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| Patrick Ekema Esunge |
Patrick Ekema Esunge, the Lord Mayor of Buea Municipality is young, ebullient, portly but very spritely and workaholic. He is also very assertive, visionary and exudes self-confidence and an air of wealth and power. But Ekema says ever since he became the Chief Executive of the Buea Council he has hardly had a peaceful moment; he has become the target of all sorts of attacks by his adversaries. That notwithstanding, Mayor Ekema affirms that he has remained true to himself, and focused on his challenging but exalting duties, that of developing Buea and making life more comfortable for its inhabitants. He spoke to The Median’s editor, Ojong Steven Ayukogem, in Yaounde. The chat makes for compelling reading. Excerpts.
It is almost two years that you rose to the helm of the Buea Municipality. How is the municipality faring at this time?
I think from what the people are saying the municipality is faring well and the population is now feeling the impact of the council around them; most of them have now understood that the council is for them and with them. Many people do remark that before now they never knew that the council was for their consumption. I think that alone brings body and soul together.
Not long ago you had a stand-off with motor-bike riders of the Molyko and Bomaka neighbourhoods. Has the problem been given a lasting solution?
As a mayor who has the interest of his people at heart, the first thing we did was to forge a mutual understanding with the riders and to move on. To arrive at a much needed consensus the council had to make sacrifices and of course the motor-bike riders too also gave in some of their demands. In that way the problem was resolved amicably. Things are now moving very smoothly. We have been holding a series of meetings and in the days ahead the council is going to provide uniforms (jackets) with numbers for the bike riders. For their part, the bike riders have pledged to respect the limits which the council defined. However, because some of these bike riders are naturally troublesome and very recalcitrant, the administration has opted to always bring to book all those who will defy the limits set by the council. But so far I think we are moving on well and in the days ahead we are going to install the executive of the Buea Bike Riders’ Union. You know the bike riders in different quarters have their separate associations. But together with the riders we have decided to bring these associations together under one umbrella union for better coordination of their activities and to ensure order and respect for regulations. So we have organized elections at the different branches and the council in collaboration with the bike riders has come up with the articles of association. I think this is something that bike riders in other towns should emulate. We are quite sure and hopeful that the bike riders will respect the rules set by the SDO for Fako, who is our supervisory authority.
The council has embarked on some elephant projects which according to you will go a long way to embellish the municipality and also make life easier and more enjoyable for the populace. There is for example the Buea Central Market Project and the Low-Cost (Social) Housing Project. Can you edify the public on these and other projects?
Yes, in 2008 as 1st deputy mayor of the Buea Council, I wrote to the then minister of State Property and Land Tenure through the SDO for Fako, requesting for land for the construction of a Central market. And I think I must state here that it took a while for my boss at the time to visa the document. But when he finally appended his signature on it I carried the document to the SDO. Incidentally, one of the councilors of the council was also the divisional delegate of lands for Fako at the time and so he helped to facilitate the task for us. And as God does his things, today that councilor is the 2nd deputy mayor of the municipality. So that is how the file saw the light of day. And fortunately for us the minister approved the land stating clearly that it should be used for the construction of a market, a low-cost housing project and a grave-yard. But because we at the council did not find it proper to locate a grave-yard near to a market and at a place where we intended to attract investors for a low cost housing project, we decided to proceed with just the market project and the low-cost housing project. We have brought in external investors for these two projects. The contract for the market was signed on 12 February 2015 and the first phase is expected to wrap up by December 2015. It is worth noting that the market project is valued at an estimated cost of 2.5 billion FCFA and for a cooperation period of 29 years. I think it is one of the best BOT projects that have been engaged as far as the Buea council is concerned. I say one of the best because we inherited a situation whereby most of the BOT structures you find around Mile 17 have an investment capital of between 50 to 60 million FCFA and they were given for a cooperation period of up to 50 to 60 years. So if you compare a situation whereby somebody invests 50m FCFA and is given a period of 50-60 years to run the project and another situation where somebody invests 2.5 billion FCFA and is given just 29 years I think the 29-year project appears more economical and stands very tall. If you look at the profits the council will make from the latter projects they are so exciting. The council has the responsibility to collect the normal market tolls and 2000frs per stall as land rents. If you sum these up we will be making something like 12 million FCFA monthly from the market during the 29-year cooperation period. After this cooperation period the council will be making nothing less than 40 million FCFA monthly. So you can see that we did this transaction not for our own benefit but for posterity because in 29 years some of us would have since left the council. As for the low cost housing project, the council has provided land while some Canadian Real Estate investors will provide the financing for the construction of low-cost houses that would eventually be sold at moderate prices to the local populations as it is done in the Western countries. The project is valued at 4 billion FCFA. The council in return will have 2 units. By units here I mean building blocks of 20 apartments each. So the council will have 40 apartments from the project. Apart from this, the council will make an additional 40 million FCFA through the signing of the building permits which normally is 1% of the building cost. Also, the tenant of each apartment will be paying 1000fcfa monthly as land rent to the council for as long as the buildings will last. So you can see that these projects were not engaged only for our immediate benefit but rather to ensure that succeeding generations should also have a platform from where to take off. May be i should remind the readers that these projects are in line with President Biya’s 2035 emergence vision.
