Ikome Christie-noella Eposi in Buea
The US diversity (D.V) lottery has hit the streets of Buea again with many rushing “to try their luck”. The lottery, which started on October 3, will run till November 7, 2018.
Advertised through hand bills, posters and even town crying, several shops in Buea now provide the services needed to play the U.S lottery. The U.S lottery has given some youths employment as they are found by the road sides, some under umbrellas with their laptops and cameras during the day rendering the services for a small fee.
The U.S DV lottery is analysed differently by many people. While some see it as a golden opportunity for greener pastures; to live the American dream, evade the Anglophone crisis if being selected, others simply see the Lottery program as a waste of money and a cause of decline in development in Cameroon as whole.
“Many people especially the youths, who come here to play this Lottery, sort of blame the current crisis in our region,” said Ewulu Paul, a shop owner, who has gained temporal employment by providing the services needed to play the ongoing lottery. “Applicants wishing to play pay a standard sum of FCFA1000 per person”.
Beltus Atemafac, a U.S lottery applicant who resides in Molyko, just like others said “I choose to try my luck with the U.S lottery because I do not know when the crisis will stop. I love my life so I am hoping to be among the selected”.
Higher wages as according to Mr. Itoe Neville, a secondary school teacher is his motive for applying. He indicated that: “I played the lottery in search of greener pastures which is very difficult to achieve in a third world country like ours.” To him, his hours of work in a developed country like the U.S.A, shall yield a higher profit compared to his current earning.”
Although the odds in the streets of Buea seem to favour those for the lottery, there are still others who are against it. “I am a Cameroonian and I love my country. I see this lottery of a thing rather as a means of exploitation because the people who are selected for the programme are our talented and educated youths who are supposed to be the ones to develop our own nation,” said Mrs Nkemteba Grace.
Another person who prefers to remain anonymous calls the U.S diversity lottery a waste of money because to him the chances of winning are too slim. He reports to have played 5 times and still did not win.
Whatever be the case, many people still flood various registration points across the town to register and escaped what they termed hardship in Cameroon. According to some it is very difficult to carryout businesses in Cameroon with the numerous taxes implemented on them while thousands of students leave schools without even having a job because of administrative bottlenecks and fraud. They are thus hoping for a change if they are selected.