Cry Anglophones: Anglophones weep as another Francophone appointed SONARA GM.

There is no gainsaying the fact that every community should benefit from any company that is located on their land. But with the case of SONARA, Anglophones have nothing to write home about as far as management of the State-owned corporation is concerned.

Since its creation in 1973 and inauguration in 1981, there has been successive Francophone General Managers of the corporation, to the chagrin of Anglophones, who have been placed at the backburner. The most functional position Anglophones have had at SONARA is the post of Technical Adviser.  

From inception, the first Cameroonian to be General Manager of SONARA was Bernard Eding, a Francophone (now of blessed memory). He entered SONARA in 1978 as Deputy General Manager. A year after the inauguration of the Refining Company on May 16, 1981, he was appointed General Manager; the first Cameroonian to hold that position. 

Bernard Eding ran the corporation for over two decades. His reign at SONARA was only cut short by his death in 2002. During this period, it is reported that the corporation was ridden with mostly Francophones as staff. For an Anglophone to have had employment at SONARA, many have attested, was easier than for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle.

After Bernard Eding’s demise, yet another Francophone, Charles Metouck, was appointed General Manager of SONARA. Metouck continued with the ‘Francophonisation’ of the corporation, planted on Anglophone soil. French became, and till date, is the unofficial working language at SONARA. 

When Metouck was relieved of his duties as General Manager on February 15, 2013, yet again another Francophone, Ibrahim Talba Malla, was appointed. Jean-Paul Simo Njonou, another Francophone, took over from Talba Malla, on January 14, 2019, until February 9, 2024, when he was replaced by Harouna Bako, yet another Francophone.

Since the recent appointment of Harouna Bako, Anglophones have been weeping over their outright marginalisation at the corporation.

It has often been mooted that a significant majority of SONARA’s senior and the overwhelming majority junior staff are Francophones. That perhaps explains why French remains the unofficial working language at SONARA. 

Currently, of the 12 top management positions-General Manager, Technical Advisers to Directors, only two are Anglophones. 

Recall that sometimes ago, during a meeting of South West elite in Buea, during which the current Prime Minister, Head of Government, Chief Dr Joseph Dion Ngute, was represented by his Director of Cabinet; Balungeli Confiance Ebune, a South West elite had complained, bitterly, about the overbearing domination of Francophones over Anglophones at SONARA.

Many had considered her distressful outburst as being the position of the entire South West Region, who through her were sending a strong message to President Biya, about the gross marginalisation of Anglophones at SONARA, through the representative of the Prime Minister, Head of Government. 

Nonetheless, the fact that President Biya yet appointed another Francophone as the General Manager of SONARA, is a clear indication that he has still not heeded the cry of Anglophones.

Come to think of it, Ndian Division of the South West Region, where crude oil is exploited, though SONARA is not yet refining Cameroon crude, has nothing to show for the oil being exploited there. 

Roads in the Division are eyesores, adequate pipe-borne water, health and education facilities are few and far between. 

It should be noted that the recent appointment of Harouna Bako as the new General Manager of SONARA further underscores Anglophones’ dismay over their marginalisation at SONARA.  

It has sparked discussions regarding the longstanding issue of disparity between Anglophones and Francophones in government appointments in Cameroon.

Overall, the appointment of Bako and the broader issue of disparity in government appointments serve as reminders of the challenges facing Cameroon in achieving equitable representation and inclusivity across linguistic and regional divides.

In the midst of the hullabaloo over the SONARA top job, some analysts have been citing the case of the Cameroon Cotton Development Corporation, known by its French acronym, SODECOTON. 

With head office in Garoua in the North Region, SODECOTON has always had its General Managers being indigenes of the Northern Regions, where the company’s operations are. 

“Why is the case of SONARA, as far as Anglophones are concerned, different?” an analyst has questioned. 

Anglophones have often voiced complaints of marginalisation, injustice and underrepresentation in key positions within the state apparatus. The sentiment is exacerbated by the observation that many critical roles in government, including ministerial positions and leadership positions in State corporations, are predominantly filled by Francophones, with Anglophones often playing second fiddle as deputies. 

For example, key ministerial portfolios such as defence, finance, and the Secretary General at the Presidency have historically been held by Francophones, with no representation from Anglophones since reunification in 1961. 

Similarly, within the ruling CPDM party, the position of Secretary General of the Central Committee has never been occupied by an Anglophone, despite the fact that the party was created in Bamenda.

NB: Are you an Anglophone who is being victimised, marginalised or has suffered marginalisation or injustice? Are you aware of any case of an Anglophone being marginalised or discriminated against? If yes, get to us by email at: guardianpostnews@gmail.com