Society

Candidates going in for the Technical General Certificate of Examination BACC, are expected to begin the practical session today across the national territory, With about 359,000 expected in various examination halls. This year's exam is holding within the anglophone crisis which has adversely affected school owing to the teachers protest.

Reports from the North West and South West regions predict a timid turnout in examination halls this morning. The South West region with less than 2200 registered candidates and North West region with 1651 registered candidates are the lowest in the 2017 GCE BACC log book as revealed by the Director of the Baccaleureate Board, Dr Zacharie Mbatsogo.

In the North west region, Cameroon Concord was reliably informed that a student could be spotted in a hall. But could not confirm if exams had already started.Students we are told will be writing under tight security . In GTHS Buea , the Vice Principal refused to comment.

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Rita Akana

22.May.2017

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Some gendarmerie officers who were brought in from Kutaba in the West Region in the wake of the lawyers and teachers strikes to maintain law and order has reportedly hijack illegal fuel business in Ndian and Meme Divisions of the South West Region.

According to reports, the gendarmerie officers conveniently abandoned what they were brought in to do and indulged in the business of illegal fuel when they discovered that illicit fuel was a booming trade in the area.

Their active involvement in the trade is said to have put the locals out of the business and has made Government efforts in fighting against the trade abortive, since most of the officers sent to track down those involved in the trade, quickly discover that it is their senior colleagues involved in the trade, as such, they cannot do anything with them.

On March 17 this year, some 5,000 liters of contraband petrol reportedly smuggled in from Nigeria through Ndian Division, was confiscated by the forces of law and order.

The confiscation of the petrol is said to have irked a senior police officers, who was said to be the brain behind the smuggle fuel.

The officer reportedly warned his subordinates never to embark on such a mission without his express permission.

Two months after the clampdown, the business has gone underground with dealers devising new methods of delivery the illegal fuel.

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Abeh Valery

22.May.2017

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The Director General of the CRTV Charles Ndongo, has apologised to the French community for the false information that the well renowned 8:30pm TV news presenter Adele Mbala, dished out to the public on the 15^th of May 2017.

It took a week for the State media organ’s boss to react to Adele’s poor performance on that faithful day.

Adele Mbala who is the director of TV programs of the CRTV, a week ago, read a fictitious list of the appointed members of Emmanuel Macron, the new French president’s administration.

What made her error abominable was the fact that, the list of those newly appointed officials was still to be made public. It is not as if the names were already known before she had mistakenly compiled something else.

Ever since she made that error which is unheard of for a professional as herself, she had been distanced from the 8:30pm news set.

She had started reading news on Monday 15^th May, which had to run thus till Friday 19^th May. She could not go on till that Friday as is always the case, due to her unprofessionalism. Evelyne Owona Essomba is the one who took over the following day, after the mishap.

The French embassy in Cameroon did not take that lightly, as they pointed out that it could consequently lead to deterioration in diplomatic ties between the two nations. Severe protests by the French embassy, is one of the reasons why Adele Mbala disappeared from the limelight after disgracing herself.

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Rita Akana

21.May.2017

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Dockers at the Douala Sea Port has vowed to ground activities at the port till further notice, if President Paul Biya does not intervene and resolve their problems.

The over 400 Dockers are infuriated by the shabby treatment given to them by importers and exporters, yet the staff of the Douala Port Authority has remained blind to their plights and suffering.

Before embarking on a sit-in strike action on May 11, the Dockers under the Dockers Union, tabled a 12 point demand to importers and exporters under whom they work, asking for a fixed salary for all Dockers, an insurance cover, family allowances, a special card and for them to be considered as staff of the Douala Port Authority and not placed under importers and exporters, who, they said doesn’t care about their wellbeing.   

The restive workers said there are the engine of the Port because they do the difficult jobs like, loading and offloading of goods at the port, loading and offloading of ships and also loading goods into warehouses and trucks.

After downing their tools, the Senior Division Officer (SDO) of Wouri, Joseph Bertrand Mache Njouonwet, the Divisional Officer (DO) of Douala I, Jean Marc Ekoa Mbarga on the instruction of Littoral Governor, Samuel Dieudonné Ivaha Diboua, held series of meetings with the Dockers in other to resolve the problem, but the meetings ended in a deadlock, when the Dockers realised that the administrative officers were struggling to trick them into calling off the strike when their problems have not been provided adequate solution.                            

The Dockers’ strike has, however, exposed the atrocious conditions under which Cameroonians at the Port are subjected to. 

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Abeh Valery

19.May.2017

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Anglophone teachers in Yaounde say they are not marking the Government Common Entrance Exams.

The disgruntled teachers complain that marking dues have been considerably slashed. From 120 FCFA per script, the amount was reduced to 60 FCFA and now they are being compelled to mark a script at 27 FCFA ; The teachers have described the situation as exploitation insisting that Basic education authorities must review the dues.

A meeting between the teachers and the Centre Regional delegate of Basic education has flopped due to what the teachers see as nonchalance and arrogance from authorities.

We are informed that the delegate instead of dialoging with them has proudly told them to either mark the scripts at the paltry sum or leave it.

The teachers have remained resolute insisting that they will not mark the exam if the cost per script is not out at 120FCFA.

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Rita Akana

17.May.2017

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A famous Nkambe trader yesterday morning lost his vehicle and his trusted driver to a deathly car crash on the Nkambe-Ako road in Donga/Mantung division of the North West Region. The 2 ton vehicle was loaded with goods meant for Nigeria. The accident happened at the famous S Bend some 20km from Nkambe which has claimed so many lives due to its hilly and winding nature. This 4X4 vehicle (Landrover) lost control at this bend and somersaulted several times before landing downhill. It immediately caught fire and the driver who was still unconscious was consumed in the raging flames. His body has been taken to the Nkambe District Hospital mortuary.

The Land rover has proven to be best suited for this road in this locality but history seems to be losing grounds. An eye witness instead of narrating what happened, is angry with the poor maintenance of roads and says "this accident would have been avoided if the road was well maintained” he says.  “The contractors come with just a single caterpillar and one dump truck for a 42 kilometer of road maintenance and end up abandoning work half way but we are sure they receive their full payment for the entire contract amount signed" adds the angry man.

The Cameroon government has been fighting corruption over the years but the perpetrators seem to be a step ahead each time.

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Ivo Nsame

17.May.2017

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