Buea Residents Say New Slogan Is Politically Motivated

The City of Buea now has a new slogan to drive its socioeconomic, political and cultural evolution.

Councillors of the municipality, adopted the motion to change the slogan of the municipality from Legendary hospitality, that it once prides itself, to the City of Excellence!

“Buea has evolved rapidly, and so outlive the name of Legendary hospitality. It was a good thing to change the slogan, to something that reflects the present realities of the city,” Councillor John Nganelle opined.

“Buea is the citadel of academic excellence in Cameroon. From St. Joseph’s college, that has stood stool in the education ladder of Cameroon, to the Man O’ War Bay School, now known as Lycée Molyko, which is the pioneer bilingual institution in Cameroon, Buea has always stood tall in the academic ladder. So, I think the name, ‘City of Excellence,’ is the best name for Buea,” Councillor Dr. Kingsley Ngange posited.

The management of the council who raised the motion to change the slogan of the municipality, posited that the present state of affairs on the municipality, does not warrant it to go by the slogan of Legendary hospitality.

“Given the present shift of events in Buea, it will be hypocritical and contradictory to continue to slogan Buea as the town of Legendary hospitality. I think the name of Buea be changed to a slogan that reflects the present realities of the municipalities,” Mayor Ekema Patrick said.

They opined that a change of name to a city of excellence, will resonate the City’s Academic pinnacle and connote the different strides Buea has made in evolving Cameroon’s educational structure.

Though some Councillors opined that the name change be suspended so they can reflect on the change, the promoters of the motion, insisted that the change be done before next year, given that elections could be called at any time.

“I think that changing the slogan is a very sensitive. Why not allow colleagues councillors to go home and reflect on the name change so they can return in the next sitting, to give a lofty and unanimous decision on the change of name,” Councillor Lyonga John said.

Meanwhile, some city dwellers, have expressed mix feelings on the change of Buea’s slogan. While some welcome the move, others say it’s politically motivated.

“I don’t even understand the meaning of ‘City of Excellence.’ You can’t change a name that has projected the city in the global spectrum. Limbe has been known as the town of Friendship, for quite a long time, why then would Buea councillors make the city’s slogan a political entity? It’s all a show of shame for the councillors to agree on such a decision,” Amin Gustave, a denizen of Sandpit in Buea said.

“I think that it is not a bad idea to have a change of name. We know that the spade of violence characterise by armed conflict in Buea has questioned the hospitality nature of the municipality. Again, the city of excellence is a good reflection of the present academics evolution that Buea has made,” Sandrine Ekosso, a resident of Buea town opined.

It should be noted that the previous slogan, Town of Legendary Hospitality, was coined by the former Mayor, Senator Mbella Moki Charles, in 2013. It was devised to project Buea as a welcoming town, ahead of the visit of the President of the Republic, in 2014.