Mr. Issa Tchiroma,
Your open letter addressed to the Honorable Cavaye Yeguie Djibril is riddled with baseless accusations and falsehoods that call for a firm and straightforward response. You seem to be playing on emotions and frustrations to sow discord, but the facts speak for themselves and dismantle your arguments. Let us set the record straight.
1. On the government members you named and their alleged “betrayal”
You accuse them of having “betrayed” their compatriots. But where is your proof? What betrayal are you referring to? Do you dare to claim that all your former colleagues failed to recruit northerners into their ministries? Or what exactly do you mean? Who said that entering the civil service is the ultimate sign of social success?
2. On the claim that there are no billionaires in the North…
Is it possible that you do not even know your own compatriots from the Septentrion, whom you claim to defend so fervently? Let me give you a list:
- Nana Bouba
- Hamadjoda Talla
- Ali Bachir
- Ahmat Tom (deceased, but his businesses and heirs remain active)
- Hamidou Sadou
- Garga Bobbore (deceased as well)
- Ousmanou Aman Sa’Ali, known as Yerima Dewa
- And many others whose annual financial statements — already understated — could be contested if we wanted to nitpick.
So what do you reproach them for, Mr. “new opponent”? These operators have invested in sectors such as agro-industry, real estate, livestock, and trade, thus contributing to the Cameroonian economy. For your information, many of these entrepreneurs, whose industries are based in the South, employ thousands of Cameroonians from the Septentrion, across all regions.
- They have contributed significantly to the local economy by creating jobs, investing in community projects, and supporting social initiatives. Their individual success does not make them enemies of the people.
- The oversimplification of your remarks is staggering: turning billionaires or the political elite of the North into scapegoats for regional challenges is not only simplistic but also dishonest. Development is a collective responsibility, and your approach divides rather than unites.
3. On your own failures and responsibilities
You, yourself, as a former minister and prominent political actor — as you like to call yourself — have had opportunities to act for the benefit of the Septentrion. Why do you deflect attention by pointing fingers at others? You recently declared, “You will never be hungry again.” But what about the rest? Were you, the self-proclaimed Good Samaritan, willing to let your compatriots languish in misery? It is absurd to think you can make people believe you only want what’s best for them.
According to you, the Northwest axis is enriching itself to the detriment of the Septentrion. But your pathetic pleas to win over voters from the West — a blatant manipulation — what purpose do they serve?
Know this: the paving of roads in the West, which you cite as an example that the North’s elite should follow, is justified elsewhere:
- The development of road infrastructure in any region depends primarily on priorities set by the central government, not on the goodwill of a single individual. If you cannot grasp that, you are unworthy of aspiring to the highest office. If the West has benefited from many projects, it is part of a national dynamic, just like the ongoing works in the North.
- Ongoing projects in the Septentrion include the Maroua-Mora road, the Ngaoundéré-Touboro road, and many others that are either under construction or programmed. Claiming that the North has been abandoned is nothing short of bad faith.
4. On your caricature of the Head of State
Your attack is unjustified and dishonest. By suggesting that the President of the Republic is solely responsible for the current state of the North, you deliberately ignore the considerable efforts deployed in these regions. And you conveniently omit the state they were in when he first came to power.
- Concrete evidence is there: the Garoua Regional Hospital, hydroelectric dams, agricultural modernization, and many other projects testify to the Head of State’s commitment to the Grand Nord. Your accusation is clearly unfounded.
- Delays in some areas are not the result of discrimination but of the complex management of national resources. Blaming the President or the elites is nothing but populism, and it solves nothing.
5. On your tribal undertones
Your obsessive focus on the Septentrion — while never mentioning the East, the South, or the Littoral — reveals more than enough. It shows that your new friends have rubbed off on you, and your tribalism is now laid bare.
6. On your role in sowing division
Mr. Tchiroma, it is unfortunate that your letter seems more aimed at fueling tensions than at proposing constructive solutions. By opposing regions against one another, you are playing a dangerous game that undermines national unity.
- Collective responsibility: The development of the North, like that of any other region, requires collaboration among local elites, national authorities, and citizens themselves. Dividing in order to criticize is a sterile strategy.
- And what about your own record? You have held positions of responsibility. What are you proposing today, concretely, to address the challenges of the North? Perhaps you could tell us now what you failed to do yesterday. Criticism is easy, but action requires courage.
In conclusion
Your open letter, disguised as denunciation, is in reality an exercise in manipulation and oversimplification. The challenges facing the North are real, but they will not be solved through baseless accusations or biased comparisons. It is time to move beyond divisive rhetoric and focus on concrete solutions. Cameroon deserves better.