There is also the problem of disorder around the Mile 17 Motor Park and the entire Mile 17 junction. Have you contemplated any measures to arrest the situation?
That has been a major set back in the council administration. We have done all what we could within our powers and means to eradicate the phenomenon of clandestine transportation at the Mile 17 Motor Park but our efforts have proven inadequate. The major challenge we face here is that the mayor doesn’t have direct access to the forces of law and order - the police and gendarmes. Quite often when we make requests to the administration to provide us with police officers to help us in maintaining order around the park area, these officers are always too reluctant to cooperate with us. We have come to understand that this is partly because atleast 50% of clandestine vehicles that load around the Motor Park are owned by men in uniform. However, because of the growing insecurity in the country, the Governor called an emergency meeting of all security stakeholders in the region recently and during that meeting some tight security measures were prescribed for markets and motor parks. And there is no better way you can secure a motor park other than erecting a perimeter fence around it. So it was in view of this that we held several meetings with all stakeholders of the Mile 17 Motor Park. We all agreed to erect a security fence all round the park. The fence will be built partly with bricks and partly with metal bars so that some body standing outside the park can see what is going on inside. A budget of 37 million FCFA has been earmarked for the fence project. It was voted by the engineers and the ad hoc committee that was set up. The council for its part will invest 20 million FCFA in the project. For their part proprietors of transport agencies and BOT partners will invest 1 million FCFA each (a total of 17 million FCFA). To avoid a situation whereby the council will be a player and referee at the same time we decided to set up the ad hoc committee to supervise the project. The treasurer of the ad hoc committee is not a staff of the council. So there will be no doubts as to whether the council respected its engagements or not. All the stakeholders have until 19 August 2015 to pay in their contributions. The project would be inaugurated on 20 August 2015, while the execution will last for 30 days. We believe that the fence will not only secure the park but it will also embellish the area. We are very convinced that by erecting the security fence around the park the phenomenon of clandestine loading around the Mile 17 junction can be better controlled and curbed especially as all business activities would be permitted only within the confines of the security fence.
What about the pavement along the main stretch of road leading from Mile 17 to the police head office? Ever since the ridge was removed as part of preparations for the Head of State’s visit to Buea for the Reunification 50th Anniversary celebs, that road has virtually become somewhat of a death trap; accidents are happening almost on a daily or weekly basis. Don’t you think it high time the ridge is reinstated to save lives?
It is true that when the ridge was removed it posed a lot of problems for both drivers and pedestrians. I can remember that more than seven people lost their lives in less than a week and with several casualties recorded in about the same period. But we did not allow the situation to degenerate; we immediately signed a partnership with an NGO that specializes in road safety. We sponsored this NGO to station road safety controllers at strategic points along the road. These controllers have been assisting pupils, students and even the elderly to cross the road. I think so far the NGO is doing a great job. Our action did not end there; we also thought it necessary to provide zebra crossings on certain portions of the road. After doing these I think the accidents today are not as recurrent as before. You know most of the accidents are not because of the absence of the ridge, but due to reckless driving and over-speeding of some drivers. However, if my opinion was sought whether to invest 2 billion FCFA to reinstate the pavement or provide portable water for the population of Buea I will go for the provision of water because this has been the bane of our administration.
That response pushes me to ask the question what is the situation with the water crisis in Buea Municipality today?
Thank you for asking that question. May be I should use the voice of the member of the Board of Directors of Camwater that I am today to attempt an answer. I was appointed to the board of Camwater in April this year and I attended my first board meeting in June 2015 in Douala. During that meeting I did not conceal my feelings about the water situation in Buea. You can bear with me that for some time now I have been quite vocal on the issue of portable water in Buea. I have kept on asking questions as to what the 4 billion FCFA that was earmarked for the amelioration of water supply in Buea was used for; where was it directed to? And I think my continued questioning might have pushed the authorities to assign me to the board of Camwater. And when during that board meeting I spoke very loudly about the Buea water crisis the very fatherly Chairman of the Board - the veteran, seasoned and level-headed administrator, Pa Jerome Obi Eta saw the need to do something about the situation. 63 billion FCFA was awarded to permanently alleviate the water supply situation in Buea and Tiko municipalities. I am sure that by 2016 the projects should already be in progress.
