Mbengwi Council Counts its Blessings, Names them One by One

Mbengwi Council Counts its Blessings, Names them One by One

The mayor of the Mbengwi Council, Ndangsa Kennedy Akam on behalf of the councillors, the executive and workers has been counting the blessings of the Mbengwi council and naming them one by one since effectively assuming office in April 2020. This was during a session held in the council hall on Wednesday March 31st 2021 for the adoption of the 2020 management and administrative account of the council. 

Recounting the success story so far recorded,  Ndangsa Kennedy in his welcome speech cited projects already realised under his mandate such as the rehabilitation of the municipal grandstand, electrification of Tuanyang, Njimetu, Barakwe, Wumnebit and Chenam villages, construction of a park centre and an agric post, construction of a slaughter house in Njaah, organisation of two group marriage ceremonies where more than 80 couples were empowered with marriage certificates just to name these few.  

Councillors in Session

However, as he noted, it's not been a bed of roses as challenges like the persistence of the ongoing armed conflict, the outbreak and prevalence of COVID-19, rural urban migration amongst others posed serious setbacks for the council to smoothly realise its plans. These limited social and commercial activities that could generate local revenue for the council coupled with warnings and threats of life on council authorities and workers alike. 

Prior to the commencement of the session, the Brigade Commander of the Mbengwi Gendarmerie Post, Tchengang Theophile stepped into the hall and went round checking under tables and chairs especially those on stage reserved for the highest authorities of the division and subdivision to ensure their safety. 

It was at 11:33am that the Momo Senior Divisional Officer, Fouda Etaba Bernoit Nicaise accompanied by his État Major stepped into the hall for the commencement of the session that was coordinated by Ndokonyi Musa, the Secretary General of the Mbengwi Council. From the roll call, 19 out of the 25 expected councillors were present thus establishing more than the quorum that's legally binding for the session to proceed.

Newly Tarred Road, Checkpoint to S.D.O's Office 

Edge Construction Company Executing a Road Contract in Mbengwi

Minutes of the previous session will then be read after which they were amended and adopted thus giving room for a question and answer session during which the councillors sort to know from the mayor the distance he's covered so far in executing the task that was assigned to him after the last session in terms of projects realisation. The council S.G from time to time stepped in during the exchange to respond to some of the technical questions that require his technical expertise while the mayor too responded to those within his reach.

The Mbengwi Council management and administrative account session was a forum for various committees to present their reports. The natural resources committee for example thanked the mayor for encouraging farmers to form Common Initiative Groups but pleaded he reaches out to them so as to improve on their produce. They also proposed that the council should step in to regulate the exploitation of calabar chalk (in Bessi Fomukong), organise an agro pastoral show, train poultry and animal farmers. 

The embellishment committee on its part also thanked the mayor for improving on street lighting of the municipality, the commencement of renovation of monuments in Mbengwi, the construction of a roundabout around GBPS Mbengwi and the creation of some greeneries. The committee members went furthermore in their report to acknowledge the constant removal of garbage around the Mbon park and market by the council that bought a mini truck named COVID-19 Mobile Dustbin purposely for the exercise of carrying away dirt on daily basis. 

Pioneer Roundabout in the Municipality, Constructed around GBPS Mbengwi

As proposals, they called on the council to grade and extend the mortuary entrance, architecturally design major road junctions like Checkpoint, Pa Kwati, Mile 19 and Njembeng and install solar street lights there, fence the council building and the toilet behind the grandstand, plant beautiful flowers around the council for beauty and snapshots during weddings, plant a big welcome/goodbye sign board at Ngyen-Mbo where Mbengwi shares boundary with Mezam, same as at the border between Mbengwi and Njikwa, Mbengwi and Ngie, Mbengwi and Batibo (at Mile 71).

These suggestions and those from other committees were noted down for subsequent implementation based on the scale of preference and available financial means. A couple of councillors quizzed the mayor on why work is going at snail pace on the stretch of road Checkpoint to Pa Kwati junction to Africa Petroleum. It was during deliberations on this subject that it was revealed that the North West regional delegate of Housing and Urban Development is the contractor. The problem as explained by the mayor stemmed from the fact that the credit card for the contract awarded since 2019 had been returned to the central treasury in Yaounde due to delays in commencing the work. 

As such the contractor is reluctant to use his personal money in executing the contract considering that it's not certain whether or not the said credit card will be retrieved. However at moment, work is timidly progressing on the said road that should've been completed by now if not of these administrative bottle necks. It's a road that's expected to look like that of Fish Pond Hill or Food Market in Bamenda as pavement bricks shall be mounted on it.

Mobile Garbage Van, An Initiative by the Council to Keep the Municipality Clean

Another road project that came under scrutiny was the stretch from Checkpoint to the S.D.O's Office that's been tarred already. While some inhabitants have been castigating Edge Construction Company for poor work done, to the mayor, it's superb. He  announced plans to also tar the stretch from Njembeng Church junction through Muswe to Mile 19, the holding of an agro pastoral show, the construction of an ultra modern sports complex in Mbengwi and the transformation of the sideways of the stretch of road from the Mbengwi District Hospital to the council building into the commercial avenue of the municipality. 

Here, he said land shall be dished out to interested persons  at give away prices to erect market stalls there but before this, as advised by the S.D.O, the council will have to first of all consult the concerned technicians involved in the land sector, that is the ministry of land tenure.  

At the end of the deliberations, the Mbengwi Council Administrative account for the 2020 financial year stood at 684.744.646frs in revenue and 566.126.889frs in expenditure with a realisation rate of 82%. This success story according to the mayor was thanks to momo administration, forces of law and order, the minister of supreme state audit, councillors, workers and the technical staff of some partner ministries.

Ndangsa Kennedy Akam, Mayor, Mbengwi Council

In his closing remarks, the municipal boss presented some motions to the councillors for adoption amongst which was that the mortuary attendants be placed on a monthly risk allowance of 20.000Frs, that committee chairpersons and secretaries be placed on an extra allowance of 10.000 and 5.000Frs respectively, that the mayor be empowered to provide land to the Muslim community to erect a mosque in Mile 18 and for MECUDA Texas to build a modern orphanage, that councillor Tembe Daniel be dismissed according to the law for absenting from three consecutive council sessions etc.

He also pleaded with the SDO to use his powers to request for the reestablishment of the BIR camp in Nyen that had been closed down thus resulting to the return of Non State Armed Fighters known as Amba Boys who are reported to have resumed their I'll practices. According to the mayor, the population wants the BIRs to come back. The Mbengwi Council it should be noted is the first in the entire Momo Division to have held its administrative and management accounts session within the legally stipulated time frame.