No Amount of Money Can Rescue CDC without Security

- FranklineNgoniNjie, CDC GM

CDC GM, Frankline Ngoni Njie

The Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC) may completely collapse if nothing is done to resolve the on-going crisis rocking the two English-speaking Regions of Cameroon.

                The sickening situation of CDC forced the General Manager, FranklineNgoniNjie, to grant a press conference over the weekend in the corporation’s head office in Bota, Limbe, during which he begged Anglophone Cameroonians to protect the company, which he described as their own heritage and patrimony.

                Njie maintained that no amount of money can save CDC if security in and around the plantations is not guaranteed.

                “No amount of money can put CDC on tracks if there is no security assurance for the various farm workers. The Palm estates in Boa in Iluani are no longer under the control of CDC. Even the offices and houses of managers, workers are occupied by non CDC persons”.

                The GM added that “what is even worse is that a portion of the plantation is being hired out for exploitation by a third party”.

                CDC, the second biggest employer after the State, is the most affected by the Anglophone crisis.

                “We cannot pretend that we did not see that CDC was a target. Fellow Anglophones have told lies against the CDC that is why it is constantly under attack.”

                Most of the workers from different part of the South West Region have abandoned the plantations due to threats, others have been beaten, killed and the fingers chopped-off by unidentified gunmen believed to be members of the pro-independence fighters.

                The current crisis has led to huge financial and material loses for the corporation as many workers have now become internally displaced.

                According to the General Manager, the corporation was hoping to restart it activities beginning January 2019, but the threats have intensified as the days go by.

“We thought that by this time we should be back in our plantations, but unfortunately that drive was confronted by heavy threats from unknown gunmen. The workers who braved it and went to the fields were not only attacked in the plantations, they were visited in their homes late in the night,” he added.

                Njie further revealed that the corporation has gone into partnership with the military to protect its workers and plantations.

“The corporation collaborated with the security forces and stationed the forces in every plantation, but the security posts were overrun by the fighters. Mbonge II fell prey and three soldiers were killed on 2 May 2018. This forced everybody to escape,” the GM regretted.

                In most of the estates, the workers have abandoned work; the crops such as banana, rubber, palm now have been overgrown by grass. Other structure of the corporation has been vandalised and some burnt down.

                It should be noted that more than 12,000 workers are now jobless with the remaining 7000 still struggling to make ends meet.