Ron Zehnabu
The issuance of free identity cards
kick-started in Ako sub Division a week ago amidst controversies and tension. Yet
politicians have decried the influx of Nigerians in some border villages to
acquire Cameroon free identity cards. In the border sub Division of Ako, local
politicians especially of the opposition are scared as they claim that hundreds
of Nigerians spotted at Abuenshie, Abafum and Buku areas. It is feared that the
laiser-faire could facilitate the
infiltration of some members of Boko Haram. However, source concocted sources
hinted that the strategy to issue free Cameroon identity card to some Nigerians
living along the borderline was masterminded by some politicians. But CPDM
section President for Ako refuted the allegations and said that his party had
never made such an attempt to import foreigners to vote for them.
Ako Sub Division in Donga Mantung
Division is an Island on land giving the encalved nature of the border
villages. In Ako, 18 villages speak the same mother tongue “dialect” with 16
other villages in Nigeria. This according to what we gathered at the border
village of Abafum makes things very difficult for the identification team to
distinguish who is a Cameroonian and who is not. In the villages of Abafum and Buku where an
alarm was raised that Nigerians were acquiring free identity cards and
registering massively, the story is not only about politics. The truth is that
though these two villages are in Cameroon, the economy is directly in the hands
of Nigeria giving that the people use the Nigerian currency “Naira” and not the
Cameroon Franc (CFA). It is a common phenomenon says Peter Ashie that they of
the border villages have double nationalities. Yet politicians are crying out
that since the issuances of identity cards go with voter’s registration, it is
a pretext to rig elections. Allegations are rife at that over 50 Nigerians used
the opportunity to acquire Cameroon identity cards yet the Fon of Abafum said
the information is baseless and faulty. On the other hand the Divisional
Officer for Ako says it is very difficult to know who is Cameroonian and who is
not giving that the people speak the same mother tongue, have the same culture
and also carryout inter-marriages.
But when SDF Parliamentary aspirant for
Ako stormed Abafum, he defied the myth to pick out some Nigerians who were
already holding identification forms and we cued up to be issued Cameroonian
identity cards. He raised an alarm and suggested that all the forms should be
collected. And when the forms were collected back, he (with the help of the
team from Nkambe) proceeded by calling in every applicant and asking the name
of his/her village, the name of the councilor and the fon, anyone who could not
give a correct response was disqualified and requested to bring witnesses who
would testify. It was at this moment some of the Nigerians who were trying to obtain
the identity cards escaped. Speaking to this reporter, John Okie said that
contrary to the young men who were trying to obtain Cameroonian identity cards
were small business men who wanted the identity cards to escape from police and
gendarmes harassments. But another authoritative voice hinted that it was a
well calculated strategy by some CPDM bigwigs to import voters.
It should be recalled that during the
launching of the free identification exercise in Ako town, Ho. JK Ntoi clashed
with SDF Parliamentary aspirant Shiwa David. According to what we gathered,
Hon. Ntoi was annoyed that young Shiwa David told the population that he (Shiwa
and Hon. Awudu) lobbied for the free identification process in Ako. Hon. Ntoi
Joseph who claimed he and CPDM Mayor for Ako, Emimi Emmanuel had raised over
1.5 million FCFA and handed to the Senior Divisional Officer for Donga Mantung Ngone
Ndodemesape Bernard for the team to move to Ako was aghast. Hon. Ntoi we
gathered almost engaged in a fight yet Shiwa David stood his ground. It needed
the intervention of Ngone Ndodemesape for flaring tempers to calm down. Upon arrival
in Ako, the SDO for Ako is quoted to have told Hon. Ntoi that the funds he
(Hon. Ntoi) and the mayor contributed was given to the court to ease their
movement to the field to issue free nationalities and that the presence of the
identification team in Ako was thanks to Shiwa David. Public opinion in Ako has
been why the identification post in Ako was closed yet we gathered that the Ako
identification was closed due to rampant issuance of Cameroonian identity cards
to Nigerians and not Residence Permit as requested by law.
When News Breaks Out, We Break In. Minute by Minute Report on Cameroon and Africa
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