51 Years After Independence: Cameroon Assembly Speaker Visits Donga Mantung, Goes Green with Women

Hon. Cavaye receiving his tree from Ngante (Anafor)

Cross section of who traveled to Donga Mantung

The National Assembly Speaker, Hon. Cavaye Yeguie Djibrille has entered into record as the first ever Speaker to visit Donga Mantung Division since 1947. Travelling to the old Nkambe Division (now Donga Mantung Division) in the extreme North West Region is not only a nightmare but demands a lot of prayers and fasting. Reasons why the people are clamouring for a region yet, the cry has been falling on the deaf ear of the Biya regime. However, August 12, 2012 registered the first visit of the number two personality in the country, 51 years after independence. In fact, Hon. Cavaye Yeguie Djibrille’s mission to Donga Mantung ignited hopes for the creation of the Extreme Far North West (Far North West) as propagated by late Hon. SN Tamfu. Yet, the enthusiastic population were taken aback when he (Hon. Cavaye) told them in his key note address that before leaving Yaounde, he had keyed all political issues and was coming to Nkambe to plant a tree. To Hon. Cavaye Yeguie Djibrille, the phenomenon of climate change was a reality and needed collective efforts to mitigate it positive impact. While launching operation Green Cameroon and initiative of the Pan African Parliamentarians Network on Climate Change-REPACC in Nkambe, headquarters of the Old Nkambe Division, the House Speaker called on all and sundry to plant trees in order to save Mother Earth from getting angry.

This tree shall grow even if I  do not come back to Donga Mantung-Cavaye

Hon. Awudu Mbaya Cyprien, Executive President of REPACC used the occasion to pour shower of praises on Hon. Cavaye Yeguie for bestowing confidence in him which has resulted to him (Hon. Awudu) enjoying key positions in the Bureau of the National Assembly. He said climate change is one of the most devastating impending doom that humanity is facing nowadays reasons why the women of Donga Mantung Division must join to make their own significant contribution in the fight. Hon Awudu Mbaya lamented that the greatest part of the Mbembe Forest Reserve is disappearing every hour due to illegal logging. He said the rate at which the forest is disappearing is alarming and if necessary actions are not taken, that forest especially in the Buku area will be history.

Mangoh Addresses Cameroon Parliament in Nkambe

Mangoh Jones addressing Parliament at 12:27 in Nkambe

Council Mangoh Jones Tanko, the Mayor of Nkambe Council in his welcome speech expressed thanks and gratitude to the august guest. He said the visit has made the population of the Old Nkambe Division to feel inclusive and demonstrates the fact that “we truly belong to this country”. “Since the beginning of the country,” Mangoh Jones added, “for the first time this Division is receiving the Speaker of the National Assembly. Even if I end my speech here now the world knows that I have addressed the National Assembly of Cameroon today”. According to Mangoh Jones Tanko, climate change has already demonstrated it prowess in the Division, the acute shortage of water, poor yields, etc which have made the population to start understanding that everyone humanity will still depend on nature in all its dimensions. He further explained that in the past planting of maize and corn in his municipality was done in February and March and in school “ we learned that March 15^th was the planting date, while harvesting was in the months of June and July but this year, he noted planting began towards the end of April. “We are therefore depending on nature in this part of the country 100% reasons why we cannot sit comfortably in our homes. “ I realized that we have been talking of Vision 2035 for our national development that will guide our economic and social development efforts. The objective of this vision is to awaken, coordinate, and direct the people’s efforts, minds and national development goals, and withstand the expected intensive economic competition and challenges ahead of us” but “ I think 2035 is too long a distant to conceive such a goal”. After justifying that scuh a vision was hopless with the phenomenon of climate change, he further suggested that the timeframe should be reduced to 2025, so that those conceive it will be living witnesses of what they planned for the future because a development vision is an important pillar in building a society, if not it is meaningless.

Mangoh Jones Tanko remained his august guest that Donga Mantung Division is a border Division having the largest borders with the biggest black power the Federal Republic of Cameroon. “We are divided only by a river and the population of both sides of the river speaks the same language, have the same culture and intermarry. These situations reveal our closeness and the impact on one another. It is therefore a worry for some of us parents who lived and studied in Nigeria before transferring our Nationality to Cameroon after the 1961 Plebiscite. We think that Cameroon does not have a border policy hence we are neglected as demonstrated by various issues”.

