 |
| By Albert Motale |
This
letter was written and sent to Bruce Wrobel (then CEO of Herakles Farms) in 2012 (May His Gentle Soul Rest in
Peace). It has become imperative to us now to make public the contents of the
letter in extensor, to remind the Management of Herakles Farms that they have a
social contract with the people.
Dear Mr. Bruce Wrobel,
I write in response to your open letter
in response to Oakland Institute letter and to commend you most sincerely for
the letter. My commendation is borne out of the fact that, it is extremely rare
in this part of the world for a Chief Executive Officer to write and explain issues.
I have read the Oakland Institute report
and averse with all the issues and concerns raised by the various NGOs,
Environmentalists and all the local stakeholders.
According
to the CEO, Herakles Farms is a wonderful organization committed to worthy
causes (from poverty alleviation and human rights to education and
environmental stewardship), to the press covering the issues of human
development and/or environmental concerns in Africa
The Oakland Institute report portray Herakles Farms (“HF”) and its oil palm initiative as a massive project which threatens to level the Cameroonian rainforest while negatively impacting the lives of tens of thousands of formerly happy and content indigenous hunters and farmers in the South West Region of Cameroon.
The Oakland Institute report portray Herakles Farms (“HF”) and its oil palm initiative as a massive project which threatens to level the Cameroonian rainforest while negatively impacting the lives of tens of thousands of formerly happy and content indigenous hunters and farmers in the South West Region of Cameroon.
The
submissions of both parties are reminiscent to that of the famous story book
play `Nchanga and Enoma` and my conclusions will be same as that of the King
whom, after listening to the submissions of each of the parties, declared---` All what you say is true`
Invariably
all what both parties are saying are the truth depending on which side of the
divide you wish to stand. The focus of my letter to the CEO is not delved into
the legal and scientific gymnastics but to share a few concerns as a native of
the locality (Ndian division).
The
CEO in his open letter vividly describes the local people of the affected area
of HF operations and by extension, Ndian Division, as, “one of the poorest
regions and peoples in Cameroon”. Maybe out of politeness or diplomacy they
could have been best described as the poorest, most deprived and abandoned
in the world based on their natural resources, exploration and exploitation of
its natural resources in the area in the last one hundred years and more. This
particular statement of yours, sir, is the most absolute and the best truth l
have ever read.
With
your pedigree and academic credentials and as the CEO of Herakles Farms, coupled
with your tract records in developmental projects and fight against poverty in
some of the most deprived communities in the world, your assertion and
conclusion on the level of poverty of our people is the kernel of all the
agitations, apprehension, reservation, bickering, resistance and litigations.
PAMOL PLANTATIONS
Mr.
CEO, You will recall that, PAMOL has been in existence and operating in Ndian
Division for close to a century. The question any sane mind could have asked is,
how can a region hosting an agricultural conglomerate such as PAMOL, with
plantations across the division, still harbours one of the poorest and most deprived
natural land owners in the world?
The
answer is straight forward and simple. Pamol from inception had adopted the approach of the
proverbial `chichi dodo` bird in the Novel `The Beautiful Ones Are Not Yet Born` that survives on eating maggots but will never allow the excreta to touch its legs.
·
Pamol has never thought it necessary
or expedient to be an active agent or catalyst for the development of Ndian,
largely as a result of the docility of the indigenes and this general fear of
being killed by witchcraft if you open your mouth.
·
Delegations of` weeping` mothers are sent to
any so-called activists to dissuade him from challenging the status quo.
·
Regrettably, Pamol is one of the
biggest tax defaulters to the local councils.
·
Most people are oblivious of the
fact that, Palm Oil business is even more profitable than Crude oil.
·
Palm oil throughout 2012 sold for
$500-$700 (350 000FCFA) per metric ton.
·
Conservatively, PAMOL produces about
16 000 tons per annum which translate to a projected estimated revenue of over
$8 million USD or 4 billion FCFA.
·
Why can`t Pamol dedicate $50 (25 000FCFA) per Metric ton for every palm oil sold for the
developmental projects such as; construction
of roads, modern health facilities, markets, communal ovens for drying cocoa
beans , fish and shrimps, community libraries and sporting arenas in the
division.
