Furu-Awa

Furu-Awa
Commune and town
Land	Kamerun
Region	Northwest Region (Cameroon)
Department	Menchum
Time zone	UTC+1 (WAT)

Furu-Awa is a town and district in Cameroon.

Council

FURU-AWA LOCATION AND HISTORY

Furu-Awa Sub Division is one of the most enclaved areas in the Republic of Cameroon. Furu-Awa Sub-Division is located precisely in Menchum Division of the North West Region. Hence, it is one of the four Sub Divisions that make up the Menchum Division. As such, Furu-Awa Sub Division harbours the Furu-Awa Council.

However, Furu-Awa Sub Division is bounded to the North and West by the Federal Republic of Nigeria, to the East by Misaje and Fonfuka Sub-Divisions and to the south by Fungom Sub-Division. The head quarter of Furu-Awa Sub-Division is at Furu-Awa Village. The Sub-Division covers a total surface area of 1,500km square, with a population of over 25 000 Inhabitants. It incorporates 17 villages.

Furu-Awa Sub-Division area has two distinct seasons. That is the rainy and dry season with a total annual rainfall ranging between 2513mm and 2831mm with a moderate climate between 20oc-28oc. It should be noted that the Sub-Division has rugged and undulating Topography. The Sub-Division has several mountains such as Mount Buzong, Mount Kpashim, Mount Munzour, Mount Bidzizi, Mount Kwessu, Mount Utiuck, Mount badgi and many others. The people are mostly farmers and grazers, Furu-Awa has many streams and rivers such as river Katsina Zang, Akpan, Zang-Sama and others (Gamina, Nangwa, Gama Tosso, Tambuo, Mbere –Yira etc).

Furu-Awa council was created in 1995 by Cameroons ministerial degree No 95/082 of 24/04/95, bearing on the creation of the Furu-Awa Council. Before the creation of this council, it was formerly under the control of the Wum Rural Council. Furu-Awa Council is located to the North of Menchum County.it controls a population of over 5000 in habitants who make up 17 Villages namely; Furu-Awa, Furu-Bana, Nkang lubu, Akum, lutu, Nser, Sambari, kpep, Edzong, Mbiando 1,Mbiando 2,Nangwa,Lebo,Turuwa, Badji and Mbulong.Some of the areas and Villages that make up the municipality are quite enclave and inaccessible, thus there is difficulty in effective administration because of poor accessibility.

Since inception, the council has been ruled by three democratically elected mayors from two legalized political parties. The first political party to rule the council was the Social Democratic Front(S.D.F) and the pioneer mayor was Mayor Atoh Ivo Mucha. The S.D.F later gave way to the ruling party Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (C.P.D.M). Following the 2013 September twin elections in Cameroon, the leading opposition party the S.D.F took over control of the council. The council has twenty-Five councilors with Mayor Sanangbidob Phanuel Zan-Diri assisted by first and second Deputy mayors. Furu-Awa Council has a total staff of 34. The council has two main departments notably civil status and Finance department. The council equally functions through three committees namely; Finance works and social Affairs Committee.

As of 2014, the District has had 25 councilors.

List of Furu-Awa Councilors (As of 2014)
N0	NAMES OF COUNCILLORS	Village (Birth place)
1	Kutsishy Julius Rimams	Badji
2	Etukou Njitape Nji	Akum
3	Gida Robert Shawa	Ezong
4	Sylvanus Samba Dodoh	Nser
5	Tukora Tah Thmas	Akum
6	Chia Talla Pius	Nkang
7	Akiy Richard Mallam	Kpep
8	Jama Anthony Mathias	Sambiari
9	Tamba Vasty Lapta	Akum
10	Atoh Patience Mata	Nser
11	Andu Christopher O.	Akum
12	James Titus	Furu-Awa
13	Kikiv Bin Godlove	Kpep
14	Asang Jimh Eunice	Kpep
15	Anderiya Jude Ngasand	Furu-Awa
16	Ande Asabe Soange	Badji
17	Donga Simon	Badji
18	Kilang Maneseh	Biando II
19	Akawa Lucas Rimamnyang	Badji
20	Muyah Ophilia Lami	Furu-Awa
21	Aishatou Grace Tapti	Nser
22	Daawajia Obadia N.	Nangwa
23	Damusah Joseph	Furu-Awa
24	Anyana Victor Nyonda	Nkang
25	Sanangbidob Phanuel Zan-Diri	Furu-Awa

GOVERNMENT PROJECTS & Development Visible projects in Furu-Awa council Area in Cameroon are put in place either by Cameroon Government excluding the council (Government Services) or by the council through Cameroons Government support services such as the special support fund for councils (FEKOM) and the National Community Driven Development program (P.M.D.P) or through the public investment Budget program (PIB). However, the visible projects are divided into two parts, one carried solely by the government and another carried out by the council and its partners.

Cameroon Government has constructed the Sub-Divisional officers office in Furu-Awa Sub-Division. The sub-Divisional officer coordinates assisting the council in administrative and security matters. The government has also constructed his permanent residence just opposite his office.

