In the letter signed by 14 Limbe chiefs, Motanga is accused of wrongdoings. That the letter of the chiefs comes after the National Anti-Corruption Commission, CONAC, reported irregularities at the Limbe City Council to the tune of over FCFA 9 billion has sent pundits wondering if it is a calculated attempt to further sink Motanga’s boat.

For one thing, Motanga is a hopeful for the job of Limbe City Mayor given that the post of Government Delegate will cease to exist under the special status contained in the Decentralisation Code.

 The chiefs accuse the Limbe Government Delegate of managerial errors and highhandedness in the discharge of his functions as political godfather of Limbe. They also stung Motanga for recruiting staff at the council without taking into consideration their lists.

The 14-point open letter is said to have been signed during a sitting at Mondoli village during an extra-ordinary meeting of the Limbe Conference of traditional rulers. The meeting is thought to have been chaired by HRH Ndiko Fonderson Henry, Chief of Meveo and President of the conference.

Cameroon-info.net recalls that the National Anti-corruption Commission, CONAC, in its 2018 corruption report indicted the Limbe City Council, LCC, for irregularities that caused the state an overall financial loss estimated at over FCFA 9 billion.

The executive summary of the voluminous CONAC report was presented to the public in Yaoundé Thursday December 19, 2019 by CONAC Chairman Rev. Dr. Dieudonne Massi Gams.

According to the 2018 CONAC report, 24 investigative missions exposed numerous irregularities that have caused the state an overall financial losses estimated at CFA 9 billion 425 million 314 thousand 946 francs. Motanga and his collaborators at the time are expected to appear at the Special Criminal Court on February 5, 2020 to shed light on the CONAC report.

Of the above amount, CONAC reports that CFA 9 billion 240 million 829 thousand 996 francs was lost at the Limbe City Council as uncovered by an investigative mission that visited the institution. It adds that FCFA 180 million was lost at the Nkometou Tollgate Post, 14 million 849 thousand  850 francs at the Bafia District Hospital and FCFA 3 million at the Parent Teachers Association of Government High School Obala.

Cameroon-info.net understands that on Monday, February 15, 2016, Limbe City Council employees used a caterpillar to prevent the National Anti-corruption Commission, CONAC, team from carting away official documents (files) to Yaoundé, which were considered dirty.

The council employees blocked the head of the CONAC team, Hon. Chief Norbert Mbile, from taking away the documents. It was a little after 11:00am when Hon. Mbile and his team wound up their two weeks investigation at the City Council and were about to take off when their vehicles were blocked from driving out. The CONAC team had arrived at City Council on Tuesday, February 2, 2016 to begin what was described by the media as a routine control mission.

As the story goes, Mbile and his team drove into the premises of the Limbe City Council about mid-morning, just moments after Police Commissioner Ewungeme arrived. The Post reported at the time that the CONAC team asked for documents for every contract the council has given out between 2010 and 2015; minutes of council sessions and other financial transactions the council carried out within the same period.

On Monday, February 15, 2016 the team handed to the Secretary General of the Council at the time, Charles Arrey Nkongho, an inventory of all the documents they had been given. Trouble started when Mbile and his team informed the Secretary General that they were taking away the documents to Yaoundé. But Arrey Nkongho is said to have objected on grounds that CONCAC could not take away the original copies of their documents to Yaoundé.

He reportedly proposed that the team take photocopies and leave the originals but Mbile and his team refused. While the argument was going on in Arrey’s office, one of the CONAC vehicles that had most of the documents in question drove out of the council premises.

An employee is said to have rushed and informed the Secretary General, who ordered that the second vehicle be blocked from moving. The council employees then positioned a caterpillar across the main entrance into the yard. The argument that followed brought out the Government Delegate, Motanga Andrew Monjimba.

All attempts by the Government Delegate to cause the CONAC team to cave in failed. The supervisory authority of the council, Fako SDO at the time, Zang III, was called to intervene to no avail. Eventually, CONAC took away all the council’s documents in its possession.

The CONAC drive came on the heels of the Government Delegate’s warning to his workers on Friday, February 12, 2016. Motanga had warned the workers against acts of corruption, laziness and indiscipline. “If we have to achieve our objectives of making Limbe the city of our dreams, we need workers who can stay away from corruption, late coming, absenteeism and personal interest,”Motanga had said.

The Post recalled at the time that on May 16 breaking 17, 2014; thieves broke into the Limbe City Council and carted away FCFA 30 million. The thieves stroke the Council safe, the Government Delegate’s office and Secretariat, the Secretary General’s office and the Credit Union safe where the aforementioned sum was collected. Journalists who got to the Council premises that morning were tactfully dismissed by the Secretary General on grounds that a press conference will be organised to explain what happened.

He further said no news about the incident should be aired, since the visiting delegation from CAF was in town for the first inspection of the Limbe Omnisport Stadium. Nkongho had argued that if the robbery incident was broadcast to the hearing of the CAF officials, it would mar the chances of Cameroon winning the hosting bid.

The local stations stayed mute. Cameroon went on to win the bid. But, since then, neither the press conference nor a word had ever been uttered by the council official about what happened to the people’s money in their keeping.

The SDO of Fako, has never questioned what happened. The theft was simply swept under the rugs, a foothold stomped on it and lips have remained sealed over it. Perhaps, the CONAC report will give details of what happened to the people’s money.

Limbe Chiefs' letter against Motanga (c) WhatsApp

Limbe Chiefs' letter against Motanga page 2 (c) WhatsApp