New B’da City Mayor Prioritizes Hygiene, Sanitation

By Philo Happi in Bamenda

The crisis in the Northwest Regional capital, Bamenda has over some months prevented workers of the waste disposal company, Hysacam from performing their duty of keeping the town clean, especially after some of their vehicles were burnt and their workers attacked.

                It is against this backdrop that the pioneer City mayor of Bamenda, Paul Achobong Tembeng has embarked on a campaign to clear the streets of dirt in a bid to prevent the outbreak of an epidemic.

                Achobong launched the cleanup exercise Monday 9 March 2020 at the Abangoh neighborhood where the small stream linking Metah Quarters, Ncho and Abangoh neighborhoods were tidied up.

                The City Mayor was accompanied by some grand councilors. They were later joined by some inhabitants of the neighborhoods who appreciated the expedient gesture of the City Mayor and opted to assist him. They came with cutlasses, hoes and spades, and helped to keep the waterway and its surroundings clean. 

                Speaking to reporters shortly after the exercise, Achobong said the outing was aimed to clear heaps of garbage so as to prevent the breeding of vectors that cause Malaria, Cholera or the Coronavirus why not.

                The inhabitants of the neighborhood did not stay indifferent. They expressed total joy and satisfaction with the outing of the City Mayor.

                “Since 2017 we have always come out to clean our municipality. At that time there was a lot of garbage and we feared an epidemic could envelope the population. So, we really thank the City Mayor for taking up this clean-up campaign,” said a youth who participated in the exercise. 

After emerging pioneer Bamenda City Mayor on 25 February 2020, Achobong promised to prioritize public hygiene and sanitation. He plans to acquire a garbage recycling plant if the means are available.