Sunday 30 July 2017

Kumbo water management crisis:



CPDM gov’t vindicates NsoFon, spites SDF mayor

By Gideon Wirsuiy in Kumbo
SehmMbinglo inspecting Kumbo water catchment
In what can be interpreted as reaffirming the authority of the Nso Palace over the SDF-run Kumbo council, the CPDM government has ruled in favour of the palace as the de facto manager of the Kumbo water project.
                Authorities of the Supreme State Audit last week handed over the keys of the Kumbo Water Authority, KWA, to the NsoFon, SehmMbinglo. This was at the end of an audit they carried out on the management of the water project.
                For over a year now the management of the community water project had been the bone of contention between the Nso palace and the Kumbo council.
                But denizens of Nso who spoke to The Median said that by handing the keys of the Kumbo Water Authority to the Nso Palace, the government has ruled in favour of the latter in the long-drawn altercation between the NsoFon and the Kumbo Mayor, NjongDonatus, over who manages the water.
                However, reacting to the development, some denizens of Kumbo, supposedly loyal to the Mayor, said the ruling of the CPDM government in favour of the Palace, could not be otherwise giving that the CPDM party must make such overtures to the Fon, if they expect him to help the party in its usually fruitless efforts at wooing the populations of Nso to its camp. It is believed that for the CPDM to gain control of Nso, the intervention of the Fon will be instrumental and indispensable.
                Yet, whether SehmMbinglo will be seduced by this gesture of the CPDM government cannot be known now; it will be known only later on, perhaps, in 2018 when the electorate would be convened for the multiple elections in the country notably council, senatorial, parliamentary, Regional and Presidential elections.


SehmMbinglo riding high
               
Nso warriors cleaning Kumbo water catchment
Thus, in what could be seen as celebrating victory over the council in the water saga, the Fon of Nso on Monday 24 July 2017 convened his subjects at his palace and told them that their water has been reinstated to them. SehmMbinglo said after completing its auditing of the management of the water, the Supreme State Audit has ruled in favour of the palace as the rightful owners and managers of the KWA.
                The Fon told a curious crowd that had gathered at the Palace that officials of the Supreme State Audit announced this to him during a visit they made to his palace.              SehmMbinglo said with the KWA now restituted to the people, the piece of land that was acquired at Tobin for the sum of FCFA 10 million is now also the property of the Palace. The Fon told his subjects that because the land in question was purchased with their money, it can only be their property.
                It should be recalled that the mayor of Kumbo, in his capacity as supervisory authority over the KWA, had acquired the piece of land with the intention to erect a befitting structure to host the Kumbo water authority.
                SehmMbinglo told his subjects that he will in the days ahead reconvene them to shortlist those who will clean the water catchment area situated at Yeh and Njingari and those to manage the water project.
                SehmMbinglo used the occasion to also fire a grim warning at thieving former managers of the KWA. He said the baskets of money they have stolen from the coffers of KWA would be recovered when the time comes.
                “How could Nso people give their water to some of their own to manage and these persons turn around and steal the proceeds?,” wondered SehmMbinglo, who promised to get the culprits to pay back the stolen money even if it means auctioning their private houses.
                Meanwhile, the Fon has also implored his subjects to be calm and law-abiding vis-à-vis state authorities.
                It is however worth noting that though the Nso Palace has claimed victory over the SDF-run Kumbo council in the water dispute, the council has yet to officially concede defeat. For one thing, the council is supposed to be the supervisory authority over community water and electricity projects by virtue of the law on decentralization.
                Unfortunately, by press time yesterday, we could not get the mayor of Kumbo, NjongDonatus to react to the development.



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