Isangele Mayor voted Best SW Mayor.

The award ceremony took place on February 17 at Bengo Hotel in Ebolowa, South Region. It was chaired by seasoned administrator and traditional ruler, Chief Fritzgerald Nasako. 

Over 15,000 among The Guardian Post’s millions of readers spread across the globe, voted Magdaline Pondy for the award.

The award jury said the mayor emerged winner for “vast and matchless local development drive in the education, infrastructure, agriculture and economic sectors; that have transformed lives in the Isangele Municipality”. 

Jury members also said the mayor’s unmatched savvy in council management, has seen development projects realised within the Isangele municipality and contributed enormously in improving the lives of the population, to her emerging victorious. 

While unveiling the award, the Secretary of the award jury, Theodore Mih Ndze, who doubles as Co-Publisher of The voice newspaper, disclosed that Mayor Pondy was voted among other nominees for the fact that she has been able to steer Isangele Council to great achievements, despite the avalanche of challenges faced. 

Mih Ndze said it was the achievements of the mayor at the helm of the Isangele Council in terms of development projects that enabled her to emerge winner in the category of Best South West Mayor.

Speaking to the press after receiving the award, Mayor Magdaline Pondy appreciated the jury and readers of the leading English language newspaper, The Guardian Post, for recognising her development efforts. 

"I want to thank the Publisher of The Guardian Post, the jury and readers of this renowned newspaper for their positive sense of judgment on what we are doing as far as carrying out local development is concerned. I am very grateful. I will take the award and celebrate with my community," she said.

The dynamic, level-headed, results-driven and development-oriented Mayor added that: "This will be like a booster for me to see that all the projects I have to modernise Isangele municipality are well executed and on time".

Development projects galore in Isangele

It should be noted that Magdaline Pondy has been leaving no stone unturned as far as the transformation and development of Isangele is concerned.

Some of the development projects executed by the laureate include construction of a road from Isangele to Amoto village, a municipal grandstand, construction of a modern council chambers, provision of pipe-borne water and construction of a community hall, among others.

Mayor Magdaline Pondy has equally lit the Municipality with the acquisition of an ultra-silent diesel generator and acquisition of two boats to ease movement within the municipality which has many creeks and is by the sea. 

Meanwhile, the council, under the leadership of Mayor Pondy, has supplied many solar panels to villages within the municipality to solve the problem of lack of electricity.

With the mainstay of the inhabitants of Isangele being farming and fishing, Mayor Pondy recently donated fishing nets to fishermen, cutlasses, hoes, wheelbarrows and other farm inputs to farmers. 

She also donated cash and piglets to a social group as a means to generate income and fight poverty. Apart from the construction of stalls and classrooms, the Municipal authority has embarked on a project for the construction of a market.

According to the Mayor, the market will avert the situation whereby traders are kidnapped by pirates in the course of taking their products for sale in Ekang, Nigeria.