·
The conservative estimate of $50(25 000FCFA)
per mt shall translate into $8 million dollars (400 million FCFA) annually
dedicated to the development of Ndian.
·
These amounts shall be able to construct
and paved the Mundemba-Ekondo titi- Toko Road, Mundemba-Isangele Road,
Ekondo-Dikome Balue Road or Toko –Nguti Road?
·
The meaninglessness, purposelessness,
parasitic nature of PAMOL in the lives of the indigenes and
communities have made a lot of youths to adopt a self help approach by
`helping` themselves through stealing of palm fruits with impunity.
·
These are natural fallouts in
communities where there is lack of social justice and exploitation of the
people’s resources with impunity.
PALM OIL IS NOT NEW TO NDIAN
Mr.
CEO, Palm oil is not new to the Ndian people and palm oil l can categorically
state, is the least needs of the people and inhabitants of the Ndian Division.
You will recall also that, before 1967, when Ndian Division was created from
the Kumba division, Plantation PAMOL DU CAMEROUN served as the de facto
`government ` of Ndian Division. PAMOL provided all the social and welfare
services and infrastructures only within its operation area and cared less
about neighbouring villages. For decades our people were subjected to trekking
on foot to commute from one village to the other. PAMOL was, and has still been
unable to construct a quarter-long bridge, to link the people of Ndian Town to
PAMOL, a community that was within the catchment area of their operations, deceived
and relocated across the River and has since been detached from any economic
gains generated by PAMOL.
You
will also recall that the Ndian people are very much aware of the employment
profile and composition of staff in PAMOL over the years. Research and
available statistics have shown that the Ndian indigenes are hardly groomed
into Upper Management positions in the company. As soon as the whites were
leaving, they were being replaced by migrant
workers from faraway lands and ironically to those whose forebears had vehemently
refused to sell or give their lands away for such a giant project. The white
management claimed these non-natives were being compensated for their loyalty.
That loyalty is yet to be defined; however, a plaque has been constructed at
PAMOL Ndian Oil Mill `Dedicated to the
Bamendas for the construction of the Oil Mill`
Regrettably,
the sand used for the construction of the Oil Mill was excavated at no cost to
PAMOL from our land and the Oil Mill constructed on our land. Yet, the management
decided to appreciate and give gratitude to only the immigrant workers, whose
services were already paid for through salary allocations with native labour
which sacrificed their land on which the project was established.
The gratitude and goodwill towards the labourers
from the North West Region, in total disregard and disrespect to the indigene labourers,
is the reason why the dynamics within PAMOL has changed for the worst. The
management staff of PAMOL, over time, was composed of entirely of non natives.
Also, about 90% of the clerical staff is also non natives. The bulk of the harvesters and Labourers (who
do the hard menial labour) are natives. These are evident in the camps they
lived---because---one’s accommodation defines your class and status in the company.
It will interest you to know that a vast majority of the natives lived in Mana,
Makeke, Centre, Ikassa, Mundemba camps, whilst most of the migrant workers lived
in Bula camp. Bulu camp had electricity, water and a labour and staff clubs.
Whereas the Labour clubs in other camps were reserved for harvesters and the
general public, the labour club in Bulu was for drivers and low level technicians
and clerical staff.
It will interest you to note that, Ndian Town
was less than 15 minutes walk (a mile away) from Bulu camp but has no
electricity, pipe-borne water or even a school built by PAMOL.
For decades, the only means to get to Ndian
Town was by canoe provided by the Local town council. Yet, PAMOL against all
odds was able to provide a bridge with electric lamps across Ikassa River to
Ikassa camp, but had never given it thought to grade or rehabilate roads in Ekondo Titi or
Mundemba Town not to talk of constructing roads into the hinterlands, which are critical
for development.
It
is even sad to note that all our traditional shrines, farmlands including the
sacred cave that housed the founder of Ndian according to oral tradition are in
PAMOL land.
If after almost 100 years of the operations of PAMOL
in Ndian and the CEO, Herakles’ Farms could still describe the area and its
people as one of the poorest , which l agree entirely, should serve as the
score card and the gravitas of our peoples concerns, which the people hope
Herakles Farms should not replicate PAMOL.
For
your information, Mr. CEO, the Ngolo people under the auspices of NCUDA led by.
