CCFGA says government deliberately frustrates Cameroonians’ quest for national identity card

The Coalition of Cameroon Federalist Groups and Activists (CCFGA) has amplified frustrations experienced by Cameroonians in the quest to acquire the national identity card (ID).

CCFGA is an unrecognised civil society organisation fighting for the return of the federal system in Cameroon.

In a recent press conference on Saturday, December 16th, 2023, CCFGA highlighted the issue, which is one of the most overlooked issues that ordinary Cameroonians face.

The Federalist group, which is currently facing a challenge of legalisation in the country, said the problem of national identity cards in Cameroon is the effect of over-centralization of power and inefficiency, which are contributing factors in the ongoing armed conflict in the two English-speaking regions.

“Every Cameroonian aged 18 and above is faced with or has been faced with the issue of a national identity card. The bureaucracy associated with the issuance of the national identity illustrates both the extremes of centralization and inefficiency,” said Philomena Cho, program coordinator of CCFGA, during the press outing on Wednesday, December 16.

A centralised system of government, the group said, makes individuals in positions of power capable of frustrating citizens, which is unheard of in a federal system where institutions supersede individuals.

Despite claims by the regime that there are identification centres all over the country, it remains a mystery that ordinary citizens are unable to acquire the national identification document.

“Although the official procedure to acquire a national identity card is straightforward, its execution faces many challenges,” Cho Philomena went on.

How the delays favour Separatists’ agenda

The effect of government machination not to provide the national documents to citizens, according to the group, is promoting the separatist agenda in the two English-speaking regions. Since 2016, separatists have been fighting to create an independent state in the Anglophone North West and South West Regions called ‘Ambazonia’.

The group said, “These differences directly diminish the political leverage of the people of former Southern Cameroons. They constitute part of the discrimination, domination, subjugation, and assimilation they complain of.”

To them, ” These unfortunate experiences have led to the current armed conflict. The lack of progress in addressing the crisis will be considered a systematic attempt to limit the voting rights of some Cameroonians, especially those from the former Southern Cameroons.”

“If a Cameroonian in Akwaya cannot conveniently acquire a national identity card, what message are we giving to them? Are we not reinforcing the alienation that drives many of our compatriots in these hinterlands towards separatist ideologies?” The CCFGA event coordinator was questioned.

The limited number of identification posts serves as a deterrent to many in the hinterlands who feel reluctant to travel over long distances to be attended to with no certainty of getting the document.

“The distance of ID card posts from the population that needs them most is only one of many problems. The other involves the cost and the waiting time. With respect to the duration an applicant should wait, we know that the temporary identity card or receipt is valid for three months, renewable once,” he stated, adding,” That would mean that the administration ought to do everything possible to issue ID cards within six months. “

 “It is shocking for us to learn that there are compatriots who have been waiting for more than three years to receive their ID cards,” he regretted.

Ben Akih, who is the secretary general of CCFGA, said the identity crisis should be treated as a matter of urgency.

Police extortion

Additionally, CCFGA exposed the extortion by uniformed police against civilians that deviates from the state’s set official price.

“While the official fee for an ID card application is 2800 FCFA, we are disheartened to learn that some compatriots, out of desperation, pay bribes amounting to hundreds of thousands just to get an ID card,” Philomena revealed.

CCFGA’s Secretary General Ben Akih said, “From this combination of problems—distance from the nearest post, long waiting times, and bribery—many more problems arise. Some stations resort to endless extensions of the validity of the temporary receipts, while those travelling with such documents are frequently harassed and extorted.”

“The established culture of bribing to reduce the waiting time has led to some public security posts withholding ID cards until their owners can pay bribes,” he went on.

While the government has somewhat facilitated the process of acquiring passports, which are documents used to travel out of the country, the same cannot be said about ID cards, which are necessary documents that ease movements for ordinary Cameroonians.

Mimi Mefo Info