Fako Division: Workers beg gov’t to rescue CDC from crop destruction, encroachment.

They made the plea following the destruction of over five hectares of the Corporation’s land in Tiko, Fako Division of the South West Region. 

The workers said the land has been accessed by an individual who is using uniformed officers to forcefully lay claim of ownership.

CDC workers from the Ndongo Camp in Tiko Subdivision, explained that they depend on the palms destroyed for their daily bread. 

Like other areas where the Corporation’s land is being increasingly seized by individuals, they said it is more than urgent for the government to stop the intrusion and aggression threatening the country’s second highest employer after the State.

“We depend on the CDC to feed our families and take care of our needs. They recently brought a new oil mill and now they are felling the palm trees, which means the mill will be useless. The CDC needs more land not less,” one of the frightened workers, Akafor Jackline, told The Guardian Post.

Another worker, Tansi Joshua, explained that all workers at the camp tried to force those felling the palms to stop with a peaceful protest but were unsuccessful. 

“…we tried a peaceful protest but it yielded no fruits. Our plea is that management and the government should intervene to put an end to this act. We have suffered the impacts of the Anglophone crisis, but now we are trying to revamp the plantation,” Tansi stated.

The workers said they had been celebrating the newly constructed mini mill to process the palm fruits harvested at the camp, but expressed dismay at the government for allowing such an act to continue. 

“We just received a newly constructed mini mill, but if they are destroying the palms, then it is a waste of resources constructing the mill,” Tansi added. 

The General Manager of the CDC, Franklin Ngoni Njie, said “…the State is engaging to construct a new oil mill and a new rubber factory for the CDC and constructing a new rubber factory and oil mill, there must be crops to feed them”. 

He added that the State is also “…mobilising huge sums of resources to rehabilitate plantations and mills, which suffered from neglect during the security crisis, to modernise the CDC”.

Double jeopardy 

He noted that destroying palms at such a strategic location and encroachment on the Corporation’s land is double jeopardy. Njie said this, is given the huge investments the State is making to revive the Corporation.

“…At least some 4.2 hectares with 605 palms were destroyed. One hectare of palms corresponds to 143 trees.  The CDC values each tree at 35,000 FCFA, which gives at least 75 million per hectare lost,” Njie stated.

He detailed that the area where palm has been felled is on a piece of land that serves as a buffer to the banana plantation. 

The GM said because of the aerial spraying activities and fungicide application, banana culture demands that an area uninhabited should be maintained between the plantation and human habitation.

“These trees are in that buffer area. So, if we fell the buffer area, it means that the banana that will be cultivated in the Ndongo plantation will not be qualified for sale in the European market because it will not get certification. The buffer zone prevents drifts from getting into human habitation,” Njie stated.

Attacks on CDC worsening unemployment 

Njie further explained that every palm felled corresponds to a certain number of jobs lost.  

“…when we lose plantations, it means a certain number of Cameroonians are being pushed out of employment which has many repercussions; loss of revenue to support themselves and their families and many social problems. Sending more people into unemployment is unacceptable,” he added.

Muslim community disavows impostor 

The leader of the Muslim community in Mutengene, Ahmadu Issiaka, who led a team of his notables and other key figures of the community to the land in question said they have never applied for any land in Tiko Subdivision. 

He said the demand for land was by a selfish individual who was using the Muslim community as a shield

He said if they need land for anything, it would be a small piece that can accommodate their mosque and a graveyard for their community members. 

Ahmadu pleaded with authorities to ensure perpetrators of the attacks on CDC crops and land face the heavy arm of the law.

Origins of the problem in Ndongo Camp

The issue of land around the Ndongo Camp according to CDC management started in September 2021. Then, CDC officials said the Muslim community in Mutengene had made a request to the Senior Divisional Officer, SDO, of Fako to build a Muslim centre with many facilities like a school, mosque museum among others.

Officials said they wanted a piece of land in Ombe, but the CDC Board of Directors, following directives from the Head of State advised against surrendering any land that had crops. 

Officials added that in 2023, the same persons applied again for the area of Ndongo and the CDC objected because the site is a buffer between the banana and palms.

They further narrated that in February 2024, the Minister of State Property, Surveys and Land Tenure, Henri Eyebe Ayisi sent a letter signed by the Secretary General at the Presidency for the surrender of land to the Muslim community on condition that the land was available. 

CDC officials said the Muslim community misconstrued the authorizations of a long-term lease of 59 hectares.

After investigations, the CDC said it realized the order from the presidency was not authentic and thus petitioned for the annulment of the order by the Minister of State Property, Surveys and Land Tenure. The order, authorities said, was rescinded but perpetrators continued with their nefarious activities.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3667 of Thursday January 08, 2026