Furu-Awa council area has one multipurpose community Tele- centre constructed with the objective of promoting modern communication and Technology with functional solar panel. Unfortunately, this community Tele centre has only a photocopier machine and computers with no communication network that can connect this centre to the outside world.

There is only one secondary school in the entire municipality. Yet the school has abandoned and uncompleted six classrooms, lack of teachers given that most of them who are transferred here by the government either reverse the transfer or refuse to come due to the enslaved nature of the municipality with other problems such as lack of living houses, water, electricity, communication network, transportation amongst many others.

This enclaved municipality for security reasons has only one Gendamarie Brigade office with not more than five security officers to cover a cast and unfriendly terrain characterized by frequent boarder conflicts between Nigeria and Cameroon.

With the entire municipality divided into 12 health communities, there is only one Medicalised Health centre with numerous problems requesting it to be equipped and number of staff increased from the present two who are currently serving the entire municipality with its very vast and inaccessible nature making it very difficult for patients and pregnant women to move there for medical attention.

With the 16 primary schools and one Nursery School, the schools all have problems of teaching staff, inadequate benches, lack of didactic materials, lack of money to send some of these children is also another impediment to education.

Cameroon Government has put in place CFA-F35000 000 for studies in-view of the construction of a bridge (120m long) over River Katsina Ala on the PR 26 Esu-Furu-Awa road in Menchum Division, North West Region.

OTHER COUNCIL CHALLENGES:

1. ROAD NETWORK

It is hard to believe that there are no vehicles in Furu-Awa council area given that there is no motorable road linking Furu-Awa council area and any other part of Cameroon. Even the motor bikes that live Fungom Sub-Division, or Wum area barely make it to Furu-Awa under very difficult riding conditions. Roads are mostly footpaths with many temporal bridges made out of wood and hanging bridges all dangerous to the population. Availability of canoe to cross Katsina Ala.Worst of it is that apart from some parts in Furu-Awa village and its neighbours getting to the rest of the villages is mostly on foot with luggage carried on heads. Therefore, the worst road network in Cameroon is found in Furu-Awa council area

2 . EDUCATION

The only council area in Cameroon with only one secondary High School and no Technical Education present lack of Government trained teachers. In the Basic Education, the 16 primary schools lack teachers and the lone Nursery school is owned by the Baptist Church. The teacher ratio to pupil is very poor (01 teacher to 90 pupils).

3. LACK OF HEALTH FASCILITIES

The inhabitants of Furu-Awa council area are in dying need of Health facilities given that the only lone Medicalised Health centre is in-equiped with only two health personnel’s to caterer for the over 25000 inhabitants. This explains why the mortality rate is always at its increase. This explains why most of the inhabitants rely on traditional herbs and some medication bought from the neighboring Nigeria

4. ABSENCE OF HYDRO-ELECTRICITY POWER

There is the absence of Hydro-electricity power in the entire municipality. As such the inhabitants rely on kerosene and petrol bought from Nigeria and using lighting bosh lamps and few electric generators. Therefore, there is the need for a source of electricity power in the municipality. Thought students are been carried out to see how Hydro-electricity power can be generated from the lower Katsina Ala River, when the electric dam will be constructed is still another process.

5. MAIN SOURCE OF REVENUE FOR THE COUNCIL WITHIN THE MUNICIPALITY

Though the municipality is located around the boarder lines could fetch the council some revenue through council taxes. With the recent construction of the modern market at Kpep, there is little hope in the horizon. This lack o market is due to lack of motor-able roads that would have enabled the transportation of goods to the market. Hence external sources of funding is required.

6. LACK OF AGRICULTURAL TECHNIQUES

Given that agriculture employs about 95 of the population, the population still uses traditional methods. The use cutlasses and hoes. Hence mostly subsistence farming is carried out. The few services that supervise the agricultural activities such as the sub-divisional delegation of agriculture and Rural Development (MINADER) and the community education and action centre (CEAC) which covers Fungom and Furu-Awa Sub-Division lacks the personnel’s to cover the entire municipality. For example the production of palm oil from palm nuts is locally done.

7. THE COMPLETE ABSENCE OF PORTABLE DRINKING WATER FROM THE MUNICIPALITY

Given that there is the African saying that water is life, the complete absence of this precious natural gift from nature makes life very unbearable in our municipality. This explains why the population is always suffering from water related born diseases such as diarrhea, typhoid etc. the present water catchment that had supplied water to Furu-Awa village is completely bad. This explains why the standing water taps no longer flow with portable water. This lack of portable water has even affected the functioning of the lone Health centre, processing of palm oil etc. Worst of it is that the population have resulted in other sources of drinking water such as rivers, streams, springs-all of doubtful quality.

See also

• Communes of Cameroon
• Menchum

References

• Site de la primature - Élections municipales 2002 (in French)
• Contrôle de gestion et performance des services publics communaux des villes camerounaises - Thèse de Donation Avele, Université Montesquieu Bordeaux IV (in French)
• Charles Nanga, La réforme de l’administration territoriale au Cameroun à la lumière de la loi constitutionnelle n° 96/06 du 18 janvier 1996, Mémoire ENA. (in French)