By Rev Fr Giles Ngwa Forteh
Many parts of the world are adorned with monuments which date back to many centuries. Their age and continuous existence, against the abrasions of time, is explained not only by the quality of the material of which they are made and the care with which these monuments were erected, but, more importantly, by a “culture of maintenance and rehabilitation” which, as the modus vivendi and modus operandi of the custodian-generations, have kept these treasures defiantly in being.
One generation hands over this way of thinking and acting to another, and so the circle goes on. Each generation that is raised in such a culture instinctively values common property and spontaneously feels obliged to preserve it and to hand it on to the next. Not so are the sons and daughters of Cameroon, bred as we are in a general culture of wastage, negligence and abandonment.
There is an appalling absence of the culture of rehabilitation and maintenance among Cameroonians. This disastrous lack is apparent, not only among government authorities and institutions, but also among common men. If you go round the country and visit state and private structures, you will be horrified at the extent to which the practice of repair and maintenance is far from the minds of those in charge of such structures.
The growth in material prosperity of any individual or nation depends on the rehabilitation and maintenance of existing structures. Both old and new structures in a country go a long way to promote its advancement. However, one of the major problems, confronting and even compromising the development of our country, is the poor attitude of its stakeholders towards rehabilitation, and maintenance of its structures and facilities.
Many structures, premises and facilities, built or acquired with fabulous sums of money are derelict now. We have seen buildings and roads disintegrate, piece after piece, while thousands of indolent administrators watch from a safe distance, preparing to rush in when the foreseen happens. Numerous public buildings exhibit cracks, and some of our constructed roads, breed perilous potholes. A number of our court buildings, are no less different from slums for squatters.
Ironically, human beings are occupying or plying all these premises and structures. To make matters worse, somebody, or a body, has been entrusted with these assets. We are always waiting for the government, which includes us, to carry out such repair works. No wonder our private property and assets are in similar conditions.
The cause of the recent collapse of a portion of the road leading to Bamenda appeared more than four years ago. There were far-descending fissures which rendered almost half of the road life-threatening. The message was a clear one, even to those who know nothing about civil engineering.
Once we were travelling to Bamenda and one of the passengers said, pointing at the cracked portion of the road, “This place calls for urgent attention; but our civil authorities will wait until it collapses. When the worst will happen, the governor and ministers will rush to this spot and set up commissions with fat budgetary allocations. They prefer to spend on the nine stitches, than on the saving one.” This prophecy came to pass. The cost in terms of human suffering was extremely high.
Cameroonians, seem to be interested, since independence, in only erecting new structures and facilities, sometimes, to score cheap political points, to the total neglect of rehabilitating and maintaining the existing facilities. What is worse is that even after bringing the new projects into being, little or no effort is made to enhance their projected useful lifespan. The government and the citizenry share the blame.
The government usually rehabilitates its official buildings and premises, only when such structures or premises stand the danger of risking the life of human beings, or when an august ceremony is about to be held. The citizenry, especially those occupying government buildings or premises, make very little attempts to keep such facilities in a proper state. Sometimes, the mere painting of these structures becomes a headache.
We most often wait for a disaster to strike, or a sensitive ceremony to materialise, before we act rightfully. Regrettably, much more resources are injected into such projects, which would not have been so, if rehabilitation and maintenance were observed periodically. Not only does the premature replacement increase operational cost, but also wastes our limited resources. Shamefully, these projects are sometimes financed with assistance from external sources, in the form of loans, grants and or partnership agreements.
Hospitals, railway lines, schools and other facilities and structures are often rehabilitated at considerable cost, because in negligence we waited until they reached an advanced stage of deterioration and decay. In this way our scarce resources are drained and development is needlessly halted. To be deplored is the I-don’t-care attitude towards government property.
More than anything else, we need massive and intense public education which aims at inculcating the maintenance culture in all Cameroonians. There is also the need to adopt a workable maintenance strategy, as a development priority, and policy objective at our individual, local and national levels. A preventive maintenance policy will ensure the early detection of defects and implementation of actions, to avoid or minimize breakdowns, thereby cutting down some unnecessary expenditure.
