Senator Simon Achidi Achu: The Thorn in the Flesh of North West (1)

Reve Tambeng Jr

Senator Simon Achidi Achu

One of the major challenges and debate nationwide has been the capability of some elected officials (senators especially) to tackle development process in their sphere of influence. The aging political class that incessantly does hang to power has also been considered as another obstacle to Cameroon’s emergence. Since time memorial, Northwesterners have been suffocating under the pangs of Senator Simon Achidi Achu, one time Prime Minister, Head of Government. This untold situation and state of nature is quite glaring if a critical judgment analysis is made on his persistent nature of always enticing the masses that “politics na njangi”. The question as to whether Achidi Achu would ever give way for any other person to benefit from that “politics weh na njangi” concept which he planted remains another great wretchedness of the century. This is so because the njangi politics only has a meaning when he (Achidi Achu Simon) is the one to chop. Meaning, that every time you scratch his back, never look back for him to scratch your own back. On the contrary, you might receive a slab on the back at the time you would be expecting a scratch on your back from him politically.

Our interest is that in the present political dispensation where Senator Simon Achidi Achu is being worshiped by sycophants, Northwest continues to suffer from that code of belief of his. His political gimmicks and tricks have been such that there is always a Roman Arch to keep potential North West rising politicians from excelling. To him, Santa captures the tenets of the entire region. This state of nature could best be captured for us by Thomas Hobbs who like Jean Jacque Rouasseau in the theory of political legitimacy demonstrated that the notion of general will is wholly central but it is however, an unfortunately obscure and controversial believe. In the Discourse on Political Economy, Rousseau emphasizes that the general will exists to protect overzealous individuals against the masses, not to require them to be sacrificed to it. He was aware that men have selfish and sectional interests which they will always use to suppress others. Hobbs wrote that when absolute power is trusted in a single individual, there is bound to be chaos. “The fruits thereof will be uncertain” and everything will sink into the doldrums.

It is for this reason that loyalty to the good of all alike must be supreme. Not only if a truly general will is to be heeded but also if it is to be formulated successfully in the first place. The Right Honourable Senator Achidi Achu is a senator, Vice President of the Senate, Member of the Central Committee of the CPDM and Board member of one of the state corporation which I have just forgotten the name. Entirely, everything is in his own pocket.  The legendary Bob Marley once said that “Money is like numbers that never ends”. The question many have started asking is whether Achidi Achu’s political dominance is like numbers that will never end. Implicitly, if the quest for money is to induce happiness, that happiness will never come given that it will be endless. It is alleged that Senator Achidi Achu has made himself the only cock that crows in the North West Region by always keeping others in disarray.

When Simon Achidi Achu was appointed Prime Minister, Head of Government, he told the people of Donga Mantung, Bui and Menchum who were glamouring for the tarring of the Bamenda Ring Road that (he) Achidi Achu is the ring road. To him, Northwesterners should forget about the Bamenda Ring Road because by his being appointed Prime Minister, that position was synonymous to the ring road. The population foolishly believed him but it came to past that by the time he was dismissed from office not a kilometer of that road was tarred. Close sources say late Nshalai has never forgiven Simon Achidi Achu for masterminding the success of the SDF in Bui he never wanted Nshalai to enter into his shoes. Yet a school of thought holds that Simon Achidi Achu has succeeded in his political gimmicks because aligned to his side are a handful of position hungry North West elite(s) who like the bitches in Richard Wright’s “Black Boy” are experts in influence peddling. They are as would be unveiled the real promoters of a destructive game which unfortunately made the Northwesterner the worst enemy of the Northwesterner.

 Sometimes ago, in Bafia, Achidi Achu was presented to the public as a traditional ruler from the North West Region. He was even spotted in the North decorating an elite with a traditional title yet he parades himself as adviser to the North West Fons Union-NOWEFU. It is on record that Late Catherine Abena was decorated with the title of “Mafor” at Achidi’s rock farm. He even masterminded the creation of “Special Envoy” at NOWEFU that died naturally. The self-proclaimed fon of Santa, “Fon” Achidi Achu would be remembered as one of those who promoted the prostitution of traditional titles in the North West Region which finally landed North West Fons in the Hall of Fame as “Royal Beggars”.

How he frustrated potential candidates during the Senatorial elections to come out with his own list remains an ugly thing. However, every politician has ambitions and one of them is to be appointed. The question as to whether at his age, Senator Achidi Achu is still looking forth for appointment cannot be clearly identified as he is always maneuvering like the witches in Macbeth.  But since it is legitimate for everyone to aspire, age too matters.

The most interesting thing about Senator Achidi Achu Simon lies in the fact that he has demonstrated that he is Mr. Everybody. When Inoni was appointed Prime Minister, he tarred all the roads in Bakingili, many South Westerners were recruited into the public service and even the young men who use to steal in his farm were picked up to send to the Police school at Mutengene where they were trained and later transferred to distant places. On the contrary, Achidi Achu on his part demonstrated that politics and development can never go in one basket. The issue of the demise of WADA, Marketing Board, Dumbu Ranch happened when he was there and what he did, only God alone knows. Whether he ever made any attempt to rescue Forjindam from the hawks remain another cynical thing, no serious Northwesterner would ever love to contemplate on. His muteness over the Forjindam issue has left many speechless even those in the corridors of power in Yaounde given that back in Bamenda, he claims to be the only one who has the hot line to President Paul Biya.

When the Wum Area Development Authority was closed untimely, the equipment from the Islamic Bank for the rehabilitation of the Menchum Rural Development Integrated Project-MIRUDEP were still at the Douala Seaport. It came to past that these heavy duty equipment didnot reach Wum. Some of the caterpillars ended up in the premises of some politicians. By then, Right Hon. Senator Achidi Achu was the Prime Minister of Cameroon. It is alleged that some of these machines were shared under the dictate of Simon Achidi Achu. The question as to where Achidi Achu bought caterpillars to be sharing today still abound. Is he giving to Cesar what is Cesar’s? How does someone who has been unable to deliver on one of his promises started delivering at an old age. Thank God, that one of the caterpillars that left WADA through the window was recently brought back through the door as a gift to a youth group in Wum. It is at the backdrop of this recent happening that youths of Donga Mantung Division have started whispering that the cattle that left SODEPA Ranch Dumbu under abhorrent circumstances should come up to them before Achidi Achu passes for Judy Judge. Many have opined that in the face of such erratic unfavorable aims and means, the challenges of the charade remains clear, that sooner or later Senator Achidi Achu should take to the rostrum to tell the world what happened to the heavy equipment that were destined for MIRUDEP (WADA) as well as the untold story of the migration of the cattle population of SODEPA (Dumbu). 

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)