Biya Speech: Confusion Relegates Regional Council

By FELIX TECHE NYAMUSA, SDF MBENGWI parliamentary hopeful

President Biya Paul in his end of 2012 speech announced senatorial elections and eventual creation of the constitutional court (municipal councils and parliamentary polls assumed obvious because they are routine we think) for 2013 but by design or mistake kept aside.  Regional councilors who are an integral of the Electoral College for senators.  Regional councilors, Senators and constitutional court in Cameroon despite their provision in the 1996 constitution have not been actualized for any tenable reason. Because of the insincere rogue tradition with which the powers that be have for several decades treated Cameroonians, the mention of barely senatorial polls and constitutional councilors is taken as another grand deception - either Biya will desecrate the constitution, as often in executing this or nothing at all, even the pronounced Senatorial and constitutional court will be come a reality in 2013.

Confusion is regularly maintained in Cameroon-governance so as to probably ensure the protracted incumbent CPDM regime to extend her strangle hold on Cameroonians.

Biya who for above 30 years has downgraded Cameroon to a consumer economy, with little or nothing, except primary raw material, harvested and exported so does by maintaining a one-man-show ruler ship – a show of the executive: 

·         Here the electoral code is substandard (No two round presidential or other votes

·          Cameroonians only become eligible for vote at age 20 but curiously they can obtain National Identity cards and enroll in the military and other irregularities)

·         Supposed independent ELECTORAL BODY, ELECAM is essentially composed of CPDM personnel despite the existence of over 100 political parties in Cameroon.

·         Elections here are regularly if not always rigged in favor of the incumbent ruling CPDM party.

·         Corruption is perpetuated mostly from top – the executive has deliberately amongst other things, refused to obey article 66 of the national constitution on assets declaration.

·         The educational system here is in principle not tailored to make students studying in Cameroon acquire inquisitive creative mind .Thus the high prevalence of unemployed persons, their academic qualifications notwithstanding, since they have not been drilled to self employment and provision to others of job opportunities

·         The highly heralded single electoral code of just a few months ago, April 2012 has been abused. According to this code, municipal and regional councilors form the Electoral College for senators.   But Biya in his advice-bankrupt one-man-show announced senatorial polls for 2013 while mentioning nothing on regional council elections.

·         It is hoped that such a void will be corrected without delay, less the Cameroon polity gets unnecessarily heated again with possible unpleasant consequences (social strife, disturbance of economy and general destructions).  Rumors are even rife that regime sycophants want the current questionable councilors (brought in by the controversial election body – NEO) whose mandate long expired to elect the upcoming senators!  Further, the divisive single electoral code is silent on the number of regional councilors per constituency

·         Biya banal speeches for the past over 30years (whose character will projectable be maintained), consists of promises, expectations and never a portrayal of already achieved concrete projects.

   CONAC 2012 REPORT  

Executive created anti- corruption body, CONAC, is obviously not what will serve most Cameroonians rationally.  Article 66 of the national constitution which is the supreme law of the land is meant to do this and nib corruption in the bud. Similar structures can assist no doubts but article 66 will be able to handle all Cameroonians including the president of the Republic, a thing CONAC and others are not authorized to do.

      Many a Cameroonian wishes all wrongly indicted persons by CONAC to seize the law courts, in addition to other means, and address the issues to clean their image. CONAC however may fetch out criminals- no reservation on this but regime perceived premeditated enemies will be included in this lot for political victimization          

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. Minute by Minute Report on Cameroon and Africa

Supreme State Control Launches National Award for Excellence to Curb Corruption

The first objective is to promote exemplary behavior in the management of public affairs in order to serve as references and models in public eyes.
The second objective is to ensure the purpose of the controls. These must indeed be levied and used as a management tool to optimize both performance and curb the inefficiencies and reprehensible behavior and glorifying the merits of good managers to promote good public governance in Cameroon.
The idea according to a hint is expected to curb corruption and embezzlement within government circles.
As such the Award fir Excellence focuses on:
- Maximising revenue collection of the State,
- Promote the  rational use of state resources ,
- Instill transparency in the execution of the public investment budget in quantity and quality,
- And ensure Innovative management and control of public finances.

According to what we gathered, 19 applications were received from some civil servants of good morals. Following deliberations by jury members, the winners of the Award of Excellence Managerial Public Administration Cameroon 2012 edition have been designated as follows:

 Maximize revenue collection of the State:
- First Prize Laureate: Directorate General of Customs, Ministry of Finance
- 2nd Prize: Mr. David Tségui, Regional Delegate of the Ministry of Commerce for the Littoral.
Rational use of state resources:
- 1st Prize Laureate Mr. Issa Fedzié, regional delegate of the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises, Social Economy and Handicrafts Northwest.
- 2nd prize: Mr. Joseph Bipoupout, Departmental Delegate of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises, Social Economy and crafts for Wouri.
- 3rd prize: Madme Eveyé Jeanine Sidonie in his capacity as Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Administrative Reform.

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. Minute by Minute Report on Cameroon and Africa

AU Chairman Urges Nato to Send Forces to Mali

 (Source BBC)

The African Union's chairman Thomas Boni Yayi has called for Nato to send forces to Mali to help fight militant Islamists who have captured the north.

Islamist Rebels taking control of the North

The Malian conflict was an "international question" and Nato should intervene just as it had done in Afghanistan, Mr Yayi said.

However, the campaign against the militants should be led by an African force, he said.

The UN last month approved plans to send some 3,000 African troops to Mali.

UN officials said they did not expect the force to be deployed before September.

