The new Littoral Regional Governor, Samuel Dieudonné Ivaha Diboua, was December 7, 2015, welcomed with a bouquet of complaints.

The Divisional Officers, DOs, of the five Sub-Divisions of Wouri Division, laid the problems plaguing their offices at the feet of the Governor on his maiden visits to those Sub-Divisional offices.

The problems ranged from logistics to infrastructural issues and shortage of personnel, with infrastructure topping the list.

The DOs of Douala I, II, III and IV pointed out that the Sub-Divisional offices have been operating in dilapidated colonial buildings. They said this affects the output of the personnel.

The DO of Douala II, GarbaBakari, said the old colonial structure hosting his office does not respond to the needs ofmodern administration.

The DO of Douala III, NjoyaZackariaou, also complained that his office is small. He told the Governor that his 21staff are crammed in four offices.
On the issue of logistics, all the five DOs complained that theiroffices lack equipment; most are still equipped with obsolete gadgets.

The administrators said in the computer age, computers are rare features in their offices.

Meanwhile, at the Wouri Senior Divisional Office located just a stone throw from the Governor’s Office, the SDO, Naseri Paul Bea, appeared contented with his infrastructure as last year the office finally got a permanent structure after squatting at the Governor’s Office for several years.

The SDO’s office inaugurated early this year by the Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralisation, René Emmanuel Sadi, reportedly cost over FCFA 300 million.

The Wouri SDO nonetheless raised the problem of transportation, explaining that his office needs motorcycles to ease the movement of personnel on assignment.

Bea also pointed out the issue of access roads and chronic traffic jams in the city.

Responding to the problems, Governor Ivaha Diboua promised to transmit them to hierarchy.

The Governor also promised that he would visit the Manoka Sub-Division in Wouri Division.

Manoka comprises a number of islands, which are only accessed to from Douala by boat.