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| Minister Mbah Acha In Between N.W Governor and Momo S.D.O |
When the sun rose on Friday 29 November 2024 to offer in a new dawn of the day, traffic flow became tilted towards the Mbengwi municipal stadium. The chairs, canopies, decoration, banners, beefed up security and helicopter hovering around were indicative of something huge to happen. The ensuing seconds, minutes and hours ahead will turn out to be hectic for all and sundry. Material gifts had been deposited in heeps, indicative of the fact that a high personality is visiting to make donations.
Upon arrival on the Mbengwi municipal stadium where a mammoth crowd had gathered, H.E Mbah Acha Rose Fomundam, Minister Delegate at the Presidency of the Republic Incharge of Supreme State Audit, accompanied by the North West Regional Governor, Adolph Lele Lafrique were entreated to a hilarious welcome, firstly by warm and kind words from a young girl who wished the Minister a happy and comfortable stay before handing over a bouquet of flowers to her.
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| Mbengwi Municipal Stadium on Day of the Visit |
On hand to welcome the Minister administratively was the Senior Divisional Officer for Momo, Fouda Etaba Bernoit Nicaise, followed by the Divisional Officers of Mbengwi, Batibo, Ngie , Njikwa and Widikum. It was the same for the Mayors of the five Municipal Councils in the Division.
The minister had come with a plethora of financial and material gifts comprised of basic household needs like blankets, mattresses, cartons of soap, gas plates, buckets, food transformation and preservation machines like cassava and corn grinding mills, sprayers and pressers, basic food items like flour, sugar, rice, salt and vegetable oil, didactic school materials like bags and books to encourage academic excellence in the basic and secondary education sectors, farm inputs like fertiliser, watering cans, cutlasses, rain boots, helmets for commercial motorbike riders as well as sports equipment to support two football academies in the division and many other items.
. Mbengwi Municipal Stadium on Day of Visit
The gifts worth over 45 millions greatly impacted a cross section of the struggling population still recovering from difficulties caused by the over 7 year long Anglophone Crisis. In his welcome address, the Mayor of the Mbengwi Council Ndangsa Kennedy Akam lauded the initiative of H.E Mbah Acha Rose Fomundam for maintaining the culture of always visiting her people. He praised her for the strides taken to encourage educational activities as well as food production in the five Sub Divisions in Momo. Mayor Ndangsa Kennedy also presented efforts made by the population of Mbengwi to prepare and ensure effective resumption of academic activities in the two professional schools in the the municipality namely ENIEG and ENIET.
The teaching and learning process in these two institutions had stopped following the eruption of the Anglophone Crisis. With palpable signs of normalcy observed of recent, the hope was that activities will resume in the two schools. Unfortunately, things didn't go as anticipated yet the mayor didn't relent his efforts to continue clamouring for their return and also the allocation to his municipality of some of the faculties of the University of Bamenda.
On her part, the Minister promised that she will be coming again with more items that will positively impact other sectors. "I brought these items with love and I pray you share them with love to everyone, no fighting" she cautioned. In a straight forward statement, she appealed for peace efforts to continue and called on the people of Momo to be loyal to state institutions throughout the republic and to H.E President Paul Biya, whose confidence placed her where she is. "You can not pick a plum and eat and instead of showing appreciations to the plum tree , you go and do it to a pear tree" she added.
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| Mbengwi Municipal Stadium on Day of the Visit |
Mbah Acha Rose Fomundam became minister in 2015 and one year after her appointment by the Head of State, the Anglophone Crisis started. Before then she had visited Batibo, Ngie, Njikwa, Widikum Mbengwi and Ngie at least once. "If not of these crisis, I would've continued visiting all these subdivisions every time to commune with my people" said the minister. She too has faced the realities on the ground with regards to insecurity as she testified her convoy has come under attack over eight times either when she's visiting Mbengwi or Batibo with the Non State Fighters going as far as using Improvised Explosive Devices in an attempt to harm her.
"Despite all these, I've not abandoned you people. I've kept coming" she told the mammoth crowd as they cheered her determination. Underneath the minister's visit was campaigning for the reelection of president Paul Biya in 2025 and the C.P.D.M party currently controlling all five councils in the division to maintain their grip in 2026 when voters will go to the poles for municipal and legislative elections. To her, there's no need changing the winning team.
While directly throwing shots at her political rivalries of the opposition that have also been showing face on the ground in the build up to the forthcoming elections, the minister challenged the population to ask them where they've been all this while. To her, they abandoned the people during this crisis period but her party and her have always been there for them.
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| Minister Mbah Acha Addressing the Population on the Mbengwi Municipal Stadium |
When the M.P for Momo East, Mbengwi took to the rostrum, she began by thanking the minister. In her own words "We are conscious of the fact that you have spent above 40 million to come and see your people at the end of year to make them happy and above all to empower them economically. How else can we express our gratitude to you for braving the odds to come to your base because charity begins at home? Your sisters and brothers have come out to support you because you are a square peck in a square hole."
Like a prophetess on the pulpit dishing out the Word of God to her Christians, Hon. Injoh Foo Ngang Prodencia called on God to continue to uplift and protect the minister, that as she removes from her pockets, she will never lack in Jesus' name and the crowd shouted "Amen". At the end the items were distributed to the various beneficiary groups that were drawn from across the division. The Mbengwi Council was offered a tricycle. Multiple dance groups animated the ceremony.
By Moris Tagyen & Fongoh p. Ayeh
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