This morning I read a moving piece on the blog of Fotso Fokam about the manner in which little children roam the streets of Maroua and frequent bars and other "dangerous" places and at odd times and do things they should not do. You can read Fotso`s article by following the link: . His write-up is entitled "Vendeur de `guéraadé` à Maroua". Below is my reaction to his account.

THE IDLE CHILDREN OF MAROUA TOWN

By all accounts, Fotso`s story is both mind-boggling and thought-provoking. I had a similar experience in Maroua too. It was in 1988 when I flew to Cameroon (via Paris) in a group of foreign journalists who were invited by the Government of Cameroon to come and cover the Presidential and Legislative Elections of that year. It was at the time that Paul Biya experimented with several lists and several candidates within the same party: The CPDM. Unless I am wrong, today`s Chairman of the opposition SDF Party, Ni John Fru Ndi, was a CPDM candidate for the National Assembly on a list that lost to that of Simon Achidi Achu.

On that trip, I traveled to Cameroon as the journalist representing the London-based WEST AFRICA magazine. I was made to fly from London to Paris where I joined three other journalists invited from France. I think they came from JEUNE AFRIQUE, RFI and LE MONDE. We were received for dinner by the Cameroon ambassador in Paris and at midnight we boarded the Cameroon Airlines flight to Douala. There was no Yaounde-Nsimalen airport at the time.

Our "foreign" team spent about a week in Cameroon during which time we were taken to Douala, Limbe, Muea, Mbalmayo, Yaounde and Maroua.

While we were being shown round the town of Maroua, I noticed that we were constantly being followed by little idle-looking boys like the ones in the story recounted by Wilfonkam. I wondered what these boys were doing here on a day they ought to be at school. Even so, from their looks, that appeared to be the least of their worries.

I talked to one of them who said his name was Bouba. He told me he had dropped out of primary school because his parents were too poor to sponsor him. I felt sorry for him and started making arrangements to look for his father and start sending him money when back in London so that he could go back to school.

However, people who had lived longer in Maroua told me to think again because such cases were legion in the area. It was certainly not a case in isolation. If I am not mistaken, the Veteran Journalist Asonglefack Nkemleke who was Station Manager at CRTV Maroua - and whom I visited in his office while in Maroua - sat me down and educated me on the matter.

That was many years ago. Today`s story by Wilfonkam is a clear indication that the problem is still very much in existence.