Emperor Paul Biya @ 90!

Paul Biya @ 90!

Ninety years sojourning as a Homo sapien in this world is no mean feat. It is a remarkable existential accomplishment not given to every mortal. From every stretch of imagination it represents a glorious story of longevity! Again, when one spent these years, forty out of which spent seated on the ‘throne’ as an emperor, then life could not have been better.

The average life expectancy of the average Cameroonian in particular and African in general is less than fifty years! Now, President Paul Barthélemy Biya’a bi Mvon (better known simply as Paul Biya) of Cameroon recently celebrated a milestone as he marked his ninety years birthday! Rumours online even had it that the President was more than his declared age of four scores and ten. The critics argued that he was either 95 or 97.

In Africa age falsification is not seen generally as a ‘crime’. Soccer players declare lower ages in order to fit into an age bracket and therefore be able to play in age-limited international football tournaments. Sometime ago a whole Cameroonian youth team was disqualified from participating in an international soccer championship because of age discrepancies.

Back home in Nigeria politicians are notoriously known to falsify their ages, names and academic qualifications in their desperate bid for power. Ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo was said to be above the official birthday he celebrates annually. President Muhammadu Buhari is equally alleged to be older than his declared official age.

But the worst culprit is the APC ruling party’s presidential candidate in the forthcoming presidential poll, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. The former controversial Lagos State Governor is roundly accused of fixing his age, names and academic credentials. If he becomes President come May 29th by winning the February 25th election then Asiwaju Tunubu would be dogged by a severe legitimacy crisis arising from his links to narcotics trade in the States and godfatherly graft in Lagos.

Paul Biya has dominated the Cameroonian political landscape for more than four decades. He came to power in 1982 following the resignation of the late President Ahmadou Ahidjo. Since then emperor Biya has consolidated power using brutal methods and tactics. A combination of state terrorism, corruption allegations and intimidation are always used to whip the opposition into line.

Indeed, he remains a strongman of Yaounde! Since he conquered the coupists from the presidential guard who had wanted to topple him early enough in his presidency, jailing some and executing others, Biya has maintained a strong hold on power.

The Nigerian celebrated award-winning author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, once deplored the Biya power longevity in Cameroon wondering if no one was man enough to challenge the dictatorship. Well, Cameroonians like living it big, drinking beer and having sex than preoccupying themselves with removing a tyrant from power.

Emperor Biya is comfortably in power in a semblance of democracy. The next presidential poll is scheduled for 2025. But even at that there is no plan for any succession; it is Biya forever!

Generally in Africa, leaders hardly quit or resign unless taken six feet below by an incurable malady or toppled by a bloody putsch. Biya is not alone in trying to die in executive power. In Uganda, President Yoweri Museveni is poised to remain in command till his last breath. President Obiang Mbasogo is not in any hurry to retire. President Isaias Afewerki is like a King with no elections ever since Eritrea seceded from Ethiopia in 1991.

Maurice Kamto and his opposition forces have tried their best to teach Biya some lessons in opposition but they have failed to make any impact, suffering in the process harassment, intimidation, brutality and imprisonment. In Uganda the popular rap star, Bobi Wine, had engaged Museveni in the last presidential poll but he and his youthful supporters were given bloody noses. Wine himself had been beaten, tortured, arrested and jailed on flimsy excuses of disturbing public peace.

In ‘Mbasogoland’ opposition does not exist. Obiang and his flamboyant son, Teodorine, are fully in power. And they share it with no one. In Eritrea Afewerki rules and every one else follows without asking questions. Many Eritreans had elected to migrate to Europe by using the Libyan road connections.

Emperor Biya has stabilized the system in his country. That is true! Sometimes he goes on a long vacation abroad (preferably Switzerland) and at other times he disappears from the public view for months without any accompanying official statement to that effect.

While stability reigned for decades under Buya in a bi-lingual country, however, there has been this very violent secession war being waged by armed elements of Anglophone Cameroon. They are determined to achieve a separate English-speaking country called Ambazonia. Like the Biafran secessionist struggle in South-eastern Nigeria the Ambazonians had taken up arms to protest against years of institutional discrimination, marginalization and injustice.

Thousands had been killed and thousands more injured. The state and non-state actors, much like in Biafraland, have been engaged in a mortal battle for or against freedom!

Now, with Biya not in the mood to name his successor, himself getting ever closer to the grave, the cabal around him (including his Jezebel of a second glamorous wife, Chantal) are scheming to position themselves for the inevitable post-Biya, sooner or later.

We ‘celebrate’ Emperor Biya @ 90! We wish him many more years of dictatorial services to the Cameroonian nation.

 

SOC Okenwa

soco_abj_2006_rci@hotmail.fr

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