Brothers against brother: Bafaws want K’ba Gov’t Delegate sacked

K’ba government delegate, Victor Nkelle Ngoh

But commentators question if the Bafaw petition writers would not complain if Biya decides to replace Nkelle Ngoh with a Bakundu or a Barombi native?

By Eddy Bokuba in Kumba

Some Bafaw natives in Kumba have said that they have initiated a powerful lobby for the Kumba Government Delegate, Victor Nkelle Ngoh to be sacked from his post. The Bafaw natives who are mostly CPDM supporters say they are preparing a memo to send to Yaounde urging President Biya to sack Nkelle Ngoh and replace him with some other person who should be more qualified for the covetous job. The petition writers observed that since taking office on 6 March 2009 Nkelle Ngoh has not been able to make his mark as a veritable city builder; if anything he has instead caused Kumba to retrogress from where the former Government Delegate, Nnoko Mbele Caven, left it.

                The Bafaw CPDM militants recalled that at the time Nkelle Ngoh emerged as the new Kumba Government Delegate through a Presidential fiat he wasn't an active militant of the CPDM party. They said despite his short-comings and especially because he was a Bafaw native and a holder of a Diploma in Cooperative Management they forget about every other thing and accepted him and gave him their full support. But far from their expectations, after 5 years in office the Bafaw CPDM militants noted that Nkelle has not proved to be the developer that he should be; he is nothing but a let-down not only to the Bafaw tribe but to the entire CPDM family in Kumba. The silent protesters said they are now fed up with Nkelle Ngoh and can no longer condone his gaffes at the city council.

                Bafaw people in Kumba observe that instead of using the council’s resources to construct a beautiful and vibrant city of Kumba Nkelle Ngoh is busy extending his private estates. They say since his appointment at the ripe age of 49, Nkelle is spending his every effort only to construct his private houses of diverse designs and in different parts of Kumba. Yet, Nkele was only recently forced out of the SOWEFCU lodging that he was occupying since his days as the manager of the Kumba Cooperative union.

                The disgruntled Bafaw natives exposed their dissatisfaction with their brother, Nkelle Ngoh and their plans to get him kicked out of the Kumba City Council, during the recent celebration to mark the 29th Anniversary of the CPDM party in Kumba. Some of them who spoke to The Median on condition of anonymity, observed that Ngoh Nkelle is too thrifty and would not finance even important CPDM party events. They said each time militants are asked to contribute for party events Nkele Ngoh would contribute very paltry sums and only after sustained pressure. The Bafaw CPDM militants wondered why somebody like Nkele Ngoh who was appointed from the blues and with little or no known track record of militancy in the party, should not show gratitude to President Biya by being generous to the party. They questioned whether people like Nkele expect the CPDM to win elections when they cannot support the party even in times of dire need. They recalled how Nkelle Ngoh would always treat with contempt party emissaries sent to collect his financial contributions for party events. “He virtually reduces party emissaries to beggars when they come asking for his support ahead of party functions. On many occasions he would shun them and prefer to play the Big Boss,” one of the petitioners said.

    “And though playing Big, Nkelle Ngoh cannot come up with any ambitious projects for Kumba,” the militants regretted, noting that his draft budget of FCFA1.2 billion for 2014 only reflects his limits in terms of ambition and ideas. They wondered why Kumba which prides itself as the economic life wire of the SW Region should not have a reasonable budget. And despite the paltry budget of  about 1.6 million in 2013, the council could barely realize 600 million. This only put the council among small councils like Mbonge. It is even speculated that the weak realization of the council’s budget could be because much of the money collected ends up in the private pockets of unscrupulous revenue collectors.

                Bafaw denizens fumed that because Nkelle Ngoh has rendered the business environment in Kumba unattractive the many Nigerians who owned businesses in the town have had to relocate to other towns.

                They say Ngoh Nkelle does not conceive projects that impact the lives of the common man in Kumba. For instance they argued that the construction of the 16 million car park in Fiango which up till date has not received a single vehicle, was simply inopportune and wasteful. The park has now been transformed into a forest and only serves as hideout for rodents and hoodlums. Also Nkelle is blamed for abandoning the Annual Trade Fair that former Government Delegate, Nnoko Mbelle Caven initiated. The Trade Fair has not been organized in the last two years. Even the Kumba City Annual Football Competition which served as a nursery to groom young talents and revive soccer in K-town has been allowed to fallow.

                Because of these and other short-comings the angry Bafaw natives say they are fed up with their brother Victor Nkelle Ngoh and would prefer that he is sacked and someone else appointed to replace him. They say a memo to that effect is in gestation and would be sent to the appropriate quarters when finished.

                However, commentators have noted that before appointing Nkelle Ngoh as the Government Delegate, President Biya did not seek the express consent of the Bafaw people neither did he mandate them to oversee his work. And though it is their legitimate right to protest and write petitions, the Bafaw people should not forget that though Nkelle Ngoh was appointed (and not elected) to serve the people he is not answerable to them but rather to the person who bestowed his high confidence and trust in him- President Paul Biya.

                That is why this newspaper is taking upon itself to caution the Bafaw people that in the exercise of his absolute powers as the head of state, President Paul Biya does not entertain people having to tell him what to do to who ever and for what ever reason. The president does not tolerate individuals evaluating his appointees when he has not mandated them to do so. And the Bafaws should note that the president can decide to appoint a Bakundu, Balong or a Barombi native as the new Government Delegate of Kumba, why not? And if this turns out to be the outcome of their petition for change at the helm of the City Council, would they (the Bafaws) not also protest the choice of a non-Bafaw native as the Government Delegate of Kumba?