By Sheron Tita
Days to the kick start of the new school year in Cameroon, the inhabitants of Mile 16 Bolifamba and environs in the Municipality of Buea, have engaged in a peaceful protest In front of the Buea office of the company in charge of electricity in the country, Eneo, demanding for the immediate address of the electricity crisis.
This action was prompted by a six-month electricity outage in those localities caused by a blown off transformer as recounted by some of the protesters.
Mile 16 Bolifamba, is one the localities in the town of Legendary Hospitality which has been severely affected by the Socio-Political and Economic crisis plaguing theNorthwest and Southwest Regions of the country.
The absence of electricity in such a locality and its environs has given rise to violence and other criminal activities.
Nhunfor David Nfonyui is one of the Mile 16 protesters who went to the ENEO office. He recounted the power outage commenced with a blown off transformer.
After this some workers of Eneo requested them to pay the sum of 10,000frs each to purchase a new transformer which they contributed.
‘They kept on promising they were going to do something about it but never did for the past six months. We are tired of this kind of lifestyle,’ he said.
According to Nhunfor, the absence of electricity shall not only promote violence but equally affect students and pupils negatively due to the inability to study at night. He thereby appealed to the Government to come to their rescue as the new academic year kicks off soon nationwide. ‘ Our children are suffering; with the inability to read and carryout research;
We arcalling out on the government to do the needful by bringing power the locality. ENEO should hear and act on our plight as we are tired of such hard lifestyle, he noted.
Upon the arrival of the inhabitants of Mile 16 Bolifamba and beyond at Bongo Square where the office Eneo is based, staff of Eneo requested for the leader of the protesters, had a brief discussion with him and promised to ensure the installation of the new Transformer in the days ahead to curb the electricity crisis.
And equally to empower the residents on some of the actions carried out by them that led to the burning of their previous transformer.
In that light the inhabitants of Mile 16 left Eneo office fulfilled while looking forward to the installation of the new transformer.