Thorough citizenship, reinforced by concrete actions which place high premium on maintenance, will definitely lead to a change in our attitude to government property. It has to be reiterated that government and corporate property must be treated as if it were one's private property, for it belongs to all the people of Cameroon, and is held in trust by the government, for all Cameroonians. We do not have a right to waste the blessings of the Creator.
There is an appalling absence of the culture of rehabilitation and maintenance among Cameroonians. This disastrous lack is apparent, not only among government authorities and institutions, but also among common men. If you go round the country and visit state and private structures, you will be horrified at the extent to which the practice of repair and maintenance is far from the minds of those in charge of such structures.
The growth in material prosperity of any individual or nation depends on the rehabilitation and maintenance of existing structures. Both old and new structures in a country go a long way to promote its advancement. However, one of the major problems, confronting and even compromising the development of our country, is the poor attitude of its stakeholders towards rehabilitation, and maintenance of its structures and facilities.
Many structures, premises and facilities, built or acquired with fabulous sums of money are derelict now. We have seen buildings and roads disintegrate, piece after piece, while thousands of indolent administrators watch from a safe distance, preparing to rush in when the foreseen happens. Numerous public buildings exhibit cracks, and some of our constructed roads, breed perilous potholes. A number of our court buildings, are no less different from slums for squatters.
Ironically, human beings are occupying or plying all these premises and structures. To make matters worse, somebody, or a body, has been entrusted with these assets. We are always waiting for the government, which includes us, to carry out such repair works. No wonder our private property and assets are in similar conditions.
The cause of the recent collapse of a portion of the road leading to Bamenda appeared more than four years ago. There were far-descending fissures which rendered almost half of the road life-threatening. The message was a clear one, even to those who know nothing about civil engineering.
Once we were travelling to Bamenda and one of the passengers said, pointing at the cracked portion of the road, “This place calls for urgent attention; but our civil authorities will wait until it collapses. When the worst will happen, the governor and ministers will rush to this spot and set up commissions with fat budgetary allocations. They prefer to spend on the nine stitches, than on the saving one.” This prophecy came to pass. The cost in terms of human suffering was extremely high.
Cameroonians, seem to be interested, since independence, in only erecting new structures and facilities, sometimes, to score cheap political points, to the total neglect of rehabilitating and maintaining the existing facilities. What is worse is that even after bringing the new projects into being, little or no effort is made to enhance their projected useful lifespan. The government and the citizenry share the blame.
The government usually rehabilitates its official buildings and premises, only when such structures or premises stand the danger of risking the life of human beings, or when an august ceremony is about to be held. The citizenry, especially those occupying government buildings or premises, make very little attempts to keep such facilities in a proper state. Sometimes, the mere painting of these structures becomes a headache.
We most often wait for a disaster to strike, or a sensitive ceremony to materialise, before we act rightfully. Regrettably, much more resources are injected into such projects, which would not have been so, if rehabilitation and maintenance were observed periodically. Not only does the premature replacement increase operational cost, but also wastes our limited resources. Shamefully, these projects are sometimes financed with assistance from external sources, in the form of loans, grants and or partnership agreements.
Hospitals, railway lines, schools and other facilities and structures are often rehabilitated at considerable cost, because in negligence we waited until they reached an advanced stage of deterioration and decay. In this way our scarce resources are drained and development is needlessly halted. To be deplored is the I-don’t-care attitude towards government property.
More than anything else, we need massive and intense public education which aims at inculcating the maintenance culture in all Cameroonians. There is also the need to adopt a workable maintenance strategy, as a development priority, and policy objective at our individual, local and national levels. A preventive maintenance policy will ensure the early detection of defects and implementation of actions, to avoid or minimize breakdowns, thereby cutting down some unnecessary expenditure.
Thorough citizenship, reinforced by concrete actions which place high premium on maintenance, will definitely lead to a change in our attitude to government property. It has to be reiterated that government and corporate property must be treated as if it were one's private property, for it belongs to all the people of Cameroon, and is held in trust by the government, for all Cameroonians. We do not have a right to waste the blessings of the Creator.
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