Walter Wilson Nana
Buea, Cameroon
The people in the municipality of Tiko and the administrative authorities of the Southwest Region are yet to come terms with the Saturday, October 12 2013 ghastly motor accident, along the Tiko-Douala highway that took away the lives of 19 workers of the Cameroon Development Corporation, CDC. Four days after (Wednesday, October 16 2013), Southwest Governor, Bernard Okalia Bilai, in the company of the GM of CDC, Franklin Njie went visiting some of the bereaved families in Tiko.
Mr Okalia Bilai(seated in suit) tells a depressing family to take courage after the loss of their loved one
In the five families visited, out of the nineteen dead and those responding to treatment at the Cottage Hospital in Tiko, Okalia Bilai told them that he has come on behalf of the President of the Republic, Paul Biya, out on official mission to the Vatican to express his condolence and that of the people of Cameroon. “These are Cameroonians who build this nation and the economy. Accept the condolence of the nation. That is life, let us take it that way,” the Governor said.
Okalia Bilai wished the bereaved families
Some of the survivors of the crash responding to treatment at the Cottage Hospital, Tiko
a lot of courage, noting that it is the will of God. At the stopover of one of the families, who lost a University of Buea graduate from the department of Banking and Finance, who was serving as a labourer, the Southwest Governor noted that according to the deceased’s (Nicole Sih Kang) level, she was not supposed to be a labourer, been driven in a truck, “she was looking out for some money to probably foster her education and her life but God’s will prevailed on her,” he added.
Okalia Bilai(L) visits a bereaved family in Tiko, accompanied by CDC GM(in glasses) and his close aides
The Southwest Regional boss indicated to the bereaved families that assistance to take care of the funeral activities of their loved ones, from the government of Cameroon will get to them via the General Manager of CDC, Njie.
Prior to the Governor’s outing, the GM of CDC had made public a communiqué, which partly reads; “On Saturday the 12/10/2013 at about 5:10 a.m. a CDC Iveco personnel carrier SW 990 AM transporting workers from Tiko to Missellele Estate along the Tiko-Douala Road was involved in a ghastly motor accident with a Tipper loaded with sand matriculated SW 571 AK at the Camp 8 junction stretch of the road. This regrettable incident involved 101 persons who live in Tiko and commute to work in Missellele Rubber Estate area every morning and back. Out of the 101 persons involved in the accident; 19 workers lost their lives and were transported to the Tiko and Buea Mortuaries. 2 were referred to the Reference Hospital in Douala from the Tiko Cottage Hospital. 78 were admitted at the Cottage Hospital. 1 was admitted at the Mount Mary Hospital Buea.1 was admitted at the Baptist Hospital Mutengene. These actions were through the joint efforts of the Administration, the District Medical Corps, Forces of Law and Order, the Red Cross, as well as the CDC Security and Medical Teams who worked tirelessly to save the lives of the injured victims. Of the 78 admitted cases at the Tiko Cottage Hospital; 36 have already been discharged. Of the 42 (16 Males and 26 Females) still on admission, 2 have had emergency operation and are responding to treatment.”
Here is a list of the 19 dead; MUTIA EMMANUEL, TIKU JOSEPH ATEM, ENOW FRANKLINE, AKINIMBOM LOT, IVO KABUIN, IDA SENDRE WANG, BERINGYUY CORNELIUS, NICOLE SIH KANG, KUM PRINCEWIL, NTIMI COLLETE FONGUH, OBEN DORIS, ATEM KELVIN, SYLVIA TEH SENG, MOTASE MORINE, EBALLE ANDREW, KOLLE NJIKUNDI LOUIS, CLAUDE ARREY TANYI TAKU, SOPHIE NAMONDO and NGO YOGOH DOROTHE.
