Bamenda City Roads Need Complete Reconstruction- Nji Vincent Ndumu

By Benjamin Ngah

           The Government Delegate to the Bamenda City Council (BCC), Nji Vincent Ndumu has declared that the road network in the city of Bamenda constructed decades ago is dire need of complete reconstruction. He made the declaration during the belated administrative and account session of the council which finally held on Tuesday, 3rd of June, 2014.

           According to Nji Ndumu, any measures taken on the worsening roads situation in the city of Bamenda are just palliative, until when the government would deem it necessary to reconstruct the roads.

           At moment, government is doling out little amounts of money in an uncoordinated manner for the maintenance and filling of potholes around town. The different sources and ministerial departments from which the little of money is emanating for such palliative measures is blurred and a cause for concerned. Many observers have over the years questioned the overlapping functions of several ministerial departments which give rooms to fissure for embezzlement. As of now, it is very difficult to define who is who in the domain of road construction in the city. Is it the Ministry of Public Works, Urban Development, Plan and Regional Development or the City Council that is completely in charge of road construction and maintenance in the city?

           Some money from different sources, it was revealed at the session is now available for the feeling of potholes around town. The stretch around Amour Mezam, Mobile Nkwen and SONAC Street would be the priority according to the Nji Ndumu. The construction of the stretch from below Foncha via the City Council to Rendez-vous has also been earmarked for this year. This would be to ease the traffic holdups that have gripped the city Bamenda and causing untold economic hardships to city dwellers.

           The shaky and protracted problem of bike riders leaving tarred roads featured again at the session. The reason for the non implementation of the previous decision arrived at some years back included lack of cooperation between the authorities involved, stakeholders were owners of some of the bikes and lack of enough elements of forces and order to implement the decision were advanced.  Another tentative deadline for bike riders to be forced out of the heart of the city was given by the end of the year 2014.

           At the end of deliberations, the Bamenda City Council recorded a positive balance sheet of 2.248,702,892 as revenue and expenditure stood at 197,413,654. Other project insight include putting finishing touches on thr Bamenda city master plan, the tarring of at least 2km road each in the three sub divisions that make up the Bamenda City Council and more investment in sustainable projects to uplift the standard of living of the population.