Mafor Yah Achidi Achu Judith in tradi-regalia was present to give her booster

In the domain of roads, he told the House Speaker in his face that there is no all season road linking Donga Mantung to other towns of Cameroon. He decried that the Ring Road is yet to present its human face as passengers travelling from Nkambe to Bamenda and other bigs never get to their destinations on time, especially when the Ring road is in tears. These backwardness trends have caused untold injuries, rural exodus and poor marketing of farm produce. In the domain of education, he said a people without education cannot develop the mindset and that the general cry is that Government has not build the schools, it has created them. And that “ worst still Government has not employed the teachers” because Donga Mantung Division still have many one teacher schools. He lamented that there are technical schools in the Division with one teacher who is the Principal whereas across the river, there is the policy of 36 teachers to one teacher. Mangoh Jones pleaded that government should develop a good border policy, staff and equip the schools for the betterment of tomorrow.

Hon. Wirngo determined to save humanity

On rural electrification, the made MPs to understand that electricity is a scarce commodity in Donga Mantung Division. Out of the five sub divisions, only Ndu and Nkambe have electricity but yet people are unable to run cool stores, electronic shops, radio and tv stations, offices because lights come and go for days, weeks and even months. He remained the Cameroon Parliament that the Adere Fall in Nwa sub Division can harness and supply adequate electricity to the entire country and export it. Mangoh Jones ended his keynote address to the Cameroon National Assembly by thanking House Speaker for the bravery he underwent to travel on the rough ring road in tears and extended his joy to Hon. Awudu Mbaya who has made it possible for the historic visit. It should be noted that that over 40 MPs accompanied the House Speaker to the land of milk and honey, the small Switzerland of Cameroon, Nkambe the Divisional headquarters of Donga Mantung Division.

Reaction

Hon Genesis Mbuckseck (CPDM MP for Nwa)

Hon. Genesis Mbukseck planting for the future

I think it is a very great initiative that we are here to stimulate tree planting. In fact planting the right tree nowadays is one of the best things one can offer to humanity. And a Representative of the people, I will make sure that each woman in my Constituency plants a tree so that we can mitigate climate change. The presence of the Speaker of the National Assembly here today gives us the courage to continue as crusaders for sane environment. I am delighted that this programme has reached our border division. It is therefore a challenge to me as a politician to make sure that we preserve the forest and plant more environmental friendly trees.

Hon. Esther Ngala (SDF MP for Ndu)

Hon. Esther Ngala planting tree of life

I am happy that REPACC has taken the Speaker to Donga Mantung Division and operation one woman, one tree has come in time to consolidate the efforts I started with the distribution of improved fruit trees to women two months ago. The launching here will also ignite all the women and men to join in tree planting. I am happy that our traditional rulers were also very present and we will continue to work with them to make sure that trees are planted. You see, if we do plant good trees to replace these eucalyptuses in water sheds, we might be heading for sometime serious. I am optimistic that this programme will succeed here. We are not yet at the level of carbon trade, but with time I ma sure women will benefit from it giving that they are very enthusiastic in planting more trees. They are aware that if they do not plant environment friendly trees, their harvest will be poor and they have already seen that this year, there is lightly to be hunger since corn which is our stable food did not do well.

Asides (Views of the common man)

Planting a tree is the most precious gift one can offer to humanity but planting the right tree at the right time, place and moment matters a lot for the above purpose to be achieved. The launching of operation Green Cameroon dubbed “One woman, One tree” has raised a lot of eye browses. Some people were even aghast that luxury cars were ferried to Nkambe empty whereas they thought those cars were to transport trees. The first remarks from the man in the street was the fact that over 200 cars were fued and missions orders paid to more than 400 personalities to come to Donga Mantung Division to plant just a tree each. To the man in the street, that amount could have been used in setting up tree nurseries.

Another point we gathered is the fact that the trees were even planted at the end of the rainy season which implies that less than 1% of the trees may survive. More so, the question many have been asking is whether tree nurseries would be set up in communities for the women or how and where will they obtain the trees to plant. To others, it is just a campaign strategy by Hon. Awudu Mbaya to attract women to belong to Socialist Women which is collapsing. Bang Bullet even wondered aloud whether it is not a scam because in the launching of any vast programme, the target number of trees to be planted is mentioned. Why is it that the number of trees to be planted in the Division has not been made public? And to others, the occasion was an opportunity for the speakers to discourage the abusive cultivation of eucalyptus trees but the MP, the Mayor and the Speaker of the House failed to address the issue. They say that even the entire Donga Mantung is transformed into a forest without eucalyptus cleared off from water catchment the phenomenon of climate change will still impact the lives of the population.



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