Youth Day Celebration: Youths Threaten Strike Action For Being Ignored at Own Event

By Nfor Macbright 

Abanda Marcel CNYC President

Members of the Cameroon National Youth Council-CNYC were angered by the fact that the Donga Mantung Divisional and Nkambe Council Presidents were not allocated seats at the grandstand during their own event. Tempers flared when the over 400 CNYC members noticed that their executives were not seated. It is alleged that when a delegation of CNYC members contacted the protocol officer of the Senior Divisional Officer for Donga Mantung, he said CNYC was not on his list. Angered by the reply, the youths resolved to call for an immediate strike action to express their grievances. after agitating for over 45 minutes, Abanda Marcel, the Divisional President argued them that violence is the weapon of the weak and not the strong.  He said they should go for the march-pass and that the issue will be taken to the public court, the Press. Allegations are rife at that Abanda Marcel took over 28 minutes to convince the youths not to demonstrate or boycott given that majority wanted that they should stage a protest march. Speaking at a Press briefing in Nkambe, the Divisional President said that it is really pathetic that they should be sidelined in their own event. He said Youth Day is purely day reserve for them and not administrators. Abanda Marcel also told journalists for over four years, the Cameroon National Youth Council has always played a primordial role during youth days. He revealed that “we have worked with two Senior Divisional Officers and one Divisional Delegate for youth affairs without hitches” yet the present SDO, Ngone Ndodemesape Bernard and the Divisional Delegate for Youth Affairs Nfor Mary, believe that we have barely nothing to offer”. He continued that CNYC was part of the organization Committee and was not part of the management committee of the event. “In the past, we use to receive a token from the SDO’s office or say Committee to mobilize youths and youth groups to take active part, but this year, we were ignored”. Abanda Marcel also lamented that even the Junior Parliamentarian for Nkambe had no seat at the Grandstand. “Why is it that the administration is making thing difficult for us?” Some of the youths we gathered had vowed that they would prefer to join the Southern Cameroons National Youth Council-SCNC than the Cameroon National Youth Council to be tormented. “Why is this neglect only taking place in Nkambe” he wondered. Echoes from Nwa, Misaje, Ako and Ndu indicated that CNYC executives were given seats at the grandstand. At the level of the region, our sources also confirmed that the regional President for North West represented the interest of the youth at the grandstand. It should be recalled that in the days of Nseki Theophile, the Divisional President of CNYC Donga Mantung Division was part of his entourage. However, dark clouds loom large as to whether CNYC Donga Mantung Division will not go incomatoes given that majority of the youths have vowed to quit and seek solace somewhere else. “Youth day is our day and we will not continue to fold our arms to watch how every time the little privileges we have a taken away from us. We do not understand why on women day, leaders of women networks are given the pride of place and on Youth Day, we cannot also have the same treatment. In fact I realized that we were being treated like outsiders during our own event but as a leader i had to ensure that there was no boycott or strike action as many of our members preferred”, one member told this reporter after the briefing. 

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