The recent "working visit" of Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute to Bamenda was not a beacon of hope, but a stark reminder of the government's cynical approach to the Anglophone crisis.
Far from a genuine engagement with the region's desperate need for development, this was a thinly veiled campaign event, meticulously staged to project an illusion of progress while delivering little more than recycled promises and insulting gestures.
Let's be clear: the people of Bamenda are not blind. They see through the façade.
The "Stadium" That Insults: The much-touted commissioning of the Bamenda "Proximity Stadium" with its paltry 350-capacity is perhaps the most glaring insult. While Yaoundé and Douala boast modern facilities like the 60,000-seat Olembé Stadium and the 50,000-seat Japoma Stadium, Bamenda is offered a glorified training ground. This isn't development; it's a condescending pat on the head, a symbolic offering that screams, "You're not worth our real investment." It's a testament to the government's continued prioritization of political optics over the substantial infrastructure the North West region truly deserves and needs to revive its battered economy and vibrant youth culture.
Forced Smiles and Recycled Promises: The images of "enthusiastic welcomes" were carefully manufactured. Reports abound of university students being coerced into attending these events, their academic schedules disrupted and their presence mandated to swell the crowds. This isn't popular support; it's a desperate attempt to create the illusion of it, a classic tactic of regimes detached from the will of the people.
And what of the promises? We've heard them before. The "imminent start of rehabilitation works on the Bamenda city roads," the "Bamenda Ring Road" – these are echoes of previous pronouncements that have largely evaporated into thin air. The broken promises about road infrastructure are a recurring nightmare for residents who navigate dilapidated roads daily, a constant drain on commerce and a source of perpetual frustration. This visit merely dusted off the same old script, hoping a fresh delivery would somehow make it more believable.
Security as an Admission of Failure: Perhaps the most telling aspect of Ngute's visit was the suffocating security presence. Heavily armed forces swarmed the city, creating a palpable atmosphere of tension rather than reassurance. While the official narrative might spin this as a necessary measure for the Prime Minister's safety, the reality is far more damning. The sheer scale of the deployment tacitly acknowledges the government's profound failure to provide basic security to the very residents it claims to be developing. If Bamenda were truly pacified and safe, why the need for such an overwhelming show of force? It exposes the deep-seated insecurity that still plagues the region, a direct consequence of the unresolved Anglophone crisis.
This visit was not about rebuilding or genuine reconciliation. It was a strategic maneuver designed to project an image of normalcy and progress ahead of future political contests. It was a campaign stop dressed in the guise of a development tour, a thinly veiled attempt to score political points while the fundamental grievances of the Anglophone people remain unaddressed.
The people of Bamenda, and indeed the entire Anglophone region, deserve more than superficial gestures and empty rhetoric. We demand authentic development, lasting peace, and a government that genuinely listens and responds to our needs, not one that treats us as pawns in a political game. Until then, these "visits" will continue to be seen for what they truly are: a perpetuation of the very problems they claim to solve.
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