By FC Junior
When News Breaks Out, We Break In. Minute by Minute Report on Cameroon and Africa
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| Wanlo Chiamua John |
Wanlo John Chiamua is
the pragmatic mayor of Fonfuka Council in Boyo Division of the North West
Region. He is a household name in the North West Region, and the history of the
CPDM in North West Region can never be completed if his name is not written in
gold. He is young and as such represents the youth in the CPDM list for senate.
This retired custom officer is as hinted a workaholic, a political dynamo and
has succeeded in making politics and development bedmates.
Since 1996, Bum Sub
Division became very steadfast and consistent in the ideals of the CPDM thanks
to the new impetus brought in by Wanlo John. This impetus resulted to the
brilliant victory which the CPDM scored in the 1996 Municipal and Legislative
Elections. Wanlo John by that success made the Fonfuka Council one of the four
councils ruled by the CPDM in the fief of the SDF in the North West Region.
Again Bum Sub Division distinguished itself in the October 2004 Presidential
elections in which Bum CPDM also scored an overwhelming 74.3% for President
Paul Biya. In the 2007 Municipal and legislative elections, Wanlo John
came home more determine and his presence ignited hope in the populace. The
outcome was that the Bum CPDM emerged victorious scoring 80% to win the lone
CPDM council in Boyo. His devotion for
development and the politics of inclusion he introduced caught the admiration
of everyone, he was voted mayor. If Wanlo John has become a celebrity in
politics, it is because he worked
his way up the ladder from a grassroot militant to mayor before aspiring for
the senate. This is so because he has established a track record as elite,
mayor and now a career politician. With all these he has been able to obtain
the support of the CPDM, known as the "party machine" which proof of
the fact that he has the potentials of becoming a senator.
Wanlo: The Award Winning Senatorial Candidate
Wanlo John is man who will represent Boyo Division in the
upcoming senatorial elections. His alternate is no other person than the all
powerful Mandim Prudencia, the woman who missed entering into the Belo Council
in 2007 by an inch. This team has been described as the most efficient and is
likely to spring up surprises. Mandim Prudencia hails from Bessa in Belo Sub
Division, she is a tired educationist. She retired as the principle of GBHS
Down Town in Bamenda where she left an indelible mark of greatness. At wasn’t cheer
luck that the two were selected by the CPDM party machine for the April 14,
2013 elections.
However, it should be recalled that in 2012, Wanlo John was voted by readers of The Eye Newspaper, Watchdog Tribune Newspaper and Cameroon Post International as the Best Mayor of the Year.
However, as hinted above, the name Wanlo John is a household
and ignites hope in every young man. Here below are some of the trappings of
the man, Wanlo John.
His Trappings as Mayor
When Wanlo John was elected mayor of Fonfuka Council, the
first challenge he made on the table was that Bum Sub Division was an Island on
land in Boyo. The collapsed of the bridge over river Kimbi was one of those
great challenges he had to surmount. Fonfuka, the headquarters was caught off
from the rest of the Sub Division. Since the council could not the hundreds of
millions needed for the construction of the bridge, he used his leadership and
mobilization skill whereby the population moved out with him to open a
temporary road through Misaje. When
Wanlo Chiamua was elected mayor of Fonfuka Council on July 31st
2007, the municipality was so enclaved. The entire area was described as an
island on land. Travelling from Fonfuka to the divisional headquarters in
Fundong was not only a nightmare but needed a lot of prayers and fasting. By
thenm one needed to pass through 12 other sub divisional headquarters before
getting to Fundong.
In
the domain of education, Bum was almost the last in the region. Under-scholarisation
was the highest in Boyo. There was only one secondary school. Access to health
facilities was naught. Like the Biblical Moses, Wanlo John used the ruling CPDM
to change lives. Not because he joined the ruling party but simple because he
sacrificed even his hard earned currency. And in fact being a senator is just
getting to the summit of his sacrifices. He would not only serve the people of
Bum but the entire Boyo Division, North West Region and Cameroon. However, he
has done much for the disenclavement of Fonfuka council areas and here below
are some of his achievements
Achievements:
His
trappings as the mayor of Fonfuka are numerous. The mayor achievement is that
of promoting participatory development approach. This could be found in the domain
of education, health, Road infrastructure, provision of socio-economic
infrastructures and providing scholarship to promote excellence.
