By Sheron Tita
The Governor of the South West Region, Bernard Okalia Bilai, has appealed to the population of the South West Region to denounce all terrorists ( separatist fighters) within the Region.
“ We reminded the popularion that we must terrorize the terrorists. We terrorize the terrorists by denouncing them systematically. I received information here they are lodging in a hotel, they are doing this and that. And I said instead of coming with those information to me or my collaborators denounce them publicly. Some two years ago when we launched the hunting of the terrorists people some officially elected members of Parliament, Senators denounce publicly. They cited the names and it bore fruits”, he called on the population.
He was speaking during a meeting held in his conference room on September 4th, 2024, in preparation for the smooth start of the 2024-2025 academic year.
The meeting brought together key stakeholders in the sectors of Education, Security officers, Regional and Local Authorities strategizing for a hitch free academic year.
Governor Bernard Okalia Bilai went further in calling on the population to be fearless and engage in the denouncing of terrorists.
“Afraid of who? Afraid of people who are killing us. If you’re afraid then you can not face them they will deal with you. But if you stand and tell them that you can not we know you; we know your families, they too will feel threatened. And who are they to threaten the state. So that is the situation”, he called on the population.
With the aim of promoting a peaceful start of the school year, the Governor of the Southwest Region equally used this opportunity to call on clergymen to add their voice to that of the Apostolic Nuncio, by appealing for a hitch-free 2024-2025 academic year in the Northwest and South West Regions of the country.
“We are very happy that the Apostolic Nuncio for Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea said it. And when the representative of the holy Pope said something we sincerely hope that his collaborates who are the bishops, the Rev fathers will follow. During the preaching of the sermons on Sunday and during church service they must continue to insist that those people are more than criminals. Because they don’t only kill individuals but they kill the community as they want to render illiterate a whole generation. They have already done it for years let them stop it”, he noted.
In the mean time, the necessary security dispositions have been taken across the Southwest Region to ensure swift commencement of the 2024-2025 academic year.
The Socio-Political and Economic Crisis in the NW and SW Regions, has been ongoing since 2016. It has led to the loss of lives, destruction of properties, thousands homes, some internally displaced amongst others.