Mr Yayi, who is Benin's president, called for Nato intervention after talks with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Ottawa.

"Nato should play a part and the African force would lead the way as was done by Nato in Afghanistan," he said. "This is an international situation." Nato took command of the international peacekeeping force in Afghanistan in 2003. Several Nato members, including the US and France, say they will help to train an African force for the Mali operation, but have not offered to send ground troops or launch air strikes.

Mr Harper said Canada - a Nato member - was not considering direct military involvement in Mali.

"Obviously we are very concerned about the situation, and the development of essentially an entire terrorist region is of grave concern to everybody in the international community," he said.

The Islamists and Tuareg rebels seized power in northern Mali - an area the size of France - in the chaos following a coup in the capital, Bamako last year.

Their ranks had been bolstered by fighters from Libya, who crossed into Mali after the overthrow of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's government in 2011.

A Nato bombing campaign helped Libya's militias to oust Col Gaddafi's government.

The alliance between the Islamists and Tuareg groups quickly collapsed, with the Islamists taking the region's main urban centres.

The Islamist groups have since destroyed ancient shrines in Timbuktu and imposed a strict interpretation of Islamic law, sparking international outrage.

Burkina Faso's government is trying to mediate an end to the conflict.

It is due to host talks between the Islamists, Tuareg rebels and the Malian government in the Burkinabe capital, Ouagadougou, on Friday.

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. Minute by Minute Report on Cameroon and Africa

Massive Fire Rips Through Slum in Nigeria Megacity

 (Source AP) 

A massive fire tore through a waterfront slum in Nigeria's megacity of Lagos on Tuesday, burning down dozens of shack workshops and homes. When firefighters didn't turn up, locals tried in vain to stop the blaze with buckets of water.

The fire hit along the dirty shoreline of the Lagos Lagoon, an area full of sawmills that process lumber floated into the city from hundreds of miles (kilometers) away. Massive piles of sawdust and loose shavings fill the area. By Tuesday afternoon, a thick plume of smoke rose from the mills over the city's long Third Mainland Bridge, which links the metropolis to its islands.

Hours later after the sunset set, the fire still raged in the neighborhood. Silhouettes of residents could be seen, trying to toss water onto the massive flames, which stood stories high. The rest of the neighborhood remained in the dark, with little points of lights from flashlights dancing across the blackness.

It was unclear if anyone was injured in the inferno. Officials with Lagos state emergency services could not be reached for comment into Tuesday night. There were no firefighters, trucks or emergency equipment seen in the neighborhood, which can be difficult to reach and dangerous for outsiders.

Emergency services often lack equipment, manpower and competent staff in Nigeria, a nation of more than 160 million people whose economy is fueled largely by crude oil. Across Lagos, many areas lack water lines, meaning officials often let fires burn themselves out rather than call in water tankers that can take hours to reach the scene.

Tuesday's blaze was the second major one in the city in recent weeks. On Dec. 26, a massive explosion ripped through a warehouse full of fireworks in a crowded neighborhood in Lagos Island, killing one person and injuring at least 15.

Fire remains a major threat in Nigeria, where many people store gasoline and diesel in their homes to run generators for electricity. As Tuesday's fire burned, some drivers pulled over to take mobile phone images of the fire from the bridge. The only sirens heard came from convoys of police and soldiers roaring by guarding the nation's business and political elite.

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Jon Gambrell can be reached at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. Minute by Minute Report on Cameroon and Africa

Sudan: At Least 30 Darfur Rebels Killed in Clashes

(Source AP)
The Sudanese army says its soldiers have killed at least 30 rebels in clashes in Sudan's troubled North Darfur region.
The army spokesman, Col. Sawarme Khalid, says the rebel forces belong to Justice and Equality Movement. He told the semiofficial Sudan Media Center Wednesday that the army turned back a rebel attack in Jebel Marra area of North Darfur.
Darfur has been in turmoil since 2003, when ethnic Africans rebelled, accusing the Arab-dominated Sudanese government of discrimination. Rights groups charge the regime retaliated by unleashing Arab militias on civilians, a claim the government denies.
The U.N. estimates 300,000 people have died and 2.7 million have been displaced in the conflict.
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has been indicted on war crimes charges by the International Criminal Court over Darfur.


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Biya Extends Mandate of Elecam Board, Appoints One New

President Paul Biya has finally extended the mandate of Board members of Elections Cameroon-ELECAM for another four years after they were acting in illegality since December 30, 2012. Dr. Fonkam Azu’u was predicted was reappointed Board Chairman while others were confirmed. Beside that the Presidential Decree of January 8, 2012 also appointed a business magnet by name Amadou Gouroudja to replace Pauline Biyong, who was sacked from the board for her involvement in the distribution of CDPM posters during the last Presidential Elections of 2011. However, the press in recent weeks has been sounding an alarm that the actions of Dr. Fonkam Azu'u Samuel, Chairman of the Board of Elections Cameroon (Elecam) as well as other members of the board were illegitimate and illegal, giving that their four-year term had expired on December 30 , 2012. Even though it is alleged the Presidential Decree was signed on December 30, 2012, public opinion is still wondering why it was on January 8, 2013 that the information public was made public. Although the Presidential Decree was made public while all members of the electoral board are in the field for a national awareness campaign on biometric voter’s registration, indicators are rife at that the registration process is still very slow and Elections Cameroon needs to intensify field activities reasons why Fonkam Azu'u is announced in the Northwest Region this week to follow-up the ongoing registration process.

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. Minute by Minute Report on Cameroon and Africa