The Divisional Officer For Buea Visits Bulu Village To Look Into Chieftaincy And Land Problems After The Death Of Chief Namanga Molua Samuel

By Moki S. Mokondo in Buea for Fako Mount Fako News Centre

12 May 2011

The Divisional Officer (DO) for Buea Subdivision, Abraham Checkem, has told members of the Bulu Traditional Council and those of the Royal Family in Bulu Native, Buea Sub-Division, to work hand-in-glove to advance development in the village. He made this call on Monday May 9, 2011, in Bulu during a consultative visit to the village.

Mr. Checkem was reacting to speeches presented by a representative of the Royal Family and that of the Bulu Native Traditional Council who pointed an accusing finger on each other for not wanting to recognise the other’s legitimacy. The DO explained that he had sensed that there was commotion in the village when he attended the burial of the former chief of the village, HRH Namanga Molua Samuel, on Saturday April 29, 2011. Talking to members of the village, he warned them to guard against activities that will disturb the peace of the community.

The DO also ordered both parties to stop any activity on the proposed new layout land ceded to indigenes of the village until after consultative talks in the month of August 2011 concerning the next traditional leader.

However, members of the Bulu Native Traditional Council claimed that they had a good relationship with the late chief. According to them, they collaborated with the late chief to follow-up the file that led Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC) to surrender land to Bulu Natives. If not of his departure, we would have finished with the work of planting pillars round the ceded land, they added.

Bulu Native like most Bakweri villages, suffered from the hostility of colonial masters who forced them out of the fertile lands to establish plantations. After they left, this land was transferred to CDC and the University of Buea. Since then, the village remains enclaved with majority of its indigenes still living in neighbouring villages. Today, the Bulu natives are requesting that CDC and the University of Buea recognise them as their permanent Landlords.