What about the infrastructures that the Buea Municipality benefitted thanks to its hosting of the 50th Anniversary of the reunification? What are you doing to protect and preserve this once-in-a-lifetime-gift from the Head of State? We see some of the roads are already degrading.
I have written several letters to the technical ministries concerned to assist the council in maintaining these structures. I must say here that no favorable response has come from all these quarters. However, we cannot sit and fold our arms while these huge investments are abandoned to ruin at very short notice.
So we are doing our utmost best to preserve and protect these infrastructures. Meanwhile we still hope that the authorities in Yaounde will eventually consider our plea for technical and financial assistance to maintain the infrastructures which are a life time gift as you put it. Last month we wrote a letter to the minister of Economy and Planning requesting for funds to carter for some of these infrastructure. Fortunately we got a favorable response this time. The minister said our concerns have been directed to the ministry of mines and that we should rest assured that it would be imputed in the 2016 state budget. I am sure if that is done it is going to add up to what the council is already doing as far as the maintenance of these structures is concerned.
Lord Mayor, can you enumerate in concrete and sincere terms what you have achieved during these your first two years in office?
The first achievement I have had is that the council is now very accessible to the populations. We have made the public to understand that the council is their property and we are simply caretakers. Secondly we have constructed a befitting private ward at the Buea Regional Hospital Annex. Today high profile personalities no longer need to be rushed to Limbe or Douala for treatment when they take ill. I think that is a landmark achievement. We have also erected a chapel in front of the Buea hospital mortuary and also a flower shop at the entrance to the hospital. Presently there is the ongoing construction of an annex block adjacent to the council building to house a canteen and other facilities. The canteen will be open for both our staff and the general public. With that canteen, people who come to solemnize their marriages at the council will have a suitable venue for their reception. Last year we constructed classrooms in some schools and this year we have erected more. We have also been very steadfast in our resolve to always rehabilitate our farm-to-market roads. We are very concerned about the perennial problem whereby farmers cannot easily evacuate their farm products to the markets. I think today denizens of Buea can attest that the rehabilitation of these roads has been the preoccupation of my administration especially during the rainy seasons. We are also presently building a market at Wotutu in the Bonjongo area. The first block for the warehouse is already complete. We have signed contracts for the construction of open stalls. We believe this market will remove our populations from the danger of selling their perishable foodstuffs - tomatoes, pepper, fruits etc on the shoulders of the road at Wotutu. I seize this opportunity to assure the people of Wotutu that by the next harvest they can be sure to sell their produce at the new market. Last but not the least, we competed for and won an award from FEICOM and KFW for the construction of a befitting market. We have been awarded 605 million FCFA for the project. Our preoccupation today is to construct this market at Wotutu. You recall that during the reunification 50th anniversary we made a solemn request to the Head of State to upgrade Buea Municipality to a City Council. While hoping that the request will eventually be granted we should start preparing the grounds to accommodate the transition. We have a vision that if Buea should be up-graded to a City Council then we should have another big market that will serve one of the new sub-divisional councils that would be created. Meanwhile, the central market that is under construction will serve the Central sub-division. The Wotutu market will also serve as a potential revenue source for the new council. That is why we are lobbying with FEICOM so that this market is constructed at Wotutu. To conclude I must say that by the time the Buea Central market is complete, it will be one of the best in Cameroon and the Central African sub-region.
Lord Mayor you certainly should be facing some difficulties and challenges in your quest to implement your development blue-print for Buea. What are some of these challenges?
Our major challenge is the near lack of funds. If we had the funds available we would have gone very far with our earmarked projects. I consider all the other small gossips here and there as distractions intended to frustrate my actions. The negative criticisms here and there rather invigorate me to move on. My major preoccupation is to widen the income base of the council so that our investment vision can be achieved.
We understand that the rapport between you and your predecessor was characterized by bad blood, hatred and mutual suspicion. Have you tried to correct this with your immediate collaborators – the deputy mayors?
I think it is quite a different atmosphere that reigns at the council today. What we have today is an atmosphere of conviviality and cordiality. You may want to know that my deputies and myself were friends even before we became councilors and mayors of the council. And my style of administration is such that I don’t invite sentiments in the decision making process. I have made my collaborators to understand that all I expect from them is frank collaboration, abnegation, duty consciousness, and nothing more. It is true we are humans and there may be some variances in opinion from time to time. At times our appreciation of things and situations may differ and some people may have their ambitions that may tend to compromise their effective collaboration. But I have always advised my deputies to bear in mind that there can only be one mayor at a time, and that for now it is me; tomorrow may be their turn. I think so far they have understood the message and all is well. So far so good.
Some people hold the opinion that the Mayor of Buea is proud, arrogant and impulsive. Do you share this opinion?
