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| Pa Bonu |
Senior Bambui citizen
Mr. Bonu Barnabas Chungong is blaming all the Senior Divisional Officers who
have been in Mezam for being influenced by Nkwen to seize the Old Tubah Council
Land and have appointed a commission to evaluate the properties. He was
speaking to Tobby Vision (TC) publisher Coni T. Tawong in Bambui. All Bambui
citizens have joined him and the Mayor to object to this Prefectoral Order.
See Prefectoral Order and objection in its
entirety below:
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| Prefectoral Order No 192 |
Objection
To PRefectoral Order No. 192/PO/E.29/ALPAS OF 10TH APRIL, 2015
We write with
reference to the above quoted Prefectoral Order and hasten to say without
mincing words that we vehemently object the issue of the said PRefectoral Order
for the following reasons:
1)
There is a land case between
Nkwen Village in Bamenda III Council and Bambui Village in Tubah Council which
has not been settled. A commission comprising twenty one personalities was put
in place by your predecessor vide Prefectoral Order No. 114/PO/E.29/712/SI of
05th April, 2010 (photocopy attached) and the results of the said Commission
Members, claims and observations were recorded. At the end, the Chairman asked
the two villages to submit any maps and relevant documents related to the field
visit. Bambui village submitted a 1913 German Map (photocopy attached) of the
grasslands showing river Memvie whose source is Lake Bambili as the natural
boundary between Nkwen (Bafreng) and Bambui. In the same submission Bambui
village pointed out that Tubah is Bambui and not Nkwen and the name means land
on top of a plain “Tu” means “head” or “up” while “bah” is the land beginning from
Four Corner to Fonta. The Bambui ancestors gave the name Tubah with a reason
and the reason means land above a plain. If Tubah were in Nkwen, the Nkwen
syllable “Atie” meaning “head” would have been the prefix e.g. Government Bilingual
High School, Atiela–Nkwen. Similarly, the state of Cameroon uses geographical
features to name places within the national territory e.g. Mezam Division named
after river Mezam, Boyo Division derived from Mount Boyo, Manyu Division named
after river Manyu. These are undeniable facts and truths which cannot be
dismissed with a pinch of salt. Infact, the facts are ethnological, ancestral
and peaceful. Proverbs 22:28 says “Never move an old boundary mark that your
ancestors established”. Apart from the quarter Tubah beginning with the prefix “tu”
the ancestors of Bambui village named the following quarters beginning with “Tu”
– Tunui – the head of god, Tunibah above Nibah, Tula–a above the village and
Tullam – above Mallam.
Emphasizing on the importance of the
1913 German Map of the grass field or grassland, Bambui village stressed that
the Map was of paramount importance as it came out after the treaty signed by
Britain and Germany in 1913. The Germans took over Kameroun (Cameroon) in which
included the Bakassi peninsula.
2)
Consequently, the International
Court of Justice (ICJ) at the Hague in 2002 ruled that the land belonged to the
State of Cameroon. In the grasslands of Bamenda province, the Germans also came
out with an inter–village boundaries with maps for easy administration. The boundary
between Bambui and Nkwen (Bafreng) remains the inter–village natural boundary
that was drawn and put in place by the Germans. Since then, Bambui and Nkwen
villages have never been involved in any land conflict that should necessitate
the quest for an artificial boundary.
3)
Permit us to further mention
the following facts to authenticate the fact that the Old Buildings and land of
the Tubah Council is the property of Tubah Municipality.
a)
Tubah Council like other
Councils is a state institution and by virtue of the laws and regulations in
force, she can own property anywhere within the national territory of Cameroon.
b)
The Tubah old Council premises
was jointly chosen by the late Fons of Bamendankwe, Nkwen (Bafreng), Bambui,
Bambili, Kedjom Keku (Big Babanki), Kedjom Ketinguh (Babanki–Tungo) and Bafut
as far back as 1927.
c)
Tubah was the Headquarters of
Local Administration in the days of the then South Eastern Federation made up
or rather comprising Bui(Nso), Ndop (comprising thirteen villages), Bafut,
Bamendankwe, Nkwen (Bafreng) and the present four main villages of Tubah
Municipality.
d)
That Tubah after
decentralization after the colonial days still remained the Headquarters of
Local Administration for the following villages: Bafut, Bamendankwe, Nkwen
(Bafreng), Bambui, Bambili, Kedjom Ketinguh (Babanki Tungo) and Kedjom Keku
(Big Babanki).
e)
That still on decentralization,
Bamendankwe and Nkwen villages were disintegrated from Tubah and annexed to
Bamenda Urban Council for the purpose of easy administration.
f)
The last and most recent
decentralization was in 1995 When Bafut village was created to be a Council on
its own leaving the Bambui, Bambili, Kedjom Ketinguh and Kedjom Keku villages
to be administered as Tubah Council from the old council building vicinity.
Bamenda III
Council comprising Nkwen and Ndzah villages was created in 2007 and cannot
claim superiority over Tubah Council which is an octogenarian in this aspect to
the extent that the powers that be are in favour of Bamenda III to expropriate the
property in question. Tubah Council is wondering alound what is it that Bamenda
III Council is better placed to do on the Tubah Council Old premises and
structures that Tubah Council cannot do?
In passing, we
wish to state that each time there was disintegration or decentralization, the
disintegrating or decentralizing village or party left with the property that
was acquired with funds from Tubah Council, for example, Tubah Council
implanted the Forest Reserves in Bamendankwe and Bafut respectively, Tubah
Council established the present cattle market in Bamendankwe, Tubah Council
constructed the Njingte Customary Court
Hall in Bafut etc. It is also important to note that besides the assets
that were usually being shared, liabilities was not the case as Tubah Council
alone has continued to pay all living pensioners of the former West Cameroon
from its annual budgets.
Some quarters
have it that the place in question is at the boarder of the Municipality and
should therefore not serve as the Headquarters of the Council. From this
perception one is tempted to ask whether Bamenda which is the Headquarters of
North West Region is at the central part of the region.
Mr. Senior
Divisional Officer, Sir, from the facts and disclosures mentioned herein above,
we shall be glad if you use your good office to cause a review of the
Prefectoral Order in question to enable you take an equitable decision to give
peace a chance, considering the far reaching consequences it has on the part of
this Municipality.
Signed
The Mayor
Tubah Council
TANJONG MARTIN MESHONGONG
Cc:
The Governor,
N.W.R,
The Hon.
Minister, MINATD
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