MAYOR MENYONG LAWRENCE AS A LOCOMOTIVE FOR THE EMERGENCE OF NWA MUNICIPALITY
*By The Watchdog Tribune*
In the furthest corner of Donga Mantung, where Cameroon touches Nigeria, lies a forgotten jewel — *Nwa Subdivision: 42 villages, 120,000 inhabitants, the largest municipality in the North West by land mass.*
For decades, Nwa was the symbol of abandonment. No identification centre, no electricity in the health centre, no generator for emergencies at night, roads that disappear in the rainy season, and villages like Mbom and Lus under constant attack.
Today, Nwa has a locomotive — *Mayor Meyong Lawrence.*
Where others saw distance, he saw destiny. Where others complained of neglect, he pulled Nwa into the national conversation.
The Mayor Who Refused To Let Nwa Die*
In the heart of the Anglophone crisis, while many councils closed, Mayor Meyong Lawrence stood his ground. He rallied his 42 villages — from Adere to Mbot, from Lus to Ntem — and with his population, pushed separatist fighters to the borders.
His constant advocacy is on record:
"For long lasting peace to return to Nwa, more security personnel should be deployed."
That courage earned Nwa a historic visit — General Nka Valere of the 5th Joint Military Region spent a night in Nwa, the first high-profile personality to do so since Prime Minister Achidi Achu in the early 90s. He came with a full medical campaign — free consultations, precise diagnosis, effective drugs. A retired nurse told The Observer: "Never have we seen this in Nwa."
That is the locomotive effect — bringing Yaounde to Nwa.
Turning Natural Wealth Into Emergence Capital*
Mayor Meyong Lawrence is selling Nwa's future not as a war zone, but as a *tourism and agro-industrial hub:*
Tourism:* The Mbuku Waterfall in Adere — described by the Mayor as the largest in West Africa, the mysterious Rom Rock, caves and mountains that can rival any in Cameroon
Agriculture:* Rice cultivation in Mbot that can employ thousands if mechanized, fishing in the numerous streams, fertile land for 120,000 farmers
Population strength:* A peaceful cohabitation of Muslims and Christians — a model for national unity
His vision aligns with *Cameroon Vision 2035 and the Import Substitution Policy:* Nwa feeding Donga Mantung, feeding the North West.
What Emergence Means Under Meyong Lawrence*
The Mayor's locomotive role is seen in three tracks:
a) Administrative Emergence:* He is fighting for what no Mayor before dared to demand — a permanent civil status and identification unit in Nwa. Today, a mother must trek to Nkambe just to get a birth certificate or National Identity Card. Mayor Meyong says: No. Nwa must have its own.
b) Health and Human Capital Emergence:* From a health centre without light, he is pushing for electrification, generator, and full equipment. His partnership with the military health campaign proved that health can come to Nwa if leadership insists.
c) Economic and Security Emergence:* By insisting that security brings development and development brings security, he has made Nwa the example of *Community Resilience.* The population that fought to keep its schools and markets open is now ready for FEICOM, PNDP and Council Support Funds.
The Philosophy of a Locomotive*
Other Mayors manage. Meyong Lawrence pulls.
He pulls Nwa from:
- Abandonment to Attention
- Subsistence to Commercial Agriculture
- Darkness to Light
- Story of crisis to Story of waterfalls and rice
In Observer237, he decried neglect but appealed for attention — NOW. That appeal is now being heard in Bamenda and Yaounde.
*Conclusion:*
Nwa does not need pity. It needs a locomotive.
With Mayor Meyong Lawrence in the driver's cabin, Nwa Municipality is no longer the end of Cameroon — it is the *beginning of Cameroon's emergence from the border.*
As one bike rider, Abdul, said: "This is the first time we see a high-profile personality sleeping in Nwa. Because we have a Mayor who brings them here."
And that is why, in Donga Mantung, they say: *If Nwa will emerge, it will be pulled by Meyong Lawrence.*
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