Elite of the South West met on Friday to map out modalities for hitch-free celebrations.

Major stakeholders and elite of the South West Region met in Buea on Friday 27 January for a planning meeting towards Cameroon’s reunification anniversary celebrations scheduled for Buea this year. The cream of the Region in the presence of the two former Prime Ministers, Peter Mafany Musonge and Chief Ephraim Inoni, among traditional rulers, brainstormed for more than four hours on strategies for unprecedented celebrations in Buea.

The Mayor of the Buea Council, Mbella Moki Charles, briefed participants on the historical significance of Buea; a town he described as the fountain of hospitality and the incubator of reunification. He hailed the merits of reunification, called on the people of Buea to make the upcoming event “a success story of our fatherland” and to face the challenge of hosting the 50^th anniversary celebrations with certainty and pride.

Representing the Governor, the Secretary General of the South West Region, Handerson Quetong Kongeh, appealed for unity, saying all should remain focused, bury the hatchets and speak with a common voice to give the celebrations the grandeur it deserves. He highlighted the objectives of the Local Organising Committee which, is to complement the efforts of the National Organising Committee and chart a way forward for the event. He announced the creation by the Governor of 15 Regional commissions.

The Secretary General called on the six Senior Divisional Officers present and the Divisional Officers to convene meetings and set up respective Divisional and Sub divisional Commissions when they return to their divisions. Handerson Quetong Kongeh, also announced the imminent arrival of the Ministers of Land Tenure and State Property, Urban Development and Housing in Buea, Limbe and Kumba to identify priority projects that have a direct impact on the golden jubilee celebrations. All the speakers and participants were unanimous that roads should be given topmost priority. The Chairman of the People’s Action Party (PAP), Hon. Ayah Paul Abine, harped on the deplorable state of roads in the Region. The Vice Speaker of the National Assembly and MP for Buea Rural, Hon. Emilia Monjowa Lifaka, raised an applauded concern that Civil Servants should not be made to head the majority of the commissions. She noted that in the past, most of the development failures have been due to some civil servants.