Dr Reuben Osih, Dr Elias Meboka, `General` John Osih, Njabe (SG), Chief David Epupu and many others galvanized the people to
adopt a self help approach in the construction of the Mundemba-Toko road.
PAMOL
over the years had constructed roads to link the remotest parts of its vast
plantation estate across the length and breadth of the division and in some
cases provided water transport and ferries to facilitate the transportation of
its produces. .
It
is a truism that, if PAMOL had taken that social responsibility ab initio to
provide at least a road to link PAMOL to the rest of the division by
constructing just five kilometers of earth road every year, the people of Ndian
could not have been described as the poorest or the most backward and deprived
community 70 years after.
EXPLOITATION OF CRUDE OIL
Mr.
CEO, you will also wish to recall that, oil exploration started in Ndian
division in the early 1960s. And as we speak, there are over 15 oil wells being
drilled in Ndian division. However, despite the enormous wealth and revenue
generated from oil extraction in the division, Ndian is being taunted daily as
the treasure of the entire nation, but has not a single filling station in the
entire division or a single tarred road which is a byproduct of the oil.
According
to one of the leading politicians, Ndian is so blessed and the only division in
the country with economic and political capitals viz Ekondo Titi and Mundemba
respectively, so what do we need again from the Government?
We
were also told that, the former ruler and dictator persistently bullied one of
our politicians and constantly reminded him the oil in Ndian does not belong to
our fathers. The current regime has also informed us that, the matrix used to
calculate barrels is so complex and complicated and it is not the preserve for
the common man. So it will be wise, prudent and politically expedient not to
comment any further on this subject matter.
KORUP PROJECT AND OTHER RESERVES
The
KORUP Project, like the Herakles Farms, generated a lot of excitement from the indigenes.
There were deliberate and genuine efforts by the WWF to implement the action
plan and road map of the project.
For the first time in the history of our
people, the locals were recruited and some given opportunities to equip and
sharpen their skills. Korup workers became the new brides in towns and were
like noisy neighbours that kept the local economy going.
KORUP
Management team had a more complicated and arduous tasks in my view than HF.
·
Their mission and tasks were even
more daunting as they had to enlighten and sensitize our people on the need to
preserve the forest;
·
Dissuade them into abandoning their age-old
profession of hunting; provide alternative sources of income
·
Deprive the populace from eating our delicacies of bush meat (NJOKOBI);
and,
·
To relocate the natives from their ancestral
homes to new sites.
The
Korup project won the hearts and minds of the people because they were on the ground
and a part of the community. The historic visit of Prince of Wales to inaugurate
its office and his one kilometer trek into the Korup forest was legendary. And
that particular visit brought Mundemba and Ndian to the limelight as sights of
Ndian adorned for the first time the cover page of the Famous BBC Focus of
Africa Magazine. For the first time, the world could read and see the plight,
difficulties and challenges in pictures of our people. That publication and
Korup brought enormous goodwill, researchers, tourists, journalists from around
the world.
That
period also witnessed concrete interventions by external donors in Ndian as we
witnessed the construction of a bridge across the famous Ndiba Mana, the
dreaded river that had claimed so many lives of our people in the process of
transporting cash crops and goods to Mundemba.
KORUP LIKE PAMOL
Korup
Project like PAMOL suffered the same Dutch disease. when the white managers
were exiting, the Korup project was handed over to migrant workers or better
still public servants from elsewhere, who had no clear idea or understanding of
the vision and mission of the project.
The Korup project, like many other public
enterprises conceived in Southern Cameroon and handed over to migrant workers, have
either collapsed or remained relics or pale shadow of their former selves.
Korup Project is under an intensive care unit
with a paltry annual budget of about $20 000. . The rough road leading to the Korup
forest reserve tells the whole story about the project.
Korup forest is now like an evil forest and an
albatross on the neck of the Ndian people. It is a source for prison for so-called
poachers, a source of woes and misery for farmers as the marauding elephants
are destroying farmlands, a source of dead as the elephants keep killing the
people, whilst the project itself remains a white elephant, that has deprived
the people of Ndian cheap and easy access road to Nigeria and Eyumojock via the
forest..
It
is inconceivable for such a landmark project to exist anywhere in the world
without the Government providing the enabling environment to encourage tourism?
