Matters Arrising:

Buea Mayor ruffled as ghost towns Resume

-Mayor Patrick Ekema has threatened sanctions on bike riders and taxi cab drivers who respect calls for ghost towns

By Boris Esono in Buea

Mayor Ekema Patrick and his collaborators condemning the resumption of crippling ghost towns in Buea

The mayor of the Buea municipality Ekema Patrick Esunge has ordered commercial motorbike riders to take to the streets on the so-called “ghost town” days or face suspension of their operations in the municipality indefinitely. He issued the order 5 July 2018 during a press conference he convened at his office in the presence of representatives of highway transporters, township taxi drivers, motorbike riders, economic operators, amongst other stakeholders.

            The Mayor issued a 72-hour ultimatum urging all commercial motorbike riders in the city to respect laid down regulations or they face suspension or expulsion from the town. The ultimatum encumbers the motorbike riders to circulate with their jackets on and with their registration numbers inscribed on the jackets for easy identification. 

            The Mayor’s action comes as it is widely believed that the recurrent acts of violence and kidnappings being carried out on civilian and military personnel by unknown person are possible only with the facilitation and/or collaboration of motorbike riders.

            With the Mayor’s threats, the bike riders and taxi cab drivers say they now find themselves between the devil and the deep sea. They said they receive calls from anonymous persons threatening death on any bike rider or taxi driver who fails to respect the ghost town call.

            “Because we are scared of the unknown, some of us have had to send our families to safer places while we continue braving the situation alone,” noted one representative of the transporters unions present at the conference. He continued that “with recent events in Buea and other towns it will only be foolhardy for anyone to try to disobey the instructions from the anonymous callers because life has no duplicate.”

            It should be recalled that only last week, several taxis were burnt for disrespecting the ghost town call. 

            Mayor Patrick Ekema has also sounded a strong warning to business persons operating in council-owned structures to disrespect ghost town calls or forfeit the rights over the structures.

            “Business premises must be opened every working day. Any shop owned by the council must be opened on Mondays, if not the occupant(s) forfeits the rights signed with the council. What belongs to the council must be opened and other private businesses should do same,” Mayor Ekema maintained, calling for collective action and collective security in a bid to end the present crisis.

            “We have about 4 to 5 thousand taxi drivers plying the streets of Buea. If everyone goes out to the streets on Mondays and all are vigilant I don’t think anything will happen to anyone. We should preach collective security and collective action for all and sundry”.

            Admitting that dialogue is the key in trying to solve the current impasse the Mayor at once wondered who the government should dialogue with.

            “The issue of dialogue is very complex. You first have to identify who you are to dialogue with, especially now that the crisis has moved from issues of governance and institutions to purely political. Besides, dialogue has since been ongoing; I had long started it at my own level and most of the issues raised and the demands have been provided.”

            Some participants at the press conference blamed the military’s option in trying to resolve the situation.

            “The approach of the military to solve the crisis is ill-adapted. You do not intervene in a situation by first firing shots. This only scares people into the bushes. The military should do things that should make them be perceived as people-friendly. I think most of the difficulties they face in this crisis is because they do not have the support of the population. It is difficult for any army to win a war when she is not supported by those she purports to be fighting for,” remarked one of the participants at the press conference.

            It is still to be seen if the threats of the Mayor will bring an end or mitigate the Monday ghost towns.

            But many bike riders and cab drivers have reluctantly pledged to do their utmost and come out next Monday. But until then, let’s wait and see.