Playing Lazarus:

Konye Mayor laments bad roads, evokes heavy rains

At a press outing last week, Musima George Lobe evoked heavy rains as the bane of Konye roads. But his hearers said the mayor’s alibi was just another ‘deja entendu’; it was the same excuse that others before him advanced when they too were criticized for bad roads in Konye. 

By Doh Bertrand Nua in Kumba

Konye Mayor, Musima George Lobe

The Mayor of Konye Council has called the press and given his own version of events in a bid to set the records straight and maybe, clear his head, after the recent remarks and observations by the some members of the committee for follow-up of PIB projects in Meme insinuating that his management of PIB projects has been anything but satisfactory.

                Addressing prying pressmen in Kumba on Saturday 18 November 2017, Musima George Lobe touched on many issues but dwelled on his management of the FCFA 27 million that is allocated to local councils annually for rehabilitation of roads.

                “….When I came in as Mayor of Konye council in 2013, I had the opportunity to manage FCFA 27 770 000 in 2014 for the rehabilitation of streets in Konye town, Ngolobolo and Ndoe……Thereafter in 2015, we did the road from Mofako to Matoh town. The road was received and it eased movement of persons and goods between Matoh and Kumba. But in 2016 the FCFA 27 million could not be used because the money came in late, around September when the rainy season was at its peak. For that reason we suspended the project and only engaged works by mid-2017,” Mayor Musima explained.

                He noted that because of the same reasons, all other councils in Meme Division also engaged their 2016 road works only in 2017.

                But Musima at once noted even with coming of the dry season, Konye council could not immediately engage the road works because all the councils in Meme rely on Matgenie for caterpillars. He said the scramble for caterpillars that ensued was such that Konye’s turn to use the caterpillars only came when the rains had set in again, thus warranting another suspension of the work.

                Mayor Musima however said the works were eventually engaged and are ongoing.

                “Sooner than later the commission will be called in to come and receive the job on the Wone-Dipenda Bakundu road,” Musima said. 

                Also quizzed on why the Koba-Mbu road project is still standing despite the 20 million since disbursed for the job, Mayor Musima explained that though the credits for the rehabilitation of the Koba to old town Mbu road was credited to Konye council, it was not the council that awarded the contract. The contract was awarded through the tender’s board, Musima clarified, however noting again that “by the time the contract was awarded by the tender’s board, the rainy season had set in again and so the contractor could not engage the work, reason why the job was suspended pending the subsidence of the rains.”

                But Mayor Musima again regretted that even as the dry season has returned, the Koba-Mbu road project can still not kick-off because the contractor, Njikam Richard Ngu, died recently.

                The Mayor however expressed the hope that the late Njikam’s siblings will put their act together soon and continue the job left by their father.

                Mayor Musima evoked bad roads yet again when he was asked to explain why he has also not provided benches and classrooms to Bosaka and other areas despite receiving credits for the purpose.

                “True, we had to provide benches and tables to G.S Dipenda and G.S Bosaka but because the roads were bad at the time, we decided that the contracts should be joined with that for the building of classrooms and handed to the same contractor this so as to ease the issue of fabrication and transportation.

                But Musima observed that while the contractor for GS Dipenda has advanced with his job and will soon carry the benches to the school, his counterpart of GS Bosaka has not even started because of the practically impassible road from Dipenda to Bosaka.

                The mayor said because materials can only be carried on the head to get to Bokasa, it is difficult for the contractor to start building the classrooms, not to mention transporting the benches.

                Yet, the Mayor said despite the objective difficulties and challenges, Konye’s development has not been completely stalled during this his first mandate. He said he has been able to do the road from Matondo II to Ediki Mbonge and has rehabilitated roads in Konye main town, as well as some rural roads which he did not site.

                Mayor Musima’s explanations for the perennially bad roads in Konye notwithstanding, many reporters at the press outing dismissed his alibi of bad weather as unconvincing at best, and lame at worst. His hearers said if anything the mayor only sounded evidently daunted and at a loss of solutions in the face of impassible roads in his municipality.

                Some recalled that the Mayor had promised during campaigns in 2013 to reverse the roads situation in Konye.

                A commentator said the bad weather which the Mayor blames for holding back roads and other development projects in Konye is deja entendu; it is the same lame excuse that successive mayors have given, even as Konye populations continue to wallow perpetually in poverty and underdevelopment amidst abundant cocoa and other crops.