WWF
and associates were so much in a hurry to hand over the project and never
attracted the necessary support services or establishing conditions precedents
that could grow tourism in Ndian.
The False Starts of Herakles
Farms
The
objectives and mission of HF as espoused by the CEO are brilliant and wonderful
but absolutely not new as l will consider them a déjà vu.
(a)
HF has failed to draw lessons, or
willing to learn, from the story of PAMOL du Cameroun.
(b)
HF has equally failed to understand
that palm plantation or palm oil is not a new concept or crop to the Ndian
people.
(c)
The Ndian people have simply gone
weary of the smell, colour and sights and sounds of palm trees and nuts.
(d)
The Ndian people detest what PAMOL
have done to them and to their lands. They know that the project benefited more
non-indigenes than indigenes.
What most people are saying is that, “if gold could rust what of iron?” That is,
if PAMOL and KORUP could deceive and enslave the indigenes, why not Herakles
Farms? Can they be wrong this time around, Mr. CEO?
Herakles
Farm, unlike Korup project which was under the WWF from inception, had
visibility in Mundemba. They cited their office in Mundemba and were involve in
the day to day activities of our people.
Currently, Herakles Farms’ head office in Cameroon is based
in Limbe rather than in Mundemba or Toko. The key staff operate from Limbe and
only visit Mundemba and Toko as tourists, strangers and on ad hoc basis. The
white farmers who established Pamol did so from the fields of Ndian Division
and not from the comforts of their off shore offices elsewhere.
Furthermore,
the Limbe office has already recruited staff working in an environment that has
no bearing to its field operations.
HF staffs based in Limbe are receiving
salaries on a project based in Mundemba-Toko and are using such capitals to
contribute to the economic activities of another town-Limbe and by extension
Fako not Mundemba-Toko in Ndian.
Neither PAMOL nor Korup Project did that,
except the Oil companies which are considered too elitists and sophisticated
for any local to commend or comprehend.
The HF should tell the Ndian people the rationale behind the
citing an office in Limbe rather than in their areas of operations?
The
current Management structure of HF to say the least is akin to that of PAMOL.
Our people can simply not identify any of their sons and daughters in a project
that will deprive them of their land for the next 100 years.
Mr. CEO, where are the sons and daughters in
the scheme of things? It is also very condescending for you to ask us to
applaud you for recruiting two sons of south west region into the fold.
It
would be useful and instrumental to publish the list of the management staff of
HF and their job profiles.
The
CEO will recall that, even in his home country (USA), where the UN is located,
The UN Protocols and Conventions require that there should be equity and justice in the distribution of posts and
appointments within the UN Systems. It is a convention which is religiously
applied to all positions below the level of G5 (General Services staff include;
clerks, nurses, Typists, Secretaries, security personnel, drivers, junior
accountants, Protocol officers, Gardeners, in short all junior staff) SHALL BE
GIVEN TO INDIGENES OF THE HOST COMMUNITIES.
According
to the UN Conventions, Protocols and common sense approach, Professional,
Managerial or statutory appointments SHALL BE RESERVE FOR MEMBER STATES ONLY,
IN THIS CASE AREAS OF HK OPERATIONS. HF should understand that, in Africa there
is a difference between ours and mine.
We (the Ndian indigenes) as a people will be
happier and more appreciative if, we could see our sons and daughters as
drivers of the projects and not just passengers.
2.
Based on the foregoing, HF should,
as matter of urgency, review its criteria for employment and make sure that,
except under exceptional circumstances, and with consultation with the Chiefs,
all the relevant positions are allocated to communities within the operation
areas.
The
people of Ndian will sincerely appreciate if Directors or Management staff are
recruited mainly from areas where HF operational area.
It
is also disingenuous for the CEO to keep on reiterating that, employment is
being given to the local youth in the area.
These youths are casual workers engaged in the planting of seedlings.
Granted; they are paid something, but the total package for these 500 young
boys and girls working at the nursery is simply measly sum compared to fat
salaries paid to four of your management staff sitting in the head office in
Limbe.
The
CEO should understand that such a giant project cannot be achieved or developed
through propaganda.
When
PAMOL was established almost a century ago, there were probably no awareness concerns
of concern to the natives who were not opportune to attend even a primary or
elementary school.
