By George Etoh-Anzah in Bamenda.
The member of parliament for Jakiri South constituency, Hon Verla Lukong Fosting ,has enjoined advocates of ghost town calls to be aware of the dangers of living in a society with uneducated youths.
The admonition was the subject of a private interview granted to this reporter during a 1 day visit of the peoples representative of the lower house of assembly to the North West region,6 September 2024.
According to the MP the calls for school boycott and ghost town observation is an unwise decision and a threat to the future of the youths of the English speaking regions with keen interest on the Northwest where ghost town calls, observations seem to have found a safe resting bed.
She however challenged the youths to “forget about any calls for school boycott”, adding that “without education you have no future “.
The Member of Parliament believes that not only is the growth of Cameroon’s economy reliant on the youths but the country’s future too.
She is also of the opinion that though the nation’s future depends on the youths it has to do with skilled as against unskilled labour. To this understanding therefore the youths must take up juicy and lucrative postions, and to do so they must get themselves educated to be well placed for the numerous opportunities with the imports substitution vision-plan of the head of state.
She further sent out a special message to the youths of Jakiri.
” Dear children, go to school, we cannot belabour the essentials of education, it is so important to get yourself educated, without education your future is bleak”. Following a long standing conflict between pro-separatist fighters on the one hand and government militia on the other, a minority of the youth principally male(being separatists) have for long been advocating for a no school resumption come 9th September, government’s official reopening date. Though this obtained in most parts of the North West with threats of life and death on many school heads found defaulting, government has however continued to carry out commendable efforts to address the stalemate, including provision of security, militarized schools, proximity police amongst others.
To ensure the steam is felt, Hon Fosting appealed to the youths to ” Come out in their numbers and enroll …your education remains the most vital and lone thing that cannot be taken from you. Palm bushes, houses and inheritances are just possessions that can wade off with time but what you have in your brains is a lifetime asset…..seize the opportunity and secure a brighter future”, she said.
The MP’s call came amidst lingering threats of a lockdown come September 9th, but she however is optimistic the trend will be better.
She also forewarned separatists of their fate should they continue in their campaign. “Rest assured that if these students and pupils are prohibited from studies they will become a threat to society,and as this persists they will also throw accusations at the advocates who stopped them from pursuing their dreams….give peace a chance and let them pursue their aspirations as a way of sparing yourselves from the dangers.”
She is of the opinion that violence has no profit and yielding to the head of state’s appeal to drop arms is the best and lone olive tree with no dangers attached.
