It is normal for people of Manyu Division to scream that “Mamfe” has declined without them making any suggestions which could help the once vibrant Division to regain its past glory.

Many of us simply do not understand that Manyu’s steady and painful decline is the outcome of our own behavior. Our nauseating indifference and devastating spirit of competition are hurting our beloved Manyu in a big and bad way.

None of us ever agrees that our behavior is to blame for the fast decline of a Division which was once our pride. Unity is strength but we have not yet understood that. We think we can always go it alone, but given our limited resources, we can only do much as individuals.

Our towns and villages are shadows of their former selves today and this unfortunate situation did not start with the current socio-political situation which has hit the country’s two English-speaking regions like a ton of bricks. None of our towns or villages has a development master plan and the chaotic construction of homes in towns such as Ossing, Kembong, Eyumojock, Tali, Mbinjong and Mamfe is not giving our Division a good name.

Despite this gloomy picture, there is hope on the horizon. The young mayors and dynamic chiefs of Manyu Division now understand that our Division’s economic and financial viability depends on our own abilities. It is obvious that our development is in our hands.

The young mayor of Eyumojock, Ntuifam Ayamba Jacques Ita, who also doubles as the chief of Eyumojock is clearly demonstrating that things can be done differently in Manyu Division.

Under his admirable leadership, the Eyumojock Council has acquired its own heavy-duty equipment, a clear sign that the council is determined to approach things differently. Chief Ita’s acts clearly demonstrate that you can still be a CPDM politician and bring development to your people.

Eyumojock, the sub-division’s chief down, is being given a facelift as neighborhood roads will be broadened with the imported heavy-duty equipment. The council will only have to ensure that houses are built according to plan and that each house gets a house number for ease of identification.

This also implies that any new roads opened up in the towns will be given a street name for better planning. The procurement of the heavy-duty equipment is the right step in the right direction and Chief Ita and his councilors deserve the people’s confidence and they should be re-elected in the 2026 Municipal Election for them to complete the major projects they are currently implementing in the Eyumojock Sub-division.

The Mayor of Mamfe, for his part, Tabenchong Robertson Ashu, is also taking the bull by the horn. By working very closely with administrative officials in Manyu, Mayor Tabenchong has helped to roll the armed robbers who have been threatening innocent civilians out of Mamfe and there are no signs that they will be returning anytime soon. Their footprints in Mamfe Central have been significantly reduced.

This demonstration of leadership by the Mamfe mayor is worthy of commendation and it deserves support from all peace-loving Manyu citizens. There cannot be development in Manyu Division without peace.

This young and new generation of politicians Manyu is pointing the Division in the right direction and the Manyu Diaspora cannot be indifferent to these efforts. The Diaspora has a key role to play in Manyu’s development and it is time for those dollars to start flowing into Manyu..

However, if Manyu has to change as we all want, then there must be a mindset shift which will trigger a new brand of politics in our Division. Politics is key when it comes to development.

As citizens of Manyu, we have to be intentional when it comes to bringing development to our Division by carefully making the right political decisions. We must choose only those politicians who can help the Division have job-creating projects. Good, dynamic and thoughtful politicians will help to give the Division’s economy a shot in the arm.

In this regards, when our politicians come to us to seek political mandates, we should ask them to present to us their Manyu development plan. We should stop taking food and drinks from them. This approach has failed us. It has hurt our Division and if we do not engineer new ways of doing things, we will expose future generations to the same pain and disgrace.

We must stop thinking that our politicians who are seeking our votes must give us food and money in exchange for our votes. We should stop consuming our own development money. What Manyu needs right now are job-creation projects, projects which will help our children get jobs. Without such opportunities, the Manyu economy will continue its descent to the abyss of economic desperation.

We must stop devaluing ourselves by thinking that when we accept drinks from politicians, then we are enjoying. No we are not enjoying. On the contrary, we are devaluing ourselves and reducing our chances of living a dignified life. There is also a currency known as dignity and we all must strive to have that currency. A bottle of beer cannot change our unfortunate economic and political destiny.  Times are changing and our mentalities must change with the  changing times. We need development projects in Manyu and not food and drinks.

Similarly, we also have to take a look at our divisive politics which is ruining our efforts to work as a united group. People of my generation grew up to know that Mamfe meant the entire Manyu. We never identified ourselves as either Mamfe Central, Eyumojock, Akwaya or Upper Bayang. Over the last two decades, we have opened ourselves up for our politicians to exploit us by always playing the card of division. We need to come together as a people to get those who have Manyu unity at heart to represent us. We have the capacity to do that.

A major project in Mamfe will serve us without any discrimination. Unity is strength! When we work together, we will enhance our bargaining power. If a major project is going to Upper  Bayang, we must all rally behind those who are seeking to bring that project to Tali. If it is going to Akwaya, we should demonstrate our support to ensure that Akwaya gets the project. A house divided within itself will never stand.

Manyu must be united if it is serious about developing. There is power in numbers and Manyu has the numbers. We must leverage our numbers to transform our fate. Our destiny is in our hands. It is up to us to make Manyu a better place or we will continue to grumble that Manyu is falling apart.

By Dr. Joachim Arrey