A debate around royalties paid by grazers to authorities during was organised in Ndop, Ngokentunjia recently to highlight the positive and the negative aspects of this activity.

Organised by SNV Highlands and the Bororo Cultural and Development Association (BOSCUDA) the debate brought together representatives of grazers, traditional rulers, the administration, a lawyer and the Ndop council.
Moderated by Fotung Hortensia Ngang, the panel was made up of the Assistant D.O for Ndop, Akombo Joseph Neba, , HRH the Fon of Baligashu, the representative of the Delegation of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industries, Njinbong Stephen, the Lord Mayor of Babessi, Ngoh Stephen, a grazer Duni Jeidoh and Barrister Fon Robert.

During the debate panellists sought to differentiate between what were legal taxes and what were royalties. According to them royalties were dues paid by grazers to traditional authorities during transhumance as appreciation for using land under their jurisdiction to feed their cattle.
The MINEPIA representative explained the different taxes paid by grazers and said a royalty was paid to show allegiance to a royal person but if it were fixed it became a tax. He said traditional values such as these were recognised by the constitution if they were not inconsistent with the law and respected human rights and democratic principles.

However, traditional rulers were accused for fixing and imposing what royalties grazers were to pay.
But the Fon of Baligashu who refused to talk on behalf of all traditional rulers because he was not designated to represent them in the panel claimed that he had never imposed royalties on any grazer explaining that payment of royalties was very normal “but should not be exorbitant.”
However, some grazers were furious calling the debate “unwanted and geared towards clashing them with the Fons” because royalties had been paid over the years and had never been problematic.

At the end of the debate participants were unanimous that royalties, as they have always been were not a problem but its abuse was the cause of the troubles.
“It should remain what it used to be, that is an agreement that I have received the facility you put at my disposal for my activity and we do not go to the palace empty handed.” Fidèle Yobo, SNV Highlands told TFV after the debate.
The debate was just part of different aspects SNV is undertaking in the North West Region to improve on the management of pastoral resources.

“Bororo people appreciate giving royalties to the Fons,” Duni Jeidoh, BOSCUDA, Bamenda
How serious is the problem of royalties and how uncomfortable are grazers with this problem ?
Bororo people appreciate giving royalties to the Fons but where it is a problem is when the Fon dictates what the Bororo people have to give and we are living in an era of democracy where people have the freewill to decide on issues. Secondly, people have come to understand that it is government that owns the land unlike what they used to think before that the Fons owned the land. If the Fons are taking royalties, it is just because they are custodians, not that they own the land and that is one of the bones of contention.

How general is this problem when some grazers do not agree with you ?
It is hypocrisy the way I see it. The fact that people refuse to admit that there is a problem with royalties is just being hypocritical. I think we are all living witnesses that a D.O has read a letter that came out from a palace and a lawyer has also acknowledged in this meeting that he has a file in his office concerning these abnormal royalties. For me I think that man is just a hypocrite.

Do you think that a debate like this can contribute to solve the problem ?
I think a debate like this actually creates awareness. If people are doing things and hiding, a forum like this will open them up and also, I don’t want to use the word disgrace, but will cause them to withdraw from these types of unethical attitudes.
This debate is just one of the aspects put in place by BOSCUDA and SNV to resolve problems around pastoral management. How much has this solved in the last two years.

I think all farmers in Ngokentunjia, Menchum and Dunga Mantung appreciate the level of understanding that is existing between farmers and grazers. Administrators, especially in these areas are now saying that farmer grazer problems are no more in existence and it is thanks to these types of intervention. This is the second face of intervention. As we have already said in the panel, we encourage platform discussions where farmers and grazers come and discuss their differences, their strengths and weaknesses and also see how they can address them as Cameroonians and as brothers and sisters.

What more do you think can be done to solve the problem of royalties ?
It is good to consider and admit the existence of Bororo people as citizens of this country. If you are treated in a way that you are not satisfied, the bottom-line is that you are looked upon as a second class citizen and if this issue can be addressed, I think there will be no more problems. There are non Bororos who are also grazers but they do not give royalties to these palaces and nobody complains, why ?

“Grazers are not comfortable when the royalties become a forceful tax,”

Fidèle Yobo, SNV Highlands

What prompted SNV to organise this debate ?
We noticed that during the period of transhumance, there are a number of practices in the field that are not very favourable to grazers. Not only to the Bororo grazers but all grazers and this is around taxes. We know that there are formal taxes and there are some informal ways of getting some additional money or dues from cattle owners that we found abnormal in the sense that these are abuses since they are not following any agreed norms or stipulated order and they are not also contributing to enhance the practice of grazing. At the end of the day, these levies contribute more to the personal interest of some individuals, officials or authorities. We thought that organising a discussion around such issues could contribute to first of all create awareness on what is formal, what is cultural and also create awareness on what is not acceptable because the country is for all of us and the resources are for all of us.

Do you actually think that the grazers are uncomfortable with the royalties they pay ?
The grazers are not uncomfortable with royalties. This has been practiced over the years but the grazers are not comfortable when the royalties become a forceful tax imposed on them from wherever it comes. We call them taxes when sometimes the gift becomes an imposition on the grazer. It usually comes from traditional authorities, administration and sometimes from councils in different forms. This is what grazers are not happy with. Grazers are not against paying their normal taxes, they are not against paying royalties to the palaces but grazers are not happy when these royalties sometime take the form of a forceful tax in the sense that some of these authorities take upon themselves to chose from the cattle herd what he wants.