Buea Council In Want of Funds for Mayor Ekema’s Funeral
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| Myor Patrick Ekema (RIP) |
As members of the committee in charge of making preparations
for the burial of the Mayor of Buea, continue brainstorming on how to give the
late Mayor a befitting funeral, indications are that the requisite funds for a
really befitting funeral are not available.
According
to information reaching The Median, the Buea council that is supposed to
bankroll most aspects of the funeral, is complaining of no funds in its
coffers. For a tentative funeral budget of 67 million fcfa (it was initially
above 100 million), the council can afford barely 2.5 million cfa.
The
cash squeeze at the council is making the funeral arrangements difficult, at
times quite frustrating for the members of the committee charged with preparing
the funeral, we learned. The Median was even told that some members of the
committee have opted out of the committee just because of the myriads of
problems that cannot be solved.
We were
told that the interim mayor of Buea, Dr. Efande, is in a difficult situation
having to bury his predecessor well and also pay workers at least four months
of salary arrears owed them before he took over command. And the pressure on
the Mayor is because Christmas is around the corner, and workers must satisfy
their families.
But the
Mayor’s primary preoccupation is how to give a befitting burial to his
predecessor, who was credited for lifting him to the vantage position (1st
Assistant Mayor) which made him the heir apparent of the council.
Interim
Mayor, Efande has the responsibility to look for the requisite funds to provide
the needed logistics, feed the at least 5000 mourners expected at the funeral,
apart from meeting other incidental expenses.
If
hopes of the members of the organizing committee of the funeral were raised
after the Godfather of Fako, Rt. Hon. Peter Mafany Musonge, made a rallying
call for elites of the division to chip in contributions for the funeral, the
hopes went forlorn when it became evident that the response to the call was not
as it should otherwise have been.
We
learned that potential contributors are reluctant if not unwilling to heed Mola
Musonge’s call. The reasons they advance for the apathy is that the late Mayor
was not a veritable team player in his heyday. Some complain that Mayor Ekema
looked low on and disrespected just every elite of the division and his funeral
should not merit such ‘union sacre’ of Fako elites.
Realizing
that the contributions are not coming in as expected, Mola Musonge has urged
Fako elites to forget everything else and make the effort to be in Buea on
Saturday for the funeral. He has promised to finance with support from other
willing elites notably the Minister of Secondary Education, Prof. Nalova
Lyonga, a post-burial reception for external elite to be hosted at the Buea
Mountain Hotel.
It
however remains to be seen how many Fako elite would attend the reception,
especially as talk is making the round in Yaounde and Buea that some top elite
of the division are planning to stay away from the funeral.
As for
the reception for the rest of the over 5000 mourners expected, the
responsibility hangs on the neck of the council management, we are told.
Could Biya Bail Out?
If
there are hopes that the presidency could disburse some funds to facilitate the
organization of the funeral, there are also worries because the amount to be
disbursed is not immediately known, apart from the disturbing fear that it
could come in late, at the last minute, as it is usually the case.
Members
of the organizing committee say if they were sure of the disbursement from the
presidency and knew the amount in advance, they could take the risk of
borrowing to pre-finance the funeral.
Be it
as it may, one point remains a must: Mayor Patrick Ekema’s funeral will hold on
Saturday 14 December and his body would be lowered for eternal repose on that
day. Anything else will only be details that would change neither the hard fact
of the Mayor’s death or the date of his burial.
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