By TALLA AGHAA CHRISTOPHER
Kumba is the Chief Town of Meme Division with a City Council headed by Victor Nkele Ngoh since 2009 as Government Delegate, and three Sub Divisional Councils, Kumba I, II and III headed by Mayors Ebako Abel Ndoh, Ndobegang Forcha Martin and John Kona Makia respectively.
Considered as the economic capital of the South West Region linking Ndian, Kupe-Muanenguba and Manyu Divisions, the town is just an eyesore, as the state of roads remains in deplorable conditions. This has caused the inhabitants of the city to raise eyebrows and point accusing fingers at municipal authorities, for being the hidden hands behind the deplorable conditions of the roads and streets due to their lack of developmental foresight.
A cursory look of the various streets in Kumba, makes it difficult to conclude that one is at the economic capital of the South West Region. A denizen and motorcycle (aka okada) rider who ply the Mbonge road to Mile I park stretch of the road disclosed to The SUN Newspaper that it is rather unfortunate he is obliged to increase his transport fare from FCFA 150 to FCFA 250, because of the poor state of the road. He pointed out that, the PHS Kumba area of the road is impracticable and he has no choice than to increase the fare just to help the denizens living in that area. This same version was corroborated by many other motorcycle riders plying the same road.
The road leading to the Meme High Court is another headache. From the popular ‘Tarven junction’ to the Meme High Court which used to cost just FCFA 100 now costs FCFA 200. The potholes are unbearable to manage by the population.
Other streets like Endeley and Cameroon Street in Kumba II Sub Division, and a host of others are just a talking point across the city.
The population has been questioning where the FCFA 27 million handed to the various councils in the country yearly as part of Public Investment Projects including Kumba Councils by the Ministry of Public Works for the maintenance of Sub Divisional roads in the their various municipalities go to.
However, The SUN visited some of the streets in the various council areas and concluded that most of the streets have at least been visited by council’s bulldozers and caterpillars.
Nonetheless, authorities of the Kumba City Council, in their past Council session have maintained that the Green City would have been an Eldorado if not because of the current crisis rocking the two Anglophone Regions. Projects such as the road maintenance of Bonakama Road, CPDM hall, SDO‘s residence, have been cancelled, the FCFA 5billion World Bank road project to handle the Bamileke street-Kossala-Metta Quarters-Hausa Quarters have been suspended whereas the road from St John’s Catholic Church-Kake II Village including Daniel Street, Hospital Road, Lawyer Enaw Street, Mote carlo Street Sustainer, GBHS Kumba Road through Bongwana Street has been indefinitely suspended, the Kumba City Council authorities maintained, but hoped that with the recent peace crusading mission in the restive regions by Prime Minister Head of Government, Chief Dr. Joseph Dion Ngute, the projects will soon see the light of day and Kumba will be transformed as planned.