By Ikome Christie-noella Eposi in Buea
The governor of the South west region, Bernard Okalia Bilai has called on all those still seeking refuge in the bushes to return home and receive their assistance from the government.
The governor made the call on Tuesday July 24 2018 at his office in Buea where the donations were brought from Douala.
“This is the first package coming from Douala, later on they shall be dispatched to the various destinations” governor Bilai noted.
Items such as mattresses, blankets, sugar, rice, cartons of soap, toilet tissue, cartons of sardines, cutlasses, hoes, shovels, bags of fertilizers etc characterized the assistance from the government to the internally displaced persons.
The SW governor equally added that there is no way the items will be given to the people whilst they are in the bushes. “The population should all leave the bushes and return to their respective villages to receive the assistance because they cannot receive the assistance while in the bushes. The forces of law and order, the elites and the rest of the population are there to welcome them, protect and secure them”, he emphasised.
Talking to the press after the ceremony to receive the first round of assistance for the region, governor Bilai said more shall be coming in the days ahead.
It is worthy of note that the plan to send the first round of items was announced by the minister of Territorial administration. It is in that effect that the items were dispatched to three divisions in the South west region: Fako, Meme and Ndian, in order that distributions to the various areas can begin as soon as possible.
Quizzed on how the items are going to be divided evenly among those concerned, the governor said, there are committees at the level of the SDO’s and the DO’s, through the leaderships of the various villages, the chiefs and many other traditional authorities who shall be in charge to distribute the items to those concerned. This is because, according to him, the items go to the population and those who know the population at the grass roots are the chiefs of the villages, the mayors, the DO’s etc. “So we are just here to channel the items to the base/ grass roots”.
Reiterating about those in the bushes, the Governor said, “Very soon the rest of materials such as the zincs, building materials and the plan to rebuild and construct the destroyed homes will be made available and we need their presence in their villages/homes. The donations and construction of their homes has to be done with their collaboration”. He averred
He concluded by ensuring all of the usual collaboration and presence of the security agents whom he noted will always be there to contribute to the security and to keep and maintain peace and order in the various areas.