Hon. Findi Stanley Mokondo National Assembly
Hon. Findi Stanley Mokondo, one of the two Members of Parliament for Fako East (Limbe, Muyuka & Tiko) Constituency has called on the government to attend to the water and electricity needs of his constituents.
The MP was addressing the Minister of Water and Energy Resources, Eloundou Essomba Gaston during Monday's plenary sitting at the National Assembly. He was among many lawmakers who sought to understand why there exist persist, prolonged, and often unexplained power outages and water shortages across the national territory, despite the country's bountiful natural resources.
Hon. Findi wondered aloud why authorities of the Cameroon Water Utilities Corporation (CAMWATER) have refused to install water pipes to no fewer than one thousand homes around the Limbe Omnisport Stadium, forcing the residents of the area to resort to digging boreholes.
“I wish to draw your attention to the fact that the people around the Limbe Omnisport Stadium are still to be connected by CAMWATER. CAMWATER has refused to take its pipes to close to 1000 residents in an area full of potential customers. I want to use this medium, Mr. Minister to ask the director of CAMWATER what the problem is. The inhabitants of this area have resorted to boreholes, ”said Hon. Findi.
The lawmaker said three years five months ago, President Paul Biya instructed the minister of economy, planning and regional development to engage a loan of FCFA 3 billion for feasibility studies, and project conception for the rehabilitation and extension of the treatment and distribution of water in Tiko, Mutengene and Buea. Thus far, he says the project is yet to see the light of day, although Buea, Mutengene and Tiko can boast of security.
Hear Hon. Findi: “This project has not been realized. Recently, the contract was awarded to a contractor but the execution still poses problems. I will want to join my voice to the other speakers who are from the crisis-hit regions or areas to say the people of Tiko and Mutengene will not appreciate it if in the future they get to understand that the contractor is unable to execute his contract because of insecurity. ”
The MP for Fako East assured the Minister of Water and Energy Resources that: “Tiko and Mutengene are very safe areas and these projects can be executed without any delay.”
Hon. Findi Stanley Mokondo addresses Water & Energy Resources Minister ELOUNDOU ESSOMBA Gaston(c) National Assembly
'Businesses of IDPs are crumbling'
Hon. Findi Stanley Mokondo told the Minister of Water and Energy Resources that most of the businesses he set up for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) have crumbled as a result of power failure.
“Mr. Minister, ENEO (the electricity supply company) is not friendly to the internally displaced people of my area. Recently, the community of Muyuka under my leadership sponsored start-up businesses for some internally displaced persons said Hon. Findi. “As we speak, six months after, 70 percent of these young entrepreneurs who were involved in businesses dealing with perishable goods are out of business because of the frequent power cuts. When they come to us to ask for a way forward, it is but certain that engaging a lawsuit against ENEO, as we all know, is not only cumbersome, it is time-consuming. The victims are left with no option than to stay back. ”
The MP however saluted the efforts of ENEO officials in Limbe whom he said have created a WhatsApp group through which electricity users register their problems and get solutions.
At the end of the six-hour oral questioning at the Yaoundé Conference Center hosting the National Assembly, Minister Gaston Eloundou regretted that thousands of Cameroonian communities will continue to go without a regular power supply for a long time to come, owing to both natural and man-made causes. He however gave assurances that the government has taken steps to solve the country's water and electricity problems.
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