Coping with darkness in Nguti: All Nguti Conference on Electricity announced

By Eddy Bokuba in Kumba

Mayor of Nguti, Tong George Enoh

Municipal Councilors of Nguti Council in Kupe-Muanenguba Division of the South West Region have announced the imminent holding of a conference to look into the energy problems of Nguti and seek ways for a lasting solution. Dubbed the ''All Nguti Conference on Electricity'' the conference is slated to take place any time this year in Nguti town.

    The revelation was contained in the scripted address of the Mayor of Nguti, Tong George Enoh, during a recent council session to deliberate on the 2013 administrative accounts of the council.

     Highlighting the problems plaguing the municipality, the mayor stated that the absence of electricity is most worrisome. He said urgent and concerted action by all the human forces in the municipality must be taken if the problem must be addressed.

     The mayor noted that work on the Kumba-Mamfe road would soon commence and it would be a shame to the entire Nguti community especially the elites, when Nguti would be exposed to the world as a town without electricity.

      Mayor Tong held that the holding of the ''All Nguti Conference on Electricity'' this year might find a solution to the perennial problem.

     He said the conference to be organized by the Nguti council is expected to bring together all the elite of Nguti both internal and external, and stakeholders and partners in the town’s development including Heracles farms, WCS, WIJMA, CAFECO, St John Hospital, Manyemen hospital etc to brainstorm on how Nguti’s electricity problems can be solved.

      But he stressed that elite in the diaspora would have a pivotal role to play.

      Apart from lack of electricity, other problems worrying the council include:- enclave nature of most villages in the municipality, deplorable farm-to-market roads especially during the raining season, unprofitable exploitation of timber and low rate of revenue collection.

       The low rate of revenue collection especially in the market was attributed to an unprofitable partnership the Council entered with some Business Contractors some 28 years ago. According to the partnership signed in 1986 on a Build-Operate-and-Transfer (B.O.T) basis, the business persons were supposed to construct stalls in the market which they would manage and pay a token fee of fcfa 1000 monthly per stall to the Council. After 20 years the fee had to go up to FCFA 5,000.   

       But unfortunately, after 28 years of the Contract the council has not benefitted from the bargain especially as the contractors have failed to respect their part of the agreement. It emerged that most of the contractors have instead sold out the stores to individuals.

      Despite the difficulties the mayor admitted that the council management was doing its utmost to keep the council afloat. He said funding partners of the council notably the P.N.D.P and FEICOM are satisfied with the output of the council and have promised more assistance.

    Also speaking during the session Haddison Quetong Konge,S.D.O for Kupe-Muanenguba, said the imminent construction of the Bangem-Nguti-Tombel road and the Kumba-Mamfe would help greatly to disenclave the municipality.