In one of our recent issues, precisely our Tuesday May 5, issue, we carried a front page story captioned, TIKO PORT GOING? which our reporter gathered from an exclusive investigative beat. Our investigations, as the story reported have revealed a behind-the scenes proposed deal which is tending to dent the relationship between port authorities of the Douala Autonomous Port, the Limbe Port subdivision on the one hand, and the Special Amphibious Battalion, on the other, currently stationed within the premises of the Tiko Port, popularly known as Tiko Wharf.
The crux of the matter is that, the Special Amphibious Battalion, which had all along occupied this space within the premises of the Tiko Wharf on certain terms, notably based on an authorisation allowing the BSA to occupy the space for a period of three years, now seems to have fallen in love with the site and badly wants to own it and turn it into a permanent military base. That in the proposal by the Special Amphibious Battalion, out of the 19 Hectares of land belonging to Tiko Wharf, they are asking to be given 17 Hectares, leaving the port with only two Hectares. We are reluctant to share the view that what this clearly suggests is that, behind this proposal lies a secret agenda to put the Tiko Wharf completely out of business.
It would be pertinent to remind those behind this project to take a look back at the past three years of the explosion of the Anglophone crisis to discover how high the desire for a comprehensive peace plan has engaged the minds of right-thinking Cameroonians, including even our well-wishers of the international community. History is ready to cease every opportunity to remind Cameroonians on both sides of the Mongo, in case we have forgotten, that the Tiko wharf, side by side the Victoria, now Limbe seaport, played a major role in the economy of the erstwhile Federal Republic of Cameroon in general, and the then state of West Cameroon in particular. We believe it still has the potentials to do even more if given the chance in the proper frame of mind by our leaders.
It is unfortunate that what seemed to have come out loudly and forcefully from what history has already absorbed: The Major National Dialogue, and we are referring here to THE SPECIAL STATUS, prescribed for the two English speaking regions of Cameroon, we in this Newspaper strongly believe the logic of the special status missed the point. For example, the protection of such historical establishments as the Tiko wharf, which is part and parcel of the experiences of the people of this part of the country, ought to have been listed out as an item that constitute the body of the special status and recognised as such.
That, the Special Amphibious Battalion of the Cameroon Army has decided to set its eyes and mind on this particular site does not appear to have stemmed on good faith. The highest their wish for this space of land can produce, is for the people of these two regions to reaffirm their already in-built-belief, that their marginalisation continues unaddressed. We are however comforted by the fact that, the Prime Minister, Chief Dion Ngute, instructed the coordination of a meeting in which serious arguments against the BSA request were raised.
For instance, the Ports Authorities at the meeting argued, frantically in favour of the BSA being relocated elsewhere permanently, while only the technical services of BSA are allowed to remain within the port. We think this is a laudable option, which we hope the government, represented by the prime minister, himself an Anglophone, will look seriously into, particularly as the Port’s Authorities revealed that, it has a number of infrastructural rehabilitation projects with a couple of partners, in view of creating employment and reducing poverty. This is important.
It should however be noted that the Tiko port has been in existence for many years and has all along been giving locals of the area not only a feeling of pride and a sense of belonging, but has continued to provide a veritable source of survival. To deprive them of this opportunity to live like a people who deserve a share in the national cake, is indeed a true version of marginalistion, and Anglophones have for too long been singing this song!