BY TALLA AGHAA AND IKOME CHRISTIE-NOELA EPOSI
Councilors of the Muyuka council have adopted the 2016 administrative, management and store account despite heated debates. This was during the first ordinary session of the council that took place at the Council Chambers on Monday, May 22 2017.
The session was chaired by Mayor Nkeng Michael Akamin and was supervised by the Senior Divisional Officer, SDO for Fako Zang III. After the presentation of the various committee reports, the 37 councilors that answered present raised so many questionable issues.
The councilors questioned the issuance of an authorization for of a storey building in the municipality that hosts a driving school, whereas council records show that the building permit for the building was not meant for a storey building.
The Mayor revealed that the proprietor of the said school had applied for a simple structure and he is equally perplexed to see a different building. He urged the councilors to form a commission and investigate the issue and forward the report to him for action. It was concluded that the building risks demolition.
Another issue that raised lots of eyebrows during the session thereby putting the Mayor in a tight corner was that of the recruitment of Municipal Police otherwise known as the Intervention Unit Muyuka Council whereas there has not been a formal deliberation to that effect by the councilors at time when the Mayor is expressing frustration over the council’s lack of finances. A councilor insisted that their recruitment would have been done after the budgetary session in December. However the Mayor explained that the recruitment of the municipal police is on temporal bases.
“Does it mean that Balong people who are the bonafide indigenes of Muyuka don’t have land that belongs to them?” Councilors questioned and were expecting simple answers taking into consideration the manner in which some top officials have grabbed their land around the location of Coast Timber leading, Independent Bar, Mr Fossi area leading to Owe Road in Muyuka.
They urged the Mayor to investigate the issue so the council identifies the owners and urge them to regularize their ownership or possession statutes with the council. While the Mayor assured the Councilors to be rest assured that he will look into the matter, the D.O for Muyuka, Ambe Thomas Tabot, clarified that the land under consideration especially that of Coast Timber was handed by the Balong’s to the company and when the company was winding up, they handed same to government, reasons why most government structures are being constructed there; like the Social affairs, ELECAM and the D.O’s residence.
Council’s achievement after all
Of the slightly above 1billion francs that was budgeted in the period under consideration, the Mayor observed that, about FCFA 937,726,335 was mobilise by the council, thanks to the state and other partners like PNDP and FEICOM, whereas the applications within the year noticed the sum of FCFA 835,721,662. Due to some contractors who realized their projects at the close of the financial year, the Mayor hinted that FCFA 102,004,673 was carried forward as surplus for the 2016 financial year. With this financial package despite some hitches especially with the alarming rate of embezzlement and corruption by some revenue collectors at the Ekona Quarry and check points, the council was able to realised some projects; The construction, rehabilitation and equipment of GNS, Malende, GPSLykoko, Ekona Lelu and Muyuka. For the Municipality to be transformed into an ultra modern metropolis, the Council was able to carrying out the construction of water drill at Banga mile 40, the constant supply of water in Munyenge town, rehabilitation of roads and culverts in Muyuka-Mpundu road, Yoke, Malende, Mpundu, including markets.
The SDO for Fako Zang III had early hailed the Mayor, his executive and technical team including the Councilors for having achieved much in the municipality as compared to previous years.
In a rather soft tone, the Mayor urged the Councilors to consider that he is human and prone to commit errors. He took time off to congratulate the councilors especially Councilor Makia Sona Simon, Vice President of CPDM, Muyuka section, for his rich contribution during the session. He said it is thanks to him that a monumental error was discovered in the draft accounts wherein FCFA 214.000.000 was erroneously included in the budget by a certain Mr Bakia of the Council finance department which could have hunted him the Mayor in the days ahead, since there will be no justification because there was no corresponding expenditure.