Amadou Vamoulke was the General Manager of the Cameroon Radio and Television, CRTV since 2005 until 2016. He was arrested on July 29 and he is now languishing in Kondengui Maximum Security Prison in Yaounde. He joins Mendo Ze in Kondengui to continue the cream of embezzlers arrested by the state.

It is interesting to note that Gilbert Boala, who claims to be President Biya’s first son, had declared over a local TV channel two weeks ago that Vamoulke would be arrested alongside the wife of Charles Ndongo, his successor at the helm of CRTV. He claimed the new GM’s wife was involved in Vamoulke’s alleged shady deals that landed him in prison- reported Cameroon Journal. This is still to be seen. Would the new GM wife be arrested?

The amounts Vamoulke is alleged to have embezzled is not yet known. His arrest continues the government so-called drive to fight corruption in state institutions. Is there government doing enough to really fight corruption? This seems not to be the case.

However, what interest BaretaNews is the amount of salary and bogus allowances allocated to Vamoulke while as General Manager. These revelations are somewhat the same in other State General Managers. Looking at these allowances, what could really push a manager to embezzle when he has everything at his disposal to live a good life, safe and take care of his/her family? The only explanation is greed and unpatriotic behavior towards the nation.

The Post Newspaper in their Monday 1st August edition wrote: ” The man who is being accused of embezzling state funds, had a monthly salary of FCFA 7.5 million, a housing allowance of FCFA 800.000, FCFA 20 million for fuel every month, about FCFA 23 million to manage his secretariat as well as 10 percent gains from CRTV contracts. He also had huge sums of FCFA 5 million within Cameroon and FCFA 10 million out of Cameroon of mission allowances per month”

These allowances are bogus and not just good for a country like Cameroon whose citizens are living with less than 10 dollar a day. A country which lacks basic health care, health institutions ,clean and affordable water, electricity, roads and very high skyrocketed rate of unemployment. This is so just wrong. the Government needs to cut down on all these allowances from the Presidency, Ministeries, Managers right down to University Rectors and Vice-Chancellors. The cut-down expenditures could be invested in other areas as listed above to better the lives of citizens and the country. A look at just the salary of the GM of CRTV is enough to take care of him and any other things. The bogus salaries, allowances of those in government are waste which could be invested somewhere that is why it is important that Ministries are merged and/or cut down to few.

The Biya government is only interested in keeping political power, allowing the people to embezzle and mismanaged at will so that he can have leverage against any top civil servant or person. Biya also uses this to satisfy political praise singers as he has tribalized his administration.

It is the position of BaretaNews that Cameroon is virtually very rich but because of waste in all sectors of government, the country cannot develop. The government needs to borrow a leaf from other African countries such as Rwanda and see how management is being done.

God is still saying something.