Cleanest City Award: Motanga Tells Population To Change Mentality

By Mbonda Lizzy Noel

Limbe has been shortlisted among two other cities namely Douala and Yaounde to take part in a national cleanest city competition that shall kick-off on August 10.

This information was made known during a press conference that took place at the Limbe City Council Building on the 2nd of June 2020.

The City Mayor however noted that for Limbe to emerge victorious the inhabitants of Limbe have to change their mentalities as far as hygiene and sanction is concerned.

 According to the City Mayor of the Limbe City Council, Andrew Motanga  Monjimba ,this competition organized by the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ms Celestine Ketcha is an activity for Cameroon to celebrate this year's World Habitat Day which comes up on October 5 in Douala.

He was very confident that Limbe will emerge as the cleanest city and shall smile home with a cash prize of FCFA 2.5 Million amongst other benefits.

Speaking during a press conference, Motanga decried the laxity from the population in maintaining the cleanliness of the city and this has been partly blamed on the Anglophone crisis, he urged everyone to get back to work.

It would appear the Anglophone crisis has made the denizens to change their mentality from the cleanliness that they used to keep. He urged the quarter heads and chiefs to go back and revive that spirit that the people used to have so that they should immediately start the work of keeping their quarters clean.

According to Motanga, the population is very conscious of their rights but neglect their responsibilities in keeping the city clean.

To this effect, Motanga opined that constant sensitization campaigns will be launched in the days ahead to reshape the mentality of the population towards Cleanliness.

These will include micro programs, news releases, spots and interviews on Local Radios and TV stations.

The City Mayor equally said the sensitization will be accompanied by repressive measures for those who don’t want to heed to the sensitization messages or keep their surroundings clean.

Stressing on the mentality issue, Motanga will not understand why people will throw waste on the streets simply because HYSACAM is there to dispose waste.

The visibly angry Motanga Andrew Monjimba said, Limbe used to be called The Clean City, but with the Anglophone Crisis where anyone feels he or she can do just anything, it is losing its salt.

“Our Mentality is the biggest cankerworm in our society and we must change that in case we want to win the award” Motanga told a battery of Journalists.

Motanga said that despite the presence of HYSACAM in the city, there also exist two days in a month set aside as 'Keep Limbe Clean' days.

“On these days which come up on every first and third Wednesdays of the month, the entire population is expected from 7:30 am to 10:30 to go out and clean around their surroundings” He said. 

The competition at the level of Limbe shall go in three phases. First, the different quarters in each sub division shall go for internal competition where the cleanest quarter shall be selected.

Of the three cleanest quarters that shall be selected among the three sub divisions that make up Limbe; they shall go for a second phase through which the jury shall select the cleanest quarter from the three in Limbe.

It is this cleanest quarter, and not the whole of Limbe, that shall compete on that October 5 with two other cleanest quarters; one each from Yaounde and Douala.

As further sanitation plans, especially with the COVID-19, with schools already going on, the City Mayor announced that plans are underway to disinfect school campuses to ensure the safety of students, pupils and teachers.

On proposals, HRH Chief Epupa Samuel Ekum suggested that the authorities of the Limbe Botanic Gardens needed to be contacted to do some clean up if Limbe must win.

“The Gardens, that used to be one of the most eye-catching environmental attractions of the town, has, for some time now, not been itself. The beautifully closed-cut lawns and well trimmed flowers are no longer there.” The very controversial Chief Ekum said.

He added that the 'bend skin' riders need to start dressing neatly. “Most of them have been noted for poor dressing which is an aspect that contributes negatively to the outlook of the city”. Ekum

There were also suggestions for the population not to use the run offs to dump their household waste during the rains while those who have abandoned cars along the streets, makeshift kiosks along the public highways were also asked to remove as soon as possible.