Details by Cham Victor
H.E Paul Biya
Gains made in stabilizing troubled regions in Cameroon especially the North West and South West Regions in the last five years have been assessed from different perspectives. But today, it is becoming increasingly clear to everyone that the government President Paul Biya put in place since January 2019, has been writing its name in gold colours in the sands of time.
While many have been looking at recovery efforts made in the North West, South West and Far North Regions differently, the most informed Cameroonian, President Paul Biya, has given a positive outlook of the road covered. This was one of the major points in his message to the Nation on December 31, 2023.
President Paul Biya was frank in situating that, the mark improvement in the social climate in the English-speaking regions and the Far North Region were the Boko Haram terrorist sect had tried to ruin life is the product of a symbiosis between the army and its populace.
The benefits of this now increasingly inviting climate have transcended different aspects of the socio-cultural and politico-economic fabric of these regions with a mark improvement on the resilience of the general economy. For analysts, that Biya’s frank appraisal of December 31, 2023 has its weight and meaning in different fronts.
In the North West and South West regions, they are now saying the meaning calls for optimal hope to complete gains already made in different sectors through the Presidential Plan for the Reconstruction and Development of the North West and South West Regions, PPRD-NW/SW among others.
Road Works Boosting Local Development
Added to the fresh push to empower local communities through a new decentralisation deal that was birthed at the Major National Dialogue, MND, many now say, it is becoming evidently clear that, the fruits of the historic gathering of the country’s who is who will more than double in the coming months.
To show his appreciation of how things have improved on the ground, President Biya mentioned works ongoing on the Kumba-Ekondo Titi and Babadjou-Bamenda roads. He was emphatic that such, “will be continued at a satisfactory pace”.
There is also the long awaited Bamenda Ring Road that has started off in the Donga Mantung Division. These and more ground works such as the rehabilitation of several community roads already sends a message of the North West and South West Regions fast regaining their buoyancy. Rehabilitation works have also accelerated on the Wum-Bamenda road.
Biya Singles, Hails Population’s Active Collaboration
The common denominator in the benefits being witnessed on ground according to President Biya, is thanks to the resilience of the population to collaborate with security forces. The Head of Sate remarked that: “Thanks to the people’s active cooperation with our defence and security forces, the situation in the North West, South West and Far North Regions has improved significantly”.
Given that a peaceful atmosphere attracts and paves the way for development, the President said: “It is now possible to calmly implement the reconstruction and development plans for the said regions,” but as frank as he was, he added that pockets of “atrocities committed by terrorists have not completely disappeared. Unfortunately, civilians are the main victims”.
While condemning such acts of barbarism, the father of the nation encouraged, “fellow citizens in the regions affected by terrorism to continue to cooperate with the defence and security forces, whose courage and professionalism I salute”.
Reconstruction Gaining Steam
True to President Paul Biya’s assessment, reconstruction projects for the North West, South West and Far North Regions have remained on course. In the North West and South West Regions wherein saboteurs have failed, more and more partners have joined the likes of Japan, APPECAM, Boissons du Cameroun among others to step up financing for the PPRD-NW/SW whose significant fruits are visible across communities.
On December 18, 2023, the Prime Minister, Head of Government, Chief Dr Joseph Dion Ngute with the approval of the President of the Republic, Paul Biya launched the support project for the Islamic Development Bank, IsDB’s 21 billion FCFA offer to enhance recovery in the North West and South West Regions.
The IsDB and the likes of the government of Japan that as given not less than 2 billion FCFA to support the project are leading examples that have supported government in realising social revival and the rehabilitation of basic social infrastructures across communities in the North West and South West Regions.
The package from the Islamic Development Bank has been divided into two: phase one is 13:113 percent was mostly used in 2023 while phase II which is over 4:018 billion FCFA will be disbursed for 2024. Another 4:018 billion FCFA has been programmed for 2025 to further consolidate peace efforts.
