Walter Wilson Nana
Buea, Cameroon
For more than 8 years now, the Southwest Regional Station of Cameroon Radio and Television, CRTV, Buea is one of the most listened radio stations across the Southwest and Littoral Regions. The top programme keeping listeners glued to their radio sets is “Press Club”, a news analysis and talk show programme that runs from 8AM to 9AM every Saturday.
There are no barriers to topics discussed on the programme but the projects earmarked for the celebrations marking 50 years of the Reunification of Cameroon and the manner in
CRTV-Radio Buea - Photo by GreenCameroon.org
which land ceded to the community of Buea by the CDC has been dubiously handled by some chiefs in Buea and the administrative ladder of the Southwest Region have been treated by the ‘Press Club’ panellists with a lot of dexterity and professionalism.
The impartial manner in which the aforementioned issues and more have been treated by the programme and some
iCameroon's Walter Wilson is one of the current panellists on the programme, who have also been receiving various forms of threats
of their guests, have left some individuals in the public and some holding public offices panicking and threatened that their administrative misdemeanours and greed have been exposed. So, “members of the Press Club are poking their noses to what does not concern them”, some in the public say.
Programme Moderator, Matute Menyoli has been on the heat, receiving several anonymous calls and text messages warning that he and his panellists are running on broken bottles. “I have received more than 20 calls and a series of text messages, which I have not deleted, indicating that my life is on the line,” Matute told this reporter. He will add; “One of such persons who called me is a lady, she scolded at me, ordered me to listen to her but I will not give in, asking her to reveal her identity before I continue with the telephone talk with her. But I told her no amount of intimidation will make us on the ‘Press Club’ bulge, so far we have the facts of what we are discussing and pursuing.”
Matute explained that; “When the ‘Press Club’ devoted and focussed a number of its programmes on what has become the Fako Land Crisis, many in the public raised eye-brows that we have touched some elite and administrative officials in and out of the Southwest Region, sitting and retired. You can understand why many are not at ease with themselves and the programme. You will recall that we embarked on a fight at the ‘Press Club’ to ensure that the projects slated for the 50th anniversary of the Reunification of Cameroon in Buea and the Southwest Region were effectively carried out, especially at a time that we felt the execution rate of the projects were slow and some stakeholders not ready to do their work. We used the power of the media to jerk the contractors and the administration that looked hesitant in their attitude. In the process some people hold that we stepped on their toes. And if we actually did, it is for the right course. My colleagues and I have no apologies to anybody. I think we expect to be encouraged for lifting the plight of Cameroonians and not death threats coming our way.”
With this atmosphere of increasing insecurity, Matute has launched a complaint at the Buea Central Police station, with the security operatives taking guard of his compound and family.
‘Press Club’ was conceived some eight years ago on the airwaves of CRTV Buea by Samuel Moto Bokuba then Deputy Station Manager. The current panellists on the programme, who have also been receiving various forms of threats include Chris Ambe of The Recorder Newspaper, Walter Wilson Nana and Bouddih Adams of The Post Newspaper, Macdonald Ayang of The Eden Newspaper and Dr. Ernest Molua Lytia, varsity don.
