Goodwill individuals have donated more than 43 million FCFA to help victims of the fire that ravaged hundreds of shops at the Bamenda Main Market last week.
The public contribution is being sent to a mobile money account belonging to Mr Azaah Njie Nelson, an official of the Ministry of External Relations, who is of North West origin.
The latest update on the contributions circulated on social media platforms indicates that most of the donors are government officials from the North West Region.
Among the top donors are the Mayor of Bamenda III, Chenwi Peter; the Director of Customs, Edwin Fongod; the Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji; and the Minister in Charge of the Supreme State Audit, Mbah Acha Rose.
The scheme is being coordinated by Senator Regina Mundi, Minister Mbah Acha Rose, HE Felix Mbayu, DDR Coordinator Fai Yengo and the Director of Customs Edwin Fongod.
The officials launched the fundraising as part of efforts to succour victims of the fire disaster that burnt over 300 shops on February 22.
The inferno caused damages amounting to billions of CFA and left a few people injured as they scampered that evening in an attempt to rescue their property.
The government, through the Governor of the North West, Adolphe Lele L’Afrique, has promised support to victims.
“Half of the market was protected. Unfortunately, close to 300 shops were destroyed by the fire. It is still a temporary figure. We are waiting for the access of the commission for exact numbers. The victims are going to be assisted, they should prepare themselves to go to the commission and declare the content of their shops, because we are going to see how the government can assist them,” said the Governor last week.
The chairman of the Social Democratic Front party, Hon. Joshua Osih, has also promised to support the victims as they recover from the tragic fire.
However, the North West elite say the “dire situation of these victims cannot wait for statutory government measures to come to fruition”.
The Bamenda Main Market is the largest market in the North West Region of Cameroon, an area that has already been marred by seven years of armed conflict.
Many of the traders affected by the inferno are retailers and small enterprise owners who have no insurance to come to their aid at this critical time.
They are totally reliant on public and government support to help them regain their source of livelihood, in the absence of which poverty will creep in.
