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The new minister of Territorial Administration was on a peace mission in the Northwest region recently during which he held talks with stakeholders of different professions in efforts to bring lasting peace in the regions that have been taken hostage by the Anglophone crisis for 17 months running.
He started his peace mission in Batibo, where he had meetings with traditional and religious authorities in the subdivision. To the much surprise of everyone, Minister Paul Atanga Nji handed helmets to leaders of different unions of commercial bike riders in Batibo.
He asked the bike riders present to tell their friends to denounce terrorist acts and come out from the bushes. He also advised them to surrender themselves and be forgiven by government.
However, many denizens in Batibo wondered how the bike riders were going to use the helmets given that commercial bike riders’ activities have been banned in Batibo sub division.
This move greatly took almost everyone present at the ceremonial ground aback especially as the ban imposed on the circulation of motorbikes in that subdivision had not been uplifted.
Meanwhile, in Bamenda rumour abounded that commercial bike activities were also going to be banned in the city but Minister Paul Antaga Nji, proofed rumour mongers wrong as he rather encouraged bike riders by even distributing bikes to them.
During a meeting that brought together bike riders, teachers as well as state authorities in the region, the MINAT boss distributed some motorbikes to some riders as he handed over keys of the bikes to the governor of the region, Adolphe Lele L’afrique.
He however used the opportunity to warn commercial motorbike riders against insecurity and challenged them to collaborate with security and defence forces of Cameroon in the fight against the activities of secessionists and to report any suspicious persons to security forces.
TCR also gathered that bike riders present at the meeting strongly castigated the insecurity that has gripped the two English speaking regions of Cameroon and pledged to distance themselves from activities that are unfriendly to the state.
Most inhabitants of the city had felt the jitters already that thousands of youths in the city were going to be deprived of their source of livelihood should this sector be banned.
Recall that just days after his appointment to the ministry of territorial administration, Atanga Nji Paul banned the circulation of motorbikes in Kumba, Ndian division and some parts of the Northwest region as well. His argument is that, secessionist fighters have often used motorbikes to carryout attacks in the two troubled regions.
His decision to encourage the activity in Bamenda has been hailed by almost everyone involved in it as they once more feel assured about their source of livelihood.
In addition, teachers that attended the meeting organized by the MINAT boss complained about the non-payment of their dues for the marking of the GCE exams and pleaded with the minister to do something about that and especially for their colleagues of the private sector, whom they claimed have gone for more than six months without salaries.
By LVV
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