Society

The Senior Divisional officer of the Ocean Division in the South Region of Cameroon, as published by Le Messager Newspaper on 18 July 2017, signed a release prohibiting the trafficking of children below 14 years in his Administrative setting.

He warned parents who would go against this decision, threatening them with severe sanctions.

The Divisional Administrator makes it clear, “the labour of children below 14 years is strictly prohibited all over the National territory. Every parent is thus called upon not to submit their children to commercial slavery but rather, they should look after them during holidays. Anyone who goes against this will be sanctioned accordingly”.

This decision was not warmly received by a greater part of the population “the SDO is not aware of our realities. My children have to help me prepare to meet up with their school needs. Is he the one who will come and buy their school requirements? I cannot cease from sending them to go and sell. Let him do his worst. If the children are seen and taken off the streets, I will abandon the kids with them and they will be the ones running after me to come and get them” a business woman commented.

While the population is against this move, Associations for the rights of the child, are strongly behind the SDO. They say the administrator should be congratulated for the step taken. “Someone needed to start from somewhere” they added. They further reiterated that, strict measures against child labour should put in place and well respected.

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19.Jul.2017

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A hundred and ninety three gallons of illicit fuel has been impounded from some vendors in a crackdown operation in Bamenda. This fuel is considered by the authorities as a contraband and as such, the sale is carried out in hiding. The famous Zuazua or Nfunge is sited at almost every junction in the town of Bamenda and with its lower price can knockout the fuelling stations from the business in no time.

Authorities also want to put an end to this practice for it is also dangerous to the people around where it is being stored for it is highly flammable thus putting the lives of those around at risk.

Authorities attempted impounding this illicit fuel some couple of months ago but were met by stiff resistance from the motorbike riders who staged a drama by trashing some Gendarmerie officers who attempted confiscating the illicit fuel and destroying the taxi in which they were using to carry out the activity.

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Rita Akana

18.Jul.2017

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The highway of Yaounde Sangmalima in the Center and South Region has witnessed a tragic automobile accident which has claimed the lives of the five occupants of a vehicle which collided with an oncoming truck. The vehicle left Sangmalima and was heading to Yaounde when the incident took place, the cause of the accident is blamed on over speeding as the driver tried overtaking a vehicle but ran into an oncoming truck which was loaded.

It was too late for the driver to react on time for the high speed, it is not clear who were the occupants of this vehicle. Most private car owners on weekends travel to their villages and return on Sunday evenings and in other to cover up travel expenses including fuel, carry passengers along the way. Trying to reach on time so as to prepare for work the next day, they tend to over speeding.

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Ivo Nsame

18.Jul.2017

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Sea Waves Bring Death Body the Limbe Seashore The decomposed body of an unidentified man about 60years of age has been discovered on the seashores of Limbe the Coastal Town of South West Region on Saturday morning.

This body was surely swept on the shores by the sea waves. The Forces of Law and order were on the lieu to carryout out investigations and to know the cause of death while the Council Workers arrived to carry the corps away.

The body has been taken to the Limbe District Hospital Mortuary. Limbe has registered cases of drowning by coming visitors and the bodies are always identified but this case has baffled onlookers for they have no clue on who the individual is or where he came from.

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Ivo Nsame

18.Jul.2017

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Travelling now in Cameroon, especially by road is the highest scare that one can ever imagine. Even those who don’t believe in God, call on Jesus when a car they are travelling in, mistakenly gets into a pot hole.

Eyebrows still remain raised after the ghastly car accident which occurred on Saturday 15 July 2017 on the Yaounde-Ebolowa High way, leaving five people dead among which there was a CRTV journalist. Their car collided with a heavy duty truck. The collision was so violent that every occupant of the little vehicle gave up the ghost instantly.

A question now sets in; what are really the causes of these accidents? The reasons for the phenomenon are not new to anybody as they are sung every given day. Reckless driving, inexperienced adventurers who do not know the high way code, narrow and rugged roads, driving in a drunken state among others account for the exceeding number of cases we have.

Jean Baptist Bokam with his Gendarmerie team have been pretending to carry out road safety campaigns which are never effective, given that those who stand by the road sides to control over speeding and over loading, do not do their job. It suffices for a dishonest road user to give them some banknotes and they can use the road as they like.

During the 21^st assembly of the Cameroon Road National Council (CONAROUTE) it was revealed that, 3,088 accidents and 1,102 deaths were officially registered in 2016 in Cameroon. It is equally worth noting that, the United Nations classified the 240 km Douala-Yaounde axis in 2014, as one of the deadliest high ways in the world. Construction works on this stretch of road is moving at chameleon’s speed. The Chinese company which was supposed to deliver in 48 months, has used 32 months of the accorded time but the work is still at 40%.

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17.Jul.2017

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Transport buses covering long distances in Cameroon have one common characteristic. What we observe is the sale of 'medicinal products' on board buses linking major cities of the country.
What's so dramatic about this phenomenon is the fact that people inhale substances they don't know, even when they don't have 'any major health problem'.
I observed a strange sight on Saturday on board a bus travelling from Yaoundé to Ebolowa.
A certain man in his forties or so got on the bus and started his campaign. Shortly afterwards, he offered some powdery substance to a few passengers to inhale.
They took the substance and did as prescribed.
Behold, they started sneezing as soon as possible. For the next one hour or more, the sneezing was unstoppable.
Among them was a little girl of about eight years old. She was the first to start sneezing. And she did it so dramatically that most passengers turned to look at her occasionally. In the end she fell asleep.
And what shocked me  most was the fact that the products , for they were many, were never bought, not ev
en by those who had tasted one of them. And the disappointed 'doctor' jumped off the bus after a short drive.
That's part of the bus hospital saga.
On nearly every bus, you find someone who claims to blend traditional African medicine with science.
Some even limit themselves only to modern or Western medicine which they sell to passengers without any consultation or diagnosis.
Toothpaste, toothbrush, biscuit, candy, and a host of other products are also sold on buses.

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Rita Akana

15.Jul.2017

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