Northwest traditional rulers have been cautioned by the President-House of Chiefs, His Royal Majesty Fon Yakum Kevin Teuvih, to return to their Fondoms and begin preparations for cleansing, while galvanizing for the return and normalcy in the region.
Traditional rulers in Conclave
These consultations brought Fons of the Northwest together to examine challenges faced in the different fondoms across the region, having a common goal to find solutions to the bigger problem faced in the region.
"Customs and traditions have been desecrated and in the days head, there will be need to do general cleansing. So there is need for the Fons to go back to their fondoms, this move will boost confidence in the local population and be a positive push prior to school reopening", President Northwest House of Chiefs.
Holding at the Regional Assembly, Upstation Bamenda, all traditional rulers were urged to take the commitment and ensure that their people who have been displaced in the course of the crisis, return to their place of origin. According to the President the return of traditional rulers in their respective villages will be a huge motivation.
"September is fast approaching there is a need for all of us to campaign for back to school in a grand style within the Northwest region" His Royal Majesty Fon Yakum Kevin .
Delegates, Reasource persons during Consultations
RD MINDEVEL during his presentation
A series of presentations were carried out to give Traditional rulers an insight of what decentralization is all about by the NW Regional Delegate, MINDEVEL, Mbah Mbole. "Cameroon has taken a new dimension and constitution of 1996, with the existence of Decentralization and the law of 2019 introducing a special status being a deliberative organ which has a bi-camaral nature, composed of 20 members", which he explained.
Concerning the traditional chieftaincy by Fabien Nkenfack, who spoke on the historical background of chieftaincy and what it constitutes, how it is classified; first,second and third class. Explaining further how much each of this class are being paid.
"As a chief its either you choose to have a job and the Government won’t pay you or your being payed by Government as a Fon. You have to choose one, each Fon is classified depending on the significance".
Knowledge on access to Land and the role of traditional rulers was explained by Nicolas Ngalla said "Fons don’t have to sell land because all lands are Government properties and Fons are just care takers not the owners, even the land which their palace is build on isn’t owned by them". With this affirmation, he sensitize traditional rulers on the management of land in Cameroon.
The Regional Delegate of Secondary Education Northwest, Ngwang Roland gave statistics on the previous school years, stating that here has been great improvement and appealed that Traditional rulers"shouldn't give up, relent efforts or allow fear overcome the will power, urging them to do all for the recovery of schools, especially in the villages".
The civil status registrar in her presentation pleads with parents to make their children’s birth certificates, stating that "Over 50 000 pupils went to school for 2020/2021 academic year without birth certificates"
These Consultations with traditional rulers from the 7 Divisions, taking turns at the house of chiefs Division by Division, were made to understand that their presence in the palaces, will cause many things to fall in place, else many will continue to "lick their wounds and stay in fear", while the future for the Northwest region remains bleak.
By Ndefru Melanie, Sharon Neh
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