Célestin Tawamba, president of the Groupement des Entreprises du Cameroun (Gecam), has asked Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute to arbitrate a land dispute with Crescence Baboke, wife of the deputy director of the civil cabinet at the presidency, over a parcel in Mfandena, in Yaounde V subdivision.
The dispute concerns 1,003 square metres registered under land title No. 1701/Mfoundi in the name of Société civile immobilière Le Neyang, which Tawamba represents. The title was established on 12 April 2016 after a subdivision. On 5 April 2021, the Ministry of State Property, Surveys and Land Tenure issued an order granting Baboke a provisional concession of 487 square metres at Meyong Ndzengue. Le Neyang says the concession overlaps its registered property.
In September 2021, the Court of First Instance of Yaounde-Ekounou ordered a halt to construction on the contested land. On 27 February 2024, Minister of State Property Henri Eyebe Ayissi issued order No. 00562 withdrawing the provisions of the 5 April 2021 order that had granted Baboke the provisional concession, citing the parcel's legal unavailability. Le Neyang then sued for eviction and demolition before the Mfoundi High Court, seeking a penalty of 250,000 XAF per day of delay.
In a letter to Dion Ngute dated 28 September 2026, Tawamba said he received a copy of a new land ministry order dated 3 September 2026 declaring his land title void on public policy grounds, shortly before a court ruling expected on 24 September 2026. He asked whether the administration can be asked to change its position each time an earlier decision does not produce the result sought in court. The prime minister's response was not known.