CDC : Another Land Encroachment

The Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC) is bleeding as it suffers yet another encroachment on its land and the felling of palm trees on a 4.2 hectares in the Ndongo area in Tiko. The unfortunate incident which took place last weekend shocked workers who watched helplessly as a certain Ama Sani who claims to be representing the interest of the Muslim community in Mutengene, brought down portions of the plantation un- der the guard of some soldiers. CDC has lost 605 palms trees which the General Manager has evaluated at about FCFA 75 million as damages. The General Manager of CDC, Fran- klin Ngoni Njie decried the situation, describing it as illegal because the perpetrator did not follow the procedure for land retrocession, ad- ding that CDC had earlier objected the application for land surrender due to economic reasons and coupled with the suspension of all land surrender by CDC in 2020. The said area, located within the Bota Palm Estate, the GM stressed, is a buffer zone for the banana plantation, and ceding it out will also mean CDC will also lose its banana market be- cause the banana produced adja- cent a settlement area will not have certification for the European mar- ket. The CDC General Manager stated that the State recently signed a loan agreement of over FCFA 50 bil- lion to construct an oil mill and rub- ber factory and could not at the same time abate such destruction of CDC plantations. The govern- ment, he added, has engaged va- rious activities to revamp CDC after the corporation suffered from the nefarious effects of the socio-poli- tical crisis in the English-speaking regions. The government cannot be striving to revitalise CDC and in- dividuals of selfish interest causing prejudice on CDC, he argued. CDC workers at Ndongo Camp who spoke to CT, lamented on the situa- tion, stating that destroying the CDC...