What is the way forward? - by Suzanne Nanyonge

“Any names yet? My nephew is from that school!”, cried a devastated aunt after getting word of the unfortunate news through her cell phone on the last day of March 2023. The month of March ended gloomily in the South West region of Cameroon. In the morning of March 31, a ghastly accident occurred at the locality of Moliwe, along the Limbe-Mutengene road, involving a truck colliding with a mini-bus (coaster) transporting mostly Government Technical High School (GTHS) Ombe students. These students were on their way to school to collect their end-of-term report cards, when the unfortunate accident occurred. A coaster generally transports thirty people maximum, and according to sources, the number of deaths recorded on the spot were about 18, most of them being GTHS Ombe students. The others were critically injured. Denizens who witnessed the glaucous scene rushed to help the injured, transporting them into some taxis and personal cars, to the Regional Hospital in Limbe. Meanwhile others were videotaping the scene and sharing the photos. Just before that, in the afternoon of March 18, a heavy downpour of rain caused serious floods in the town of Buea, starting from the foot of Mt Cameroon to other localities. The damages caused were gruesome, as several lives were lost, properties (homes, cars, shops) were destroyed, and people went missing, because they were carried away by the flood. It was a strange phenomenon, as described by denizens, and the traditional rulers later on convened a meeting to discuss the possible reason for such a natural disaster as well as what could be done to avoid such in the future. These occurrences bring thousands of questions to mind; what has become of town planning? Are heavy-duty trucks not supposed to circulate only at night? What about the state of roads and their improvement? Are there even reliable first aid services like ambulances in the country? Citizens have and keep decrying these incessant occurrences which can be avoided if the government of the country actually sits up to do their work conveniently. The way forward is as obvious as the sun rising from the east and settling in the west, but given the current system, things will obviously be attended to at snail rate. Well, concerning the disaster in Buea, the government reacted by dispatching the Minister of Territorial Administration on March 21 to the affected area and distributed items such as mattresses, sardine cans and rice. This was after he delivered a comfort message from the Head of State. Concerning the accident in Limbe, the government is yet to make a statement. The population is however not satisfied with such actions, as many have described it as shallow aid or covering deep wounds without appropriate care. What are your thoughts on these occurrences and the reactions from authorities? Please share them in the comment section below.

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