Mayor Chenwi Of B'da II To Empower Municipal Councillors Better Serve Their Communities
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| Mayor Chenwi Of The Bamenda II Council At The Session |
By Anne-Vallien Berinyuy
Many constituencies in Bamenda and the North West Region as a whole have municipal councillors who only appear during council sessions and then disappear into the thin air. Such municipal representatives have not made any impact on their constituencies; many have even been termed “absentee landlords.”
While many do not even know their functions as municipal councillors, many of those who do know do not have the resources to create the kind of impact they would have liked to make.
However, if there is one mayor who understands this too well and hopes to see positive changes, it is Mayor Chenwi Peter of the Bamenda II Council.
During the Council’s Administrative, Management, and Stores Accounts session held on Thursday, April 23, councillors voted on 15 deliberations, including the approval of the council’s accounts and a motion for the Bamenda II Council to empower councillors to carry out micro-projects in their communities.
According to Mayor Chenwi, the aim is to ensure that councillors should at least have something to show when speaking to their people.
“Deliberations were passed to provide councillors with the means to execute micro-projects within their specific constituencies, allowing them to show physical proof of development to their voters,”
explained Mayor Chenwi Peter.
Restoring water and electricity after damage from road works
Mayor Chenwi emphasized that one of the main priorities is to restore basic services, especially water and electricity. Many residents have complained about shortages, and the mayor linked the problem to ongoing road construction. He said the construction has damaged water pipes and electricity lines, causing interruptions. Because of this, the council plans to increase water supply by building boreholes. For electricity, he said the council will work on extensions, since some poles were brought down.
It was also announced that the Bamenda II Council is expecting a fire truck from Canada, which the mayor said will serve a double purpose: fighting fires and helping distribute water during the dry season.
The session was held soon after the visit of Pope Leo XIV to Bamenda. Mayor Chenwi described the papal visit as a moment that brought the municipality together. He also said the council should ensure that people benefit from the Pope’s blessings in both practical and physical ways.
The Senior Divisional Officer for Mezam, Simone Emile Mooh, reminded the councillors that they must still serve the people and present their records, even as their mandate continues. She praised the people of Bamenda II for their strong turnout during the papal visit, saying that many visitors abroad noticed how active and united the population was.
It was also revealed that the council initially projected a budget of 2.1 billion CFA francs. However, 733 million CFA francs was what the council could realize as revenue for the year. 662.2 million CFA francs was spent, leaving a balance carried forward of 10.8 million CFA francs.

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