Well I think that is the phenomenon I just described a while ago; a situation whereby you give a dog a bad name to hang it. I don’t imagine that those remarks resemble my person. I don’t allow myself to be distracted by such side gossips.
In your opinion what kind of persona is Patrick Ekema Esunge?
Patrick Ekema is the person the Buea population chose to serve them for five years as mayor. I am still the Ekema who dug sand to pay his school fees. I am a man who has learnt to always struggle to fend for myself. I have learned to have my things the hard way. I hate to see people suffer; I like to mix with people, just every body even the hoi-poloi in society. I hate deceit and people who do not keep to their word. Those who have come close to me can testify to all these about me. However, if some people think that I am haughty and arrogant they may be right somehow. But I must say here that if I decide at some point to be arrogant it is just to create a protective coating around my person; my arrogance is my god-father, my protector. My inner self is that humble, easy going person that you met today and is now talking with you. That’s the real me. May be I should seize this opportunity to make it clear to some people that I have not changed one bit since becoming the Mayor of Buea. Before becoming the Mayor I had all what a man born of woman needed to possess before he dies: I had good education, a beautiful and loving wife, children, cars and houses. And I had all these things the hard way, through my personal sweat. Those who think and say the contrary about me do not know me.
As mayor of Buea, the capital town of Fako Division and the SW region there is no doubt you are a political heavy-weight in Fako Division. What is your rapport with other political big-wigs of the division notably His Excellency the Rt. Hon. Peter Mafany Musonge, Dr. Mrs. Dorothy Limunga Njeuma, Hon. Emilia Monjowa Lifaka, Senator Mbella Moki Charles, Minister Plenipotentiary Churchill Ewumbue-Monono, Sir Humphrey Ekema Monono and several more?
Well I think there should be a clear distinction between political relationship, social relationship and administrative relationship. If it is political relationship I think we are bound to work together and for the best interest of our great party especially because we are comrades of the same political party. Here the individual interest should be put behind the general interest. But if it is social relationship I think we have the liberty to choose our friends. Administratively the office of mayor interrelates with several others, so there is no way you can disconnect one office from the other. So, all these relationships are there. But what I can say is that for all the names you mentioned, our relations are quite cordial and fruitful except for one among them who in one way or the other is doing everything to get my head.
The President of your party has launched the reorganization of basic organs of the party, and elections of executives of these organs. Are you nursing any ambition to hold one of the choice positions?
For now I have no such intention or ambition. But militants of the party have kept on mounting pressure on me to take up one of the leading positions. I am still contemplating and looking at the options. But for now I am not decided yet.
I will not end this interview without recalling the passing of the paramount chief of Buea, His Royal Majesty SML Endeley. You certainly are orphaned today; Buea is without a paramount chief. Is there any successor in waiting?
It is too early to talk about a successor now. We are still mourning the late chief who was one of the greatest sons that Bakweri land ever produced. We had a chief who made many of the big people we have in Fako today and did a lot for others without giving undue preference for himself and his immediate family. He was so selfless and generous. My fervent hope is that in the process of designating a new chief, the law and the law only should prevail. And the royal family should be given ample time and opportunity to sit down, concert and present a consensus and competent candidate who will be acceptable to the majority of the people of Buea and even beyond.
What was your rapport with the late paramount chief? We understand he was somewhat of a father to you?
I have always said it and will continue saying it that the paramount chief was a father not only to me but for many other children who faced the kind of difficulties i faced in my early life. Chief Endeley contributed enormously for my progress in life. I must say without wincing or mincing that I benefitted a lot from the chief. The chief personally paid my school fees at one time or the other; he gave me a lot of scholarship assistance. He also personally gave me a lot of openings and opportunities that have helped to make me what I am today. I recall that barring fierce resistance from some villagers Chief Endeley offered me a sand pit from where I excavated sand and sold to pay my school fees in high school. The chief reminded those who took offence against his decision that, Bakweri children are not very enthusiastic about going to school and that it is rare in Bakweri land to find a young man who is so eager to go to school and is looking for means to sponsor himself by exploiting a natural facility like a sand pit. “So why do you want to block this young man,” he wondered aloud. So thanks to the Paramount Chief I became a sand digger for several years and that’s how I moved on with life and I am what I am today.
Lord Mayor your last word for our readers?
I want to appeal to them that it is better to get close to people and understand them better before you make declarations about them. All what has been said about me are just the imaginations of some detractors; such statements only reflect the person(s) who have taken the denigration of Patrick Ekema as their stock in trade. I urge the journalists especially to guard against such misguided sources of information; they should do investigative journalism. As for the members of the public, my doors are always open for them, they should find time once in a while and visit me in my office or in my house and get my side of the story before they make judgments.
Thank you Lord Mayor for accepting to talk to The Median
Thank you too, the pleasure was mine.
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