Paul Biya of Cameroun, one of Africa’s entrenched rulers, was a guest at Aso Rock last week. For me, it was a moment to reflect as one of the continent’s longest-serving president’s came to town. Biya became president in 1982 before General Muhammadu Buhari seized power in 1983 and the Cameroun leader remains in office in Buhari’s transformation to a civilian president 32 years after. Biya, 83, is expected to hold office till 2018 by which time he would have held power for 36 years.
He was prime minister for seven years from 1975 before taking over as president following the resignation of the Central African nation’s first leader, Ahmadou Ahidjo. In 2008, Biya revised the constitution to remove presidential term limits, allowing him to contest and win a 2011 vote. Biya is in the fifth year of his seven-year term.
This piece is not about how Biya has led his country or his personal relationship with Nigeria. He has been in power for so long, and as one of Nigeria’s closest neighbours has only visited twice. So this is an auspicious visit and one cannot help but raise pertinent questions: Why decide to visit Nigeria now? Perhaps because a president he can easily relate with (age wise) is in power. Just maybe.
Nigeria would have perhaps told this same kind of story some years back. A tale of a third term! I am sure you are well acquainted with that episode in our recent political history. I’ve always baffled at the quest of many African presidents who want to rule for life. But that is a tale for another day.
Only about two decades ago, Nigeria and Cameroon was on the brink of war over the ownership of the oil-rich Bakassi Peninsula and another area around the northeastern border. In fact, there were pockets of armed clashes. The Bakassi dispute was taken to the International
Court of Justice (ICJ) on March 29, 1994.
Bakassi lies just between the Cross River estuary, near the city of Calabar. It is situated at the extreme eastern end of the Gulf of Guinea, where the warm east-flowing Guinea current called Aya Efiat in Efik meets the cold north-flowing Benguela current called Aya Ubenekang also in Efik.
Let me not bore you with history. The ICJ gave a ruling in 2002 ceding Bakassi to Cameroon and as you can imagine, that ruling did not go down well with our country. Nigeria finally decided to hands off in 2008.
Albeit there is still a trail of hardship experienced by those who had to move back to the Nigeria. I am from Bakassi, the Bakassi on the Nigerian side is my home. It is the Calabar-South/Akpabuyo/Barassie Federal Constituency.
So back to Nigeria. It seems we never learn and this gets me afraid that change just may be far for all of us, citizens of this great country. When the Cameroonian President came visiting, with lovely
Mrs. Chantal (don’t you just love her?) he came with his cultural troupe. I was shocked to see that they were admitted to come and pleasure their president in Nigeria or perhaps it was for the entertainment of our president.
I cannot remember seeing a Nigerian President travelling with a Nigerian troupe when he is on a state visit. Where were our own troupes, the national troupes of Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo and Efik extraction if we didn’t have enough?
When do we start to say no to some things that put us down as a people? Before I get called out to say so what about it? I think when another country visits you; you showcase all your best so that the great story of your people go out.
Well, even food served at the State Banquet held in honour of the Cameroonian President and his team were mostly continental dishes.
Don’t you think it would have made a difference if there had been Nigerian dishes on display? The only Nigerian dish my eyes caught that night was Moin-Moin.
I’m reminded of the grand presidential dinner held to mark Nigeria’s 50th anniversary. On the menu which I think was served by one of the grand hotels in Abuja, dishes like creamy garri, quail breastfeeding (don’t ask me what that means, some may know), etc, were listed. I sat beside a minister from one of the African countries and she told me she had all the while been looking forward to tasting some of Nigerian meals.
As you see, I am still waiting for us to move past some of those things. Yes, your guests may not be receptive to your kind of meal, but if on display some may want to try it out. It is all about the love of your own country, putting your country into everything and not just the flag.
On another point, one part I am about to commend the President for is his choice of cabinet members. No pun intended here, but most of the people I saw on the Cameroonian entourage were mostly elderly with a few youth. How do they function well? The president is over 80 years and seems to prefer working with those close to his age? Where are the young people in Cameroun? Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with having old people in government, but our country Nigeria has graciously moved from that line. I believe even the oldest amongst Buhari’s cabinet (Audu Ogbe?) may be considered a young man in Biya’s entourage. You can figure out the rest from here. I rest my case.
As I write this, journalists at the Presidential Villa resumed the earliest on Friday hoping and praying alongside Nigerians that President Buhari gets to sign the budget before he heads home to Katsina for an investment summit. He is scheduled to travel to the United Kingdom next week. Did you just say again? Well yes, again!
And yes, he finally signed it. I will tell you about it next week. Keep a date.
Elizabeth Archibong
