are bushy meanwhile a communiqué sent to Rainbow Radio in Mbengwi by the Senior Divisional Officer for Momo, Fouda Etaba Nicaise calls on the delegate and about 10 others to resume duty or face disciplinary sanctions for absenteeism from office. The MINDHU delegate, reacting to this said he's been working tirelessly despite not being in the office. 

Anyang Gordon, Momo's Divisional Delegate of MINDHU

Burnt Office Equipment at the Delegation Early this Year 2020

Early this year, there was an attempted burning down of the structure hosting the delegation by unknown individuals suspected to be separatist fighters and since then, the doors of the delegation had remain closed. Some office equipment like computers, a photocopier, printer and others had been burnt before forces of law and order quickly arrived to put out the flames.