By NOELA EBOB BISONG
The tense atmosphere at Cameroon’s lone oil refinery since the May 31 2019 setback multiplied over the week, following an attempted leakage from the refinery’s technical department. Whether it was human error or a deliberate act is what will be established in the days, weeks or possibly months ahead, for the findings of the last fire explosion are in fact yet to be made public. However, the colossal loss in material suffered during that last major fire incident, of which SONARA, the state and the entire nation is yet to put behind, another leakage with its possible results would have been too much for the already staggering refinery, observers hold.
With the very high stakes currently, 23 workers of the technical department comprising the Exploitation and Maintenance units have since the incident last January 7, 2020 been placed on the hot seat, as each tries to exempt self from the fault. They are being grilled at the SONARA Brigade, as fingers remain crossed along the corridors of the company to observe which heads will roll, this time around.
At press time, no official statement had been released by SONARA. Simo Njonou Jean Paul, General Manager of the company, who has been away in Yaounde, The SUN gathered, is expected to be presented with the reports of the investigation, upon his return this week. Simo Njonou, no doubt is one facing tough times at the helm of a company whose glorious days appear to be slowly fading away.