FCFA 1 Bn lost to ghost town monthly -NW Governor
By Wambo Emmanuel in Bamenda
The chief executive of the North West region, Adolphe Lele l’Afrique, has revealed that the region loses over Fcfa 1 billion monthly to ghost towns. He made the declarations recently while cheering a meeting with the cross section of workers’ trade unions in preparation of the 2017 Labour Day on May 1, 2017. Governor Adolphe Lele L’Afrique frowned on the idea of ghost towns called by those he described as ‘unknown individuals’ and respected by all. He said ghost towns are uncalled for because it cripples the economy of his region in particular and the country as a whole. He challenged the workers’ trade union leaders to carry out sensitization campaigns urging workers not to respect these calls for ghost towns, especially during public events that concern the state.
Ghost towns, he went further, will not help the region to carry out development projects like roads which is the general cry by all. “Those calling for ghost town and the non-reopening of schools in the NW and SW regions are all abroad and their children are going to school. They are only helping to destroy the economy of the country at the detriment of those obeying them. Government is aware of the grievances of marginalization of Anglophones Cameroonians and is making huge efforts to resolve them”, Governor Lele admitted.
The North West chief executive however used the medium and invited the workers trade union leaders to mobilize their peers to come out in their numbers to celebrate the 2017 edition of the Labour Day. “The Labour Day celebration is an avenue where the workers and their trade unions expose their challenges and wants to government. Should they boycott the day, government will not be aware of their challenges.” The governor furthered.
This year’s celebrations are shrouded in a lot of uncertainty considering that the event falls on a Monday, a day when the outlawed consortium is reputed to call for boycotts and ghost towns.