The government has through the PPRD-NW/SW constructed or rehabilitated 60 schools, Setting up of Farmer/Grazier dialogue platform, 16 health facilities, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction of 54 solar powered water points; 120 Youth Start Ups, rehabilitation of 12 markets, Support to poultry farmers, rehabilitation and construction of four roads/bridges, construction of 20 Greenhouses and the re-establishment of close to 1000 lost documents.
At the current pace with the renewed support and commitment from the implementing partner, the United Nations Development Program, UNDP, many now have said and outstandingly so that President Paul Biya was talking as he took the country into New Year from an informed position.
Close To 4000 Fighters Renounce Terrorism, Join DDR Centres
At the level of the Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration , DDR, option, another fruit of the Major National Dialogue, Paul Biya’s positive reading also thanks to the close to 4000 Cameroonian youngsters who had been misled into picking up arms against the State, renouncing terrorism.
They have since June 2018 when the centres were set up in Mora in the Far North, Buea in the South West and Bamenda in the North West Region, been trooping in to get trained an reintegrated into society. This perhaps also justifies the sharp gains in terms of the social climate across these communities.
Most of those who use to create terror in these communities are no longer there while the pockets of resistances have highly diminished. Even at this, Paul Biya has five years since this option, reiterated the need for those carrying guns to drop them.
On December 31, 2023, President Paul Biya was clear that: “ I reiterate my appeal to armed groups to lay down their arms and join Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Centres”, declaring his pleasure in the process that: “I am pleased to note that an increasing number of these combatants have responded to this call in recent weeks”.
Frankly, he said: “For those who persist in criminal activity, be it terrorism or organized crime, the fate that awaits them is not an enviable one. They must know that our firm determination to ensure the security of our fellow citizens will never falter”.
Hardliners Embracing Biya’s peace appeal
In addition to the many things President Paul Biya has been credited for in the North West and South West Region, is the tenacity he has shown in enhancing peace with all on board. Today, many of those who were hardliners in the separatist agenda have changed position and are more and more seeing reason with the new offers from the Head of State.
A few days ago, it was Amba ringleader, Ngong Emmanuel Ngong popularly known as Capo Daniel who came out exposing the failures thievery of the separatist movement. Capo Daniel was also very clear like President Paul Biya and many nationalists have said that, nobody can split Cameroon.
The Likes of Eric Tataw, Mark Barate, Tapang Ivo and their peers have piped down or completely understood that violence is one way to achieving nothing. They are come to reason and now go about their activities abroad as it was the case before the crisis. Before the Major National Dialogue, the rate of violence was alarming. But thereafter it dropped.
This, thanks to rebuild confidence between the population and the military.
It was even more interesting that, despite calls for ghost towns to frustrate the festive season, the population in the North West and South West Regions came out in their thousands to celebrate throughout the festive period.
This momentum has build on the actions of the President of the Republic in the last few years that have resulted in the general improvement of the social climate. More and more persons have returned to their communities while social events such as cultural festivals and inter-quarter competitions have gained grounds across the two regions.
On education, more than half of all the schools grounded before the Major National Dialogue held have resumed. The people have realized the place education occupies in the development and transformation of the human race.
Efforts towards promoting effective schooling have multiplied over the years with government, elite and NGOs offering didactic materials to learners to facilitate the stress-free return to school.
Also to the credit of the President’s directives, more persons have returned to their communities and life is becoming livable again in these once separatist-invaded communities.
Today, a look back at how far President Paul Biya has gone in ensuring peace returns to the North West and South West Regions shows a plethora of attractive actions.
The record shows in addition to the momentum in rebuilding the two regions revival in community life; adjustments at the National School of Administration and Magistracy, ENAM in favour of Anglophones; Special Status for the North West and South West Regions; special orders for increased transfer of resources to local councils; continuous assistance to Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs; improvement in the bilingualism experience of Cameroon; creation of the House of Chiefs; the coming of the Regional Assemblies; setting up of the Office of Public Independent Conciliator, PIC, for the North West and South West among others.
Conclusively, achieving success in a reconstruction project many had written off and the general outcome of his actions, many have stated that, President Paul Biya is not only a father to Cameroonians but a national hero in managing challenging situations.