Hugues Ngouélondélé remobilises Mayors of municipalities and Police Commissioners
In preparation for the great forth-coming event i.e. the 11th African Games which started last September 4 in Brazzaville, the Deputy Mayor of Brazzaville, Hugues Ngouélondélé, last July 7 met Administrator-Mayors of the 9 municipalities in the capital as well as police commissioners. Top on the agenda was giving the city a face lift and ensuring security in the quarters.
“About eight thousand athletes are expected in Brazzaville for this 11the African Games also christened the 50th Anniversary games. For this reason, our capital should take its best portrait in order to be appealing to our hosts”. It is with these words, that the Deputy Mayor opened the working session with the Administrator-Mayors and police commissioners of the capital. Among the issues discussed were the refurbishment of facades of commercial buildings, institutions and houses located on the main streets of the capital. This would require painting of buildings located along main avenues both in the heart of the city and in the suburbs.
In the same vein, the Administrator-Mayors and police commissioners were asked to implement the directive on installation of lighting signs on facades of buildings. By this measure, the municipal authorities intend to the quality of lighting sign appropriate for each avenue, business or institution.
Also, the forceful eviction of streets and avenues transformed into markets all over the city. Key examples include Poto-Poto, Miadéka, Ouenzé, Mouhoumi round-about and M’filou amongst many others.
"These measures which are obligatory should not be violated in any manner and unlike in the past, should be strictly respected by all" he observed. "Things will never be the same again", said Hugues Ngouélondélé who intends to take the bull by the horns for order and civic responsibility to be respected in the capital.
Order should naturally start from the local authority and the first citizen of the city who expects tangible results instructed everyone to be more rigorous and to work in a concerted manner, having in mind that each administration is supposed to discharge its duties without coercion and to avoid familiarities which hinder the implementation of public action. Here allusion is made to foreigners who often take things for granted by violating laws because they benefit from favors from civil servants whereas in their countries, cities governed by regulations in force.
Insecurity gaining grounds in the quarters
The peace of the population for some time now has been robbed by the phenomenon of criminal gangs known as Bébés Noirs (Black Babies). These gangs are made of teenagers between the ages of 11 and 17 who do not cease to terrorise people day and night through theft, rape and all sorts of crime thereby causing desolation and stupor in the quarters. This contagious phenomenon which is contrary to our customs and culture is rife in the 5th, 6th and 7th municipalities, notably in Ouenzé, TalangaÏ and M’filou which have become a real hideout for gangsters akin to Far-West.
How do we root out this phenomenon?
“The solution to this inevitably coms through a strong administration capable of applying the law in all its rigor and without complacency” explained the Mayor of Brazzaville. In light of this, the Police called upon to re-establish peace and tranquillity in these quarters by vehemently cracking down on these hordes of bandits. The inclusive proximity approach of the population is an important parameter in checking this rise in crime wave in the capital. An inclusive approach drawing resources from the base to the top through an organized chain of intelligence gathering working in collaboration with the Police.
The need to re-instate heads of zones and blocks
Created in the 70s from the mono-partite era, the system of management of quarters through block, zone and quarter heads strongly contributed for years in creating a climate of peace and tranquillity in our main cities. Where then has this system gone to? It was reputed for collecting vital information and channelling it to the highest authority within a reasonable time span. Is it due to an error in judgment on the part of the authorities or the fear of increasing the budgetary allocation of quarter heads? Some months ago, a circular from the Ministry of Interior put an end to the mandate of heads of blocks and zones leaving the management of these vast territories to the quarter head and his secretary. Those working as zone and block heads today are doing so unofficially and out of sheer patriotism, a situation which makes it difficult for intelligence to circulate. The result of this is that gangs in quarters usually benefit from the complicity of people living in those same quarters.
Quarter heads have been tasked to vulgarise at the base measures taken to check this crime wave for the benefit of the people of Brazzaville and visitors.
Reactions
Ida Victorine Ngapolo, Administrator-Mayor of Djiri
“The Deputy-Mayor’s message on key issues in Brazzaville comes at the right time, especially the idea of keeping our city clean and preserving peace and security within our respective territories. We all know that important events are in the pipeline, notably the African Games, and so we have the obligation to beautify our city. It is therefore our duty to communicate this directive at the level of our administrative units asking traders and individuals to keep the facades of their buildings clean. This has not been done for some time and it simply requires passing a fresh coat of paint on the walls. The police there to help us implement all these directives”.
Raphaël Boloko, head of quarter 51 - Ouenzé
“The initiative is laudable and the message is well understood. We shall relay the message, encourage everyone to participate by sensitizing our people. As a grass root administrator, we shall work in close collaboration with law enforcement officers to combat crime in our quarters in order to give our capital a better image”.
CLESH ETOKA
