Editorial: Bamenda, Buea desperately needs CONAC’s Anti-corruption Clinic.

The campaign is championed by the institution’s personnel in-charge of investigations, prevention and communication, general affairs, mail services, archives and translation services.

“It is about reaching out to those who do not have the opportunity to come and file their cases in Yaounde, where the CONAC head office is," the CONAC boss explained.

The Clinic’s 4th caravan started work in Ebolowa, South Region, on Monday, with senior officials receiving and registering complaints, cross-checking the facts reported, which will, where necessary, lead to denunciation of those involved in corrupt practices.

They are working with the collaboration of the State prosecutor at the South Region Court of Appeal, who is said to have provided the CONAC delegation with judicial police officers to assist the investigators involved in the operation.

According to Rev Dr Massi Gams, a few hours after the Clinic opened, CONAC received more than 15 people, who came to report cases of suspected corruption, of which they were victims, particularly in the public sector.

“We hope that some of the accused will be arrested and brought to justice. For certain allegations, we are carrying out in-depth investigations in the field. This involves establishing that work has not been carried out, but was paid for, establishing abandoned building sites or misappropriation of public funds. Once these investigations are completed, we pass the files on to the appropriate authority,” Rev Dr Massi Gams revealed.

“We hope that the presence of CONAC in Ebolowa will serve as an incentive for the people of the South Region to spontaneously denounce acts of corruption to which they are victims, so that they can be dealt with during this week,” the Chairman added.

The Guardian Post welcomes the initiative, especially given the astronomical cases of endemic corruption in the country, as indicated by various international governance and human rights indexes.

Since the conflict in the South West and North West Regions started, mayors in several localities have abandoned their municipalities, yet, they continue to claim that all their investment budgets were executed.

It is necessary CONAC should urgently take its Anti-corruption Clinic caravan to these two Regions. 

With the mandates of mayors expiring by the end of the year, many of them have reportedly been misappropriating and embezzling council revenue with impunity. 

They should be investigated and subjected to accountability. The Clinic caravan in Ebolowa, is coming after those in Douala, Bafoussam and Bertoua.  

CONAC should not use insecurity to omit Buea and Bamenda, where unscrupulous mayors and some government officials are taking advantage of the conflict to perpetuate fragrant corruption and even penalise councillors who dare to question them.

There is, for instance, a typical case in one of the South West Councils, where the mayor was allocated 80 million FCFA to buy an official car. 

During the administrative account, it was noted that the vehicle was bought for 50 million FCFA. 

When a councillor asked for an explanation, he was hushed down. There are also reported cases where contracts above five million are awarded without tenders. Millions collected from traders as penalties for not opening their stores on "ghost town" days, are never accounted for.

Cameroon’s latest Anti-Corruption Status Report of October 27, 2023, revealed that financial loss suffered by the State of Cameroon as a result of acts of corruption and related offences, was 4,623,418,918 FCFA.

The country cannot develop and provide social and infrastructural amenities with such level of loses, through graft. 

That is why it is necessary for CONAC to pay urgent attention to the two Anglophone Regions, especially in the South West Region, where Chieftaincy and land-grabbing scandals are often smeared with unbridled corruption.

Over the years, CONAC has been criticised as being a "toothless bulldog", but with the initiation of its mobile Clinics and the use of State prosecutors and judicial police officers, it is proving that it can at least bark and deter the mongers of illicit wealth.

Beyond that, the government should give it more resources to have permanent offices in regional headquarters.

The Guardian Post understands CONAC has the Green Line number 1517, WhatsApp number, 658 26 26 82, and an E-mail address as, info@conac.cm.; through which the public can lodged complaints. But that certainly is not enough.

It is also essential for President Biya to appoint members of the commission for assets declaration to conform with the stipulations of the constitution and the relevant bill passed more than five years ago.