Alleviating Poverty:

Buea Council Disenclaves 'Bonavada' Axis
-Contracts also awarded to boost water and Electricity supply 
By Boris Esono in Buea
The Mayor of the Buea council Patrick Ekema Esunge has unveiled three giants road projects aimed to disenclave the Bonavada communities. The three projects were made known to the press Wednesday, July 31, 2019, during the handing of 2 recently rehabilitated roads by the council to the Bokwai community.
     “One is worth forty (40) million FCFA to improve on the Bonavada water supply, to which Bokwai is part of these communities”, he said while indicating that the council has decided to “increase the energy supply within the Bonavada community by providing them with an independent three-phase transformer and the contract is worth twenty five (25) million FCFA.”
    He added: “We have also signed a contract to improve on the security of the area by providing street lights that begin from Buea Town going through Ewonda at the first phase. We are sure that with the Head of State’s largess in extending the mandate of municipal councillors we are privy enough to be giving an opportunity to vote a budget of 2020 and in this budget we shall intensify the street lighting to ensure that we encircle the Bonavada communities which have been very supportive in the ongoing fight against terrorist acts.”
    In order to disenclave the Bokwai community, two major roads that were rehabilitated by the Buea council have recently been handed to the community. “The Bokwai community is one of those communities within the municipality which is very corporative, law-abiding and respectful of state institutions and if a community possesses all these qualities, it is incumbent on any administration to give such a community a tap on the back” Mayor Ekema Patrick noted.

    “The first phase of the project starts from Bova 1 down to the Bokwai roundabout with the project worth 27 million FCFA, within the context of the decentralise credits and the second phase within the same context of the decentralise credit attributed to municipal councils worth 20 million FCFA. The same project has been equally carried out from Bokwaongo to Bwassa.”
    “Our intention and one of our campaign slogans are to ensure that we carry out a ring road that disenclaves Mapanja village and that is going to be our next focus. Primarily, our intention was to invest 40 million FCFA to improve on the water supply of Maumu village but giving the present context, Maumu was not accessible and no contractor accepted to bid for the contract. So the next port of call was Bonavada,” Mayor Ekema said.
    According to the traditional ruler of the community Kaka Esowe, the road network has made it easy for the inhabitants to move around and farmers will easily benefit from such an upgrade in the road network.
    “The road was very bad and was very difficult for people to move around. To go to Bova, we had to pass through Bwitingi, Bokova, and Bonakanda to Bova 1. It was so long but now it is a matter f five minutes and you are already in Bova.”
    Talking to the press, Eric Kulu Chief of Technical Service at the Buea Council said “There are two roads that the council worked on. The first starts from Bokwai tarred junction and end at Bova, the total length of the road covering 2km. Before, the road was just about 3metres and so the council had to expand the road with the help of bulldozers, construction of hydraulic structures such as gutters to ensure that runoffs pass through the gutters and the last thing was profiling of the road.”
    “The second road is from Bokwai junction and goes right up to Bokova, covering a distance of 2.8km. The road from Bokwai to Bokova had so many challenges as the road different undulations and profiles. The road network was expanded from 3meters to 6meters.”
    Talking about his latest title, Mayor Ekema noted that the title would not have been given to him without the support of everyone.
    "It is the community I represent that earned the title. It was not giving to Mayor Ekema Patrick as a person but because my actions as mayor are supported by these communities."

Mayor Ekema Patrick inaugurates two freshly rehabilitated roads in Bonavada area 

   Mayor Ekema said the council has recently signed three contracts worth one hundred (100) million FCFA which they have awarded in respect of the tender procedure.