By Nchumbonga George Lekelefac
On March 18, 2023, Mr Leonard Ewang Ngumbah Wolloh posted the following message on his facebook page from Dakar, Senegal: “Solemn visit to H.E President Ahmadou Ahidjo and his family at the Muslim cemetery in Yoff. He was the first President of Cameroon, holding the office from 1960 until 1982 when he resigned from office. He died (while on exile) in Dakar, Senegal on November 30, 1989 at the age of 65”.
I was fascinatingly intrigued when I read the post because he flew all the way from the United States to Dakar, Senegal, through Casablanca, Morocco. It would be interesting to note that Mr Leonard Ewang Ngumbah Wolloh is a Cameroonian Masters holder in International Policy and Practice from ‘The George Washington University, USA’ and is legally resident in Virginia State in the US. He has been considered a highly illustrious, ebullient and dynamically erudite Emeritus President of the 1997 Batch of Bishop Rogan Students resident worldwide (ABACULUM 97.). My question is: why did Mr. Ngumbah find out time to visit the tomb of President Ahidjo in Dakar, Senegal and how relevant is such an action to all Cameroonians? Before I answer this question, it would be of capital importance to answer another important question:
How did President Ahidjo end in a Foreign Country in Dakar Senegal, Africa?
President Ahmadou Babatoura Ahidjo was born on August 24, 1924 in Garoua, a major river port along the Benue River in northern Cameroun, which was at the time a French mandate territory.His mother was a Fulani of slave descent, while his father was a Fulani village chief. (Cf. Glickman 1992, p. 1; Melady, Thomas; Melady, Margaret Badum (2011). He died on the 30 November 1989. He was a Cameroonian politician who was the first President of Cameroon, holding the office from 1960 until 1982. (Cf. Wabo, Lebledparle com, Chancelin, 20 September 2018).
In 1946, Ahidjo entered territorial politics. From 1953 to 1957, Ahidjo was a member of the Assembly of the French Union. (Cf. Stark, Frank M., 1976). From 28 January 1957, to 10 May 1957, Ahidjo served as President of the Legislative Assembly of Cameroon. (Assemblée Nationale, Osidimbea La Mémoire du Cameroun. Encyclopédie, annuaire.)
In the same year he became Deputy Prime Minister in de facto head of state André-Marie Mbida’s government. In February 1958, Ahidjo became Prime Minister at the age of thirty-four after Mbida resigned. (Cf. Ibid.) On 1 October 1961, the two separate Cameroons were merged, establishing the Federal Republic of Cameroon with Ahidjo as the president and Foncha as the Vice President. (Cf. Melady, Thomas; Melady, Margaret Badum, 2011).
It would be interesting to know that President Ahidjo resigned, ostensibly for health reasons, on 4 November 1982 and was succeeded by Prime Minister Paul Biya two days later. (Cf. Joseph Takougang,2004).That he stepped down in favor of Biya, a Christian from the south and not a Muslim from the north like himself, was considered surprising.
Ahidjo’s ultimate intentions were unclear; it is possible that he intended to return to the presidency at a later point when his health improved, and another possibility is that he intended for Maigari Bello Bouba, a fellow Muslim from the north who succeeded Biya as Prime Minister, to be his eventual successor as president, with Biya in effectively a caretaker role.
Although the Central Committee of the ruling Cameroon National Union (CNU) urged Ahidjo to remain President, he declined to do so, but he did agree to remain as the President of the CNU. However, he also arranged for Biya to become the CNU Vice-President and handle party affairs in his absence. During the first few months of Biya’s administration, there was cooperation between Biya and Ahidjo. In January 1982, Ahidjo dismissed four CNU members who opposed Biya’s presidency. (Cf. DeLancey, Mark W., 1989).Additionally, that month, Ahidjo and Biya both went on separate speaking tours to different parts of Cameroon in order to address the public’s concerns. (Cf. Takougang, Joseph; Amin, Julius A., 2018).
Later that year, however, a major feud developed between Ahidjo and Biya. On 19 July 1983, Ahidjo went into exile in France, and Biya began removing Ahidjo’s supporters from positions of power and eliminating symbols of his authority, removing official photographs of Ahidjo from the public as well as removing Ahidjo’s name from the anthem of the CNU. (Cf. Milton H. Krieger and Joseph Takougang,2000).
On 22 August, Biya announced that a plot allegedly involving Ahidjo had been uncovered. For his part, Ahidjo severely criticized Biya, alleging that Biya was abusing his power, that he lived in fear of plots against him, and that he was a threat to national unity. The two were unable to reconcile despite the efforts of several foreign leaders, and Ahidjo announced on 27 August that he was resigning as head of the CNU. (Cf. Milton H. Krieger and Joseph Takougang/DeLancey, Mark W., 1989).
In exile, Ahidjo was sentenced to death in absentia in February 1984, along with two others, for participation in the June 1983 coup plot, although Biya commuted the sentence to life in prison. Ahidjo denied involvement in the plot. A violent but unsuccessful coup attempt in April 6, 1984 was also widely believed to have been orchestrated by Ahidjo. (Cf. Jonathan C. Randal,‘Tales of Ex-Leader’s Role In Revolt Stun Cameroon’, The Washington Post, 15 April 1984, page A01; Glickman 1992, p. 1.).
In his remaining years, Ahidjo divided his time between France and Senegal. He died of a heart attack in Dakar on 30 November 1989 and was buried there. (Cf. Cameroun: Ahidjo rentrera au pays en 2010, 2 July 2009 Way back Machine, Gabon Eco, 29 June 2009 (in French). He was officially rehabilitated by a law in December 1991. (Cf. Mamadou Diouf, Les figures du politique en Afrique (1999), page 84 (in French).
President Biya said on 30 October 2007 that the matter of returning Ahidjo’s remains to Cameroon was ‘a family affair’. An agreement on returning Ahidjo’s remains was reached in June 2009, and it was expected that they would be returned in 2010 (Cf. Ibid). However, as of 2021, Ahidjo remains in Dakar, buried alongside his wife, who died in April of that year. (Cf. Germaine Ahidjo buried in Senegal (Video), Cameroon Intelligence Report, 22 April 2021.).
Having enlightened you on the question: How did President Ahidjo end in a foreign country in Dakar Senegal, let us now see why President Ahidjo is important to every Cameroonian.
Why President Ahidjo is important to every Cameroonian
It is worthy of note that President Ahidjo is important to every Cameroonian because the chronicles of the history of Cameroon cannot be complete without his name and achievements. President Ahidjo played a major role in Cameroon’s independence from France. He was the first President of Cameroon, holding the office from 1960 until 1982. (Cf. Wabo, Le bledparle com, Chancel in