Democracy in Guneku; Fon Fomuki Injects New "Blood" for Easy Administration

Democracy in Guneku; Fon Fomuki Injects New "Blood" for Easy Administration

Guneku village, the biggest in the Meta clan in terms of land surface is currently undergoing some administrative structural readjustment. The exercise, called for  by H.R.M Dr. Ticha W. Fomuki, the Fon of the village started on the 15 of July with quarter elections. In a release dated July 9th, the fon stated that;

Considering the fact that the existing quarters and village traditional councils in Guneku fondom do not meet the aspiration of many people due to conflicting parties, blackmail etc,

Considering that when people chose their leaders in a society to represent them, they collaborate with them to make things work for the community,

Considering the need for zonal traditional councils which will bring members to build the village traditional council in Guneku, 

He (the fon) has decided to carry out democratic elections in the various quarters for the population to elect their representatives in the zonal traditional councils from where the village traditional council shall be built. 

Reorganization of Toh Quarter, in the Palace

Traditional Hut in the Palace

More so, he went on to appoint a team, made up of Mr. Mbakwa Bernard as Leader, Mr. Vitalis Ngwa as Secretary and Mr. Amamuki Jonathan, Mr. Ndingwan Primus, Mr. Fondom Calvin and Mr. Fon Mathias as members. The team,  charged to settle disputes if any before the quarter/zonal elections, unite conflicting factions if any, carry out democratic elections in all quarters and zones so that the population can chose their right leaders for easy management of the village has been crisscrossing various quarters of the village for the exercise. 

The starting point was in Fun quarter on Thursday the 15th where there was a relatively good turn out. The team went into the business of the day at the end of which their quarter council was successfully formed, made up of 11 persons excluding the quarter head, Fodom Calvin. The Fun quarter inhabitants admitted not having any serious conflict the delegation could step in to resolve. "We are fine here" was their general response. 

Mr. Mukum Charles Ndika was voted the president of Fun Traditional Council and shall be representing them in the Guneku Traditional Council. Talking to Mbengwi Online, he said "I'm so happy for these powers bestowed on me by my people of Fun. They know and can testify that I'm a straightforward somebody, one that likes truth and an agent of development. This isn't going to be my first time of serving them. I've been doing it before and I still like as they've asked me to continue"

Communique from the Palace Announcing Elections

Committeee Appointed by the Fon to Conduct the Exercise

Order of Quarter Elections

Meanwhile Mr. Abanda Gideon on his part was voted as the Secretary General of the council. He said "From what I witnessed, it was a good and fair electoral process and the elected members are like square pecks in square holes. I'm very convinced that with the cooperation and unity of the quarter, they'll be able to carry on the present development aspects that we have especially the maintenance of our road that's speedily degrading from rain water now." He cited other challenges plaguing the quarter being lack of electricity and pipe borne water considering that the present system they have that was supplied by Plan International has loopholes in that when rain falls, muddy water flows from the pipes.

From Fun, the delegation descended to Tuengyie quarter but unfortunately the locals weren't present to receive them. In Nyang, Toh and Ngong quarters, all went on well. Madam Timkoh Florence shall henceforth be representing the aspirations of the people of Nyang quarter in the Guneku traditional council. After being elected, she told Mbengwi Online "The only problems I'll be taking to the council for solution will be land disputes or others that would've been more than us to handle here at the level of the quarter council but those that we can handle here, we would" Most councillors are men and Madam Florence together with some other few women that were elected in some quarters like Toh quarter shall be fitting herself in a male dominated circle. This, she's very aware of and confident she will be up to task considering that she's a "man woman" as she termed herself. 

Just like Tuengie, no voting was done in Nyeh quarter on day one of the exercise. Pa Wanjeh Augustine, an inhabitant of Ngong quarter extended a vote of thanks to the fon for what he's doing to the village. In his own words, he said "For the many good works the fon has done to this our Guneku village, I'm a living witness and I thank him so much. I pray God blesses him more abundantly to continue thinking about us back home as he's been doing"

Mr. Mukum Charles Ndika

Abanda Gideon

Timkoh Florence

Mr. Ndingwan Primus, the Guneku Traditional Council Chairman in all the quarters visited has been schooling  the inhabitants that their quarter council will handle minor disputes and only forward those that are more than them to the traditional council in the palace of the village. However, they were cautioned that no quarter council has powers to handle land disputes. As such, all land disputes in all quarters will be handled at the level of the village traditional council at the end of which the final decision will be arrived at by the fon and a land title obtained to prevent the matter from ever resurfacing. 

At the close of the day, Mr. Mbakwa Bernard, head of the electoral commission put in place by the fon spoke to Mbengwi Online. "We are doing everything to see that all the quarters have their representatives so that information can be disseminated to them" he began. With regards to his expectations at the end of the exercise when the team would've toured all the quaters, he said "I expect that we have what we actually call a just and humane society in Guneku in the sense that people will feel the Fon's presence when all these structures would've been put in place. I think that Fon Fomuki wants to make Guneku a just and humane society."

In the course of the exercise, the fon ordered that elections be cancelled and a rerun organised later in quarters that recorded a very low turn out or complete absenteeism. On the 16th, the exercise was conducted in Njizam, Benjoh, Njiningom and Njinebai. On the 17th was the turn of Sang, Kimbot, Bugebome, Tonmito and Wumnyenge meanwhile Mbengeughang, Mbengtibat, Ngamugheh and Funmbot had theirs on the 18th. The exercise ended in Fringyeng on Monday 19th July 2021. Reports say a grand occasion will take place in the palace on the 30th of July to officially install all the newly elected councillors. 

Council Chairman Congratulating the Elected Councilor of Toh Quarter

Electoral Committee at Work

Guneku it should be noted is the first village known by Mbengwi Online for now that's engaged into such reorganization. Ever since the escalation of the ongoing Anglophone Crisis, nearly all Village Development Associations in the Meta Clan have suspended the holding of Annual General Meetings back home. As such their Executive Council members have continued to remain in power (illegally) considering that their mandates had long expired yet fresh elections are not being organised. 

Nearly all have been hiding under the pretext of the crisis as reason why such exercises can't be carried out. While some are requesting the General Assembly continues to exercise patience for normalcy to return (with no clear cut definition of what they term "normalcy"), others have silently abandoned their offices and another set is those still running (financial) affairs of their associations. 

Mbengwi Online observed that despite the crisis, the Guneku palace and Guneku Cultural and Development Association (GUDECA) continued to carry out projects in the village. In some instances, they met with stiff resistance from non state armed groups usually when fake news is spread about an earmarked project. Despite these, they had never given up but rather paused, re-strategised   and moved on, reason why things are relatively going on well in the village compared to others that are completely mute (or maybe whose activities are never mediatized).

Despite being abroad, Germany to be precise, the fon has continued to have a firm grip on his subjects and monitors affairs back in the village day by day. He has also initiated and is still continuing to initiate more development endeavours in his village like bee keeping, aquaculture, modern library just to name these few. 

A grinding mill has been installed in the palace and is greatly serving the villagers. Computer holiday classes are ongoing in the palace. The Guneku Traditional Council is the only in the entire clan having an official motor cycle used to run affairs in the village. A cultural festival that shall likely be staged when the dry season comes is currently being earmarked for the village.  

This should likely be an eye opener for others to seat up and realise that once there are still human beings living in any village in their numbers, going about their daily lives, then their developmental aspirations should never be blocked or hidden under the Anglophone Crisis.

Installing Fun Quarter Council