Today
the situation has changed. Even though the area is still backward and the
poorest in the region, it is blessed with some of the best minds in the country,
equipped to accommodate the labour demands Herakles Farms needs.
Though a backward region, the literacy level
is appreciable for the people to watch and recognize New York. Paris, London or
Beijing on a film or documentary, and appreciate what modernity means, and
would wish to see their hamlets and villages transformed into modern township
with portable water, electricity, descent accommodation , health facilities and
value and good returns for their lands.
HF should understand the African adage that
says that, “the traders will know if
business will be good on the eve of the market day.” Invariably, our people
will know if the HF project will be beneficial to them by your works on the
ground and not on the pages of newspapers.
9. We have seen Pamol from inception. Pamol
was able to bring light aircraft planes to Mundemba and Lobe. They were able to
construct water reservoirs, hospitals, schools, camps, roads, river ports, even
though these have been allowed to deteriorate and even go fallow. These were
all done within their area of operations to the exclusion of the division.
To quote the CEO, “HF is also a newcomer and foreigner to
the area, and so we have to earn local trust.”
To
this end, we strongly appeal to the CEO to urgently relocate HF office to
Mundemba and constitute a crack team to conduct a SOCIAL NEEDS ASSESSENT OF THE
PEOPLE or areas that require urgent social intervention.
That
Mundemba and Toko should be the ideal place for such need assessment to take
place and not Limbe.
I
will suggest that, HF should stop the cosmetic services which are currently being provided.
HF
should embark on concrete and visible projects to make meaningful and
significant impact on the lives of the people, especially in the areas of road
construction, provision of educational and health facilities not only within
the catchment area but to the entire region.
The
CEO and his team might have observed that most of the schools in that region do
not dispose of modern toilet facilities or places of conveniences.
There
are no dining sheds for the pupils /students to have their meals or lunch
during recess. It is gratifying to note
that, textbooks were donated to some schools in the region, but where will
these books be kept? Most of these schools don`t even have a functional library
room or a study room talk less of textbooks.
One
of the ways that HF can make an immediate impact on the lives of the children
of school going age, is to embark on what l describe as `school feeding
programme` .
The children should be served at least a meal
a day whilst in school. This project is being done in a wider scale elsewhere. l see no reason why such a project cannot
achieve success for an area with a population of less than 200 pupils.
This
will have a trickle down effects on the local economy, as a few women will be
empowered as cooks, it will provide market for the local farmers; boost school
enrolment and make a HF a family member the indigenes have been waiting for
years.
Mr.
CEO as we speak the Mundemba Hospital does not have a morgue. In spite of the bad roads our people still
have to convey corpses of their beloved ones to and from kumba.
The
pains and trauma for both the families and dead could be better imagined than
described as they navigate in bush taxis on roads akin to abandoned landmines.
Mr.
CEO, an intervention in this direction will be a mighty relief to all and sundry
as such intervention will bring HF closer to the hearts and minds of our
people.
HF should also be exploring the possibility of setting up HF Vocational
or Skill Acquisition Training Centre. The benefits of such a Center of
Excellence which could be tailored towards meeting the basic needs of HF now
and in the future will be phenomenal.
The
center which should focus on the training of medium skills workers, artisans
and technicians such as plumbers, fitter
machinists, machine operators, wielding,
constructions, builders, carpenters , bulldozers operators, harvesters and even
drivers etc.
In
the area of health, the current efforts of HF though commendable is meaningless
if urgent solutions are not taken to enhance the capacity and facility of the
General Hospitals in the region, whilst awaiting the construction of HF
hospitals in future. There is general
absence of ambulance services which could enhance the quality of health of the
people.
In
conclusion: l believe that, the Herakles oil palm project in Cameroon has the
potential to transform a poor and underdeveloped region of the country and
bring tremendous economic, social and environmental benefits to the people
around it, if the management gets its foundational priorities right at this
initial stage.
Mr.
CEO, I will plead with you to use your expertise, connections and network
to attract other cottage industries or factories that will provide ancillary services
or rely on the byproducts of Palm oil.
African
politicians and elites are more at ease stealing money from Africa and stashing
it abroad instead of investing at home.
Mundemba should be its operational base;
not Limbe.