Education
Secondary
Education:
As
mentioned above, when Wanlo John became mayor in 2007, Bum sub Division had
only one secondary school. Within five years he lobbied for the creation of G S
S Buabua, G S S Konene, GTC Fonfuka, GTC Kimbi and the uplifting of G S S
Fonfuka to a Government High School. Through the mayor’s award program, he
constructed a science laboratory worth 20 million FCFA at GHS Fonfuka. The
council also donated four bundles of zinc for the roofing of GSS Buabua. In
promoting information technology and communication in schools, the council also
assisted the Parent Teacher Association-PTA of GHS Fonfuka for the acquisition
of computers, printers and a generator. Besides, one cannot forget the
construction of two classrooms at GTC Fonfuka and the supply of computers to
the same school.
Basic Education:
To
succeed in building the weak human resources of the municipality to an
excellent standard the Fonfuka council worked in close collaboration with the
government, and other government development programs like GP DERUDEP, PNDP and
FEICOM. Yet the numbers of primary schools in the municipality were not
sufficient enough the meet the growing population. As such Wanlo John lobbied
for the creation of the following schools.
- G S Buabua
- G S Kichako
- G S Beng
- G S Kituma
- GNS Kimbi
- G S Chonkang-Buabua
In fact, under Wanlo John, the
council launched the school without classroom project which resulted to the
construction of classrooms in the following schools.
·
02
classrooms at G S Ngoklow
·
02
classrooms at G S Ngonavisi
·
02
classrooms at G S Kichowi
·
02
classrooms at Yunghacum
·
02
classrooms at G S Kituma
·
And
the rehabilitation of the classrooms at G S Saff.
Through
FEICOM, the Fonfuka council was able to acquire funds for the construction of
10 classrooms with modern toilets. The beneficiary schools of the support were:
- G S Ngen-02 classrooms and a toilet
- G S Kichimi-02 classrooms and a toilet
- G S Njinijou-02 classrooms and a toilet
- G S Mungong-02 classrooms and a toilet
- GBPS Fonfuka-02 classrooms and a toilet
However,
many more other contracts for the construction of classrooms have been awarded.
In the past, pupils use to study under tree sheds and some schools were located
in borrowed premises, five years after Wanlo John was voted mayor, it is now
history. He made sure that he lobbied for government to take over all the
community schools. And in that domain, he ended up with an excellent mark of
greatness.
Stimulating
excellence in schools:
In
the domain of education, the Fonfuka council also initiated a scholarship
scheme aimed at stimulating hard work and promoting excellence. This scheme
which started in 2010 was coroneted by the fact that the council disbursed a
total sum of 1.6 million FCFA to all the primary schools in the municipality.
In 2011, the council while stimulating excellence in primary schools also adopted
in a session to provide holiday jobs to 150 students in Bum. At the end, a
total sum of 3 million FCFA was paid to them to enable them acquire their
school needs. Since then, it has become a tradition.
Health
Providing
access to health facilities to the populace of Bum sub Division was one of the
major axes of intervention of the Fonfuka council under Wanlo John. To achieve this objective, the Fonfuka
council lobbied for the realization of the following projects.
·
Creation
of the Buabua Health Centre ad assistance in its construction by the council
·
Construction
Konene Health Centre
·
Rehabilitation
of the Fonfuka Medicalized Health Centre
Road Infrastructure
Since
it is widely acknowledged that where the road passes development follows, Bum
needed an access road as well as more farms to market road in order to be
disenclaved. And under Wanlo John, the road Buabua-Su-Bum and Kimbi-Fonfuka was
rehabilitated to the tone of 100 million FCFA. GP DERUDEP also funded the road
Ngwah-Buabua through the council. The opening of the road Misaje-Kichimi-Misaje
was one of the major realizations of the Fonfuka mayor. This was when the
bridge at river Kimbi collapsed. And the re-construction of the bridge over
river Mungong through local revenue placed him above others in the region. In
order to improve the movement of people in the municipality, the council also
lobbied for funds for the construction of the bridge over river Mbuk and Nguma.
It is now easy for somebody to leave Fonfuka through Konene to Fundong as well
as Fonfuka-Nyos-Wum to Bamenda.
Provision of
socio-economic amenities
According
to Wanlo John, development is not only about building classrooms, health
centres and opening roads; it is also about providing the rural population with
facilities to generate income. The Fonfuka council has succeeded in
implementing the following project:
- Construction of a befitting Council Chamber worth 110 million FCFA
- The extension of the Konene water scheme
- The construction of market sheds at Fofuka market
- Construction of the market master’s office at Fonfuka market
- The rehabilitation of the Fonfuka water scheme
- Construction of the meat sales slab at Fonfuka market
- The construction of market sheds at Su-Bum
- The construction of a public toilet at Buabua market and a cattle crutch.
When News Breaks Out, We Break In. Minute by Minute Report on Cameroon and Africa
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