Some poorly-constructed shops in the locality were deomlished by the Yaounde City Council last Tuesday.

Despite cries and pleas from owners of some shops in the Nkol-Eton neighbourhood in Yaounde, the “demolition man” as the driver is commonly called, brought down his bulldozer on every structure that he identified for destruction. The exercise, that occurred on Septmeber 21, around 11:30 a.m, left business people wondering.

One day after the demolition exercise, victims could still be seen trying to recover some of their valuables from the wreckage. A number of them, some of whom are still stranded, are crying foul, complaining against the one-week deadline the City Council gave them to quit the area. According to them, one week was insufficient notification to enable them relocate.

At the scene of the incident, victims are seemingly frustrated. Armand Nsoa Minlend, a shop keeper and call-box operator is yet to recover from the shock. Not only did he lose his handset with some airtime during the battle to rescue some items, he also sustained injuries. According to him, the wood that he recovered from the wreckage will be his source of income for the meantime. To Honorée Sinje, another victim, it is hard to watch one’s business crumble in the twinkle of an eye, not because a disaster occurred, but because of demolition. Though her sewing workshop was destroyed, all her hope is now on the the water she sells from her nearby tap that was not destroyed.

According to information garnered at the site, the Nkol-Eton neighbourhood, which has been transformed into a market, is not officially recognised by the Yaounde City Council as a market. As a result, the administration in its campaign to beautify the capital city and to avoid calamities resulting from floods, decided to demolish some shops in the neighbourhood. At press time, inhabitants of this neighbourhood and business men, were alert, waiting for the bulldozers, that are expected to make a second round, this time not just to destroy the remaining shops but houses that are haphazadly built.

The exercise, according to the administration, is being carried out first of all to retrieve state land which was illegally occupied by some inhabitants, to increase the size of roads, create more gardens and other facilities intended to beautify the Yaounde and also to avoid further calamities resulting from floods.