By DOH JAMES SONKEY
The leader of the NOW Movement to reignite the flames of trust and transparency in Cameroon, Batonnier Akere Muna says when a country is suffocating under escalating corruption, it is a sign that the present regime is soon coming to an end. Akere Muna was speaking last July 11, 2024 as he organised a press dinner at his Bastos residence in the nation’s capital, within the framework of the commemoration of the African Day for the fight against corruption.
The press dinner was attended by the United Kingdom Deputy High Commissioner to Cameroon, Robert Fitzpatrick, Senior Political Adviser, Cleatine Asongwe, the President of Transparency International Cameroon, Barrister Njoh Manga Bell Henri, Cameroonian Human Right Activist, Barrister Felix Nkongho Agbor Balla, former Fako SDF District Chair, Golden Zama, Coordinator of NOW Movement for the North West and South West regions, Mudoh Walters etc.
The International Barrister at Law declared at the press dinner that “the only problem Cameroon has is corruption and governance. Corruption in our country is endemic and I think only a systemic change can bring about the needed transparency.”
Batonnier Akere Muna also added that “there are no good roads in Cameroon. Cameroon has been suspended from Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, EITI over bad governance.”
He decried that “1500 citizens have been writing me via email to demand justice on the Glencore corruption scandal.”
After wondering aloud how after the Glencore allegations against civil servants at SONARA and SNH, nothing has happened to follow them up, he questioned who must be protecting them. Glencore had two accounts: in London the account was closed in 2011 and in Geneva the account was closed in 2016 but they bought Cameroon petrol at 30%.”
He narrated that “I spent 3 years in Democratic Republic of Congo as special Adviser to the President of the Republic. In Cameroon I think there is no political will. I wrote to CONAC but up to this date, I have had no meeting with CONAC. I don’t see any expression of a political will. Institutions don’t change people.”
Akere Muna concluded that “to claim that the best choice for Cameroon with several security and economic problems is a 92 year old man, I think it is unfair. I believe that he is a victim of the system he put in place.”
To show how the present regime neglects things, Batonnier Akere Muna cited the case of “four batches of magistrates not sworn in at the National School of Administration and Magistracy, ENAM.”