Civil Status Documents: Sensitises In Bamenda II, Nkor Councils

Within the framework of a three-month sensitization campaign launched recently, a delegation from the Office of the Independent Public Conciliator for North West on Friday, October 6, visited the Bamenda II and Nkor councils. The format was the same as in previous visits to other councils, characterized by presentations on the role of the Public Independent Conciliator, the legal framework governing the functioning of councils, complaint management procedure and an interactive question and answer session with the public. The campaign which is carried out simultaneously on the media, social media and contact visits lays emphases on the free establishment of civil status documents such as birth, marriage and death certificates.
In his presentation, the head of delegation, Yang Francis, a research officer with PIC, said according to a survey carried out in some councils, mayors demand high charges for the establishment of birth and marriage certificates purporting that they were resolutions of municipal councilors, which is illegal and therefore should stop. If they want to impose charges for the establishment of civil status documents, they should seek an amendment of the law governing councils.  It was also revealed that 85 per cent of the respondents said the council’s workers are poorly treated with no fixed salary or job stability. The findings also revealed that mayors run the councils as a one-man-show or sole proprietor business, recruiting friends and family members as well as awarding contracts to their personal companies in violation of the law and ethics of public management. As such, 63.95 per cent of the population sampled, has lost trust or confidence in councils.
In the qu...