FROM LIMBE TO KRIBI

NB/ Article first publish 17th May 2008 

The Head of state, His Excellency Paul Biya some three years back heaped a lot of praises to the recently sacked General Manager of the Cameroon Shipyard and Industrial Engineering LTD known as Chantier Naval for the speedy growth and progress of the company within a short while. This goes without saying that Mr. Paul Biya knew the capabilities and statesmanship found in Mr.Zachaus Forjindam reason why he single-handedly picked him up and praised. Nevertheless because of the in-fighting that has been ravaging the company, the post of deputy General manager in charge of financial affairs was created, a post that never existed even in other state own corporations. This gentle man was accused of emblazing FCFA 970 million together with the human resource manager madam Rose Njoh. Recently, some local tabloid has attributed this to what is known as the Beti mafia.

          Be it as it may, my main worry is the fact that, it is allege that the deep sea port project meant for limbe was manipulated and taken to kribi after feasibilities studies proved that Limbe is the best area for such project. This is what Forjindam has been fighting to bring to Limbe. It is well established that Limbe has naturally sea port other than what exist elsewhere in the country whereby on a monthly basis the sea is being dug for sand removal in order to make it possible for the ship to off load onshore. This again is another aspect of total assimilation and neglect of the English region by the francophone powerful autocrats. What are the so called south West chief conference doing? Since they present themselves as the mouth piece of the south west people. In fact what meaningful things have this gentle men of the south west chief conference done for this province? All they know is to visit the Prime Minister and received their own share of the envelopes and present the problems of the province on paper, something which they know cannot be fruitful. Again where are the sons and daughters of this Anglophone region who claimed to be prominent members of Government? Can’t they also fight and ensure that God’s reality be done? All they know is to fight and kill themselves for the position of the Prime Minister. In fact, it has just been proven that our representatives are toothless bull dogs. How can the Government prefer to be loosing billions of CFA just to ensure that sand is dug out of the sea port in Douala and Kribi when we have a natural one here in Limbe that could help us save the money and used it for other developmental projects? I have been talking lately with a host of persons and just this aspect of manipulating the deep sea port project to Kribi is making the younger generations of Anglophone origin asking why? But Why? Reasons hard to finalize. May be someone should respond to this my article and give logical and conclusive reasons for taking the deep sea project to Kribi. I think the Government should do everything in her power to wipe away this tendency of Anglophone/Francophone hate politics.

            It is also alleged that Mr.Forjindam sacked came as a result of his fight to see the creation of the limbe shipyard project instead of Kribi. He also wanted to ensure that the deep sea port project stays in limbe but the Beti mafia could not allowed him breath. Ministers and state owned General Managers have been in power for two-three years embezzling billions upon billions but Forjindam who has been the longest state owned manager for over twenty years is being accused of embezzling just FCFA 970 million not alone but with his human resource manager Madam Rose Njoh meaning both of them share the cost of the money embezzled. What makes me worry is the political bad faith and under tone not even the embezzlement charges.  

  
    It is true that the Betis dominate and virtually sit and occupy almost all financially viable sectors of the Country’s Economy and since Chantier Naval has reach it apex of oozing out money, it is now time for one of theirs to sit on the Gold mine. The new General Manager  of Chantier Naval, Atoine Alo’o  Bikoro hitherto deputy general manager in charge of financial affairs, a post that was created and never existed in state corporations, was set in motion to complete the bad faith and evil intentions of the Beti click. Recalling that,  it was the same Bikoro who lead the audit team which finally saw Forjindam packing out of the corporation, though Forjindam wrote to the presidency and protested the irregularities found in the audit report, nothing has filtered out of the presidency. How can you ask a rival to audit the GM? Obviously there is bound to be bias just to give a dog a bad name to hang it. However let leave it to the court to decide whether he is guilty or innocent if and only if the court would not act according to the wing and caprices of the power that be.

    I think the Head of state who heaped a lot of praises to Forjindam for his good work at the helm of Chantier Naval should come out tall and ask for the audit report which he ordered be published so that the truth can be known rather than relying on the ill fated audit report done by the Board of Directors lead by the new GM. It is the responsibility of the Head of State to ensure that someone he praised some years ago, one who has contributed a lot to the nation is free from the so called Beti Mafia at the corporation, if that is done then the president must have been seen acting as the true father to all Cameroonian. After all it was the same Forjindam who started the all sing song of constitutional change to give the president life presidency till death do him part. He might just be paying to nature call......................

Mark Bara

Cameroon Anglophone Political Activist.