Ideneau mayor, SG at daggers drawn

From Carine Takusi in Limbe

One of the out comes of the first ordinary session of the Ideneau council that held in the council conference hall on July 9, 2014 was the news that the relationship between the council’s mayor and secretary general is at the level of kill and take the head. Not only has there been lack of collaboration between both men.The mayor and his secretary general have not been on talking terms for the past two months.

Details about what ignited the conflict between the council officials are still sketchy. But going by the declaration made by Mayor Tonde Lifanje Gabriel at last Thursday’s council session, the secretary general does not enter his office or greet him. He added that the council scribe who many say has grown big-headed has refused to take assignments from him or would sometimes handle them at his own will. The secretary general, he said, sometimes would stay away from office for four days without taking permision from him.

In a bid to mitigate the burning issue, the mayor urged the councillors to better advice the secretary general adding: “There are never two captains in a ship…I remain the boss as far as the Ideneau council is concern.”

Reacting to the accusation of insubbordination against him,  the council secretary general, Njie Mosinga, explained that as an administrator, he must follow professional norms to avoid imperfection.Hear him : “If an assignment is given which does not match up to the administrative norms, I will not  carry it out,” he insisted.

Mosinga recounted that the mayor had given him orders to prepare a budget of 2MFCFA for the upcoming interquarter football tournament whereas the amount budgeted in the communal year book for the tournament is 500.000FCFA. He said when he reminded the mayor of the implication of what he was asking him to do, the mayor ordered: “Go and do what I have instructed you to do and stop asking silly questions…Don’t forget that I am the boss in this council…”

Mosinga promised that he would continue to offer free administrative education to the greenhorn municipal authority but warned that he would not look away while the mayor flouts council administrative norms.

Meanwhile  the Ideneau 2013 administrative, management and stores management account as presented by the mayor, witnessed a total revenue collection 241,663, 340 FCFA with a percentage rate of 30.25% ; implying a slight drop from that of 2012 financial year which was 32.06%.

Concerning the various projects and operations made by the council and her partners, Mayor Tonde counted the construction of eight classrooms, two VIP toilets at Njonji and sanje, rehabilitation of the Bakingili water scheme, two classrooms in G.S Ideneau Group III and payment of salaries and allowances to council workers among others. Tonde said in the next budgetary session, allowances should be given to departmental heads to encourage effective performances.

Reacting to the situation of the council, the first assistant SDO for Fako, Likombe Vincent called on the councillors to take their work seriously and to always refer themselves to the lesson learnt during the examination of the account.He equally urged them to settle their debts, ensure that the council chambers is fenced, ensure that the center of the ideneau council is standardized and complete the Bobende water project among other projects begging for attention in the municipality.“It is quite a huge challenge that should be faced as a team, be patriotic and serious in your mission,” the SDO’s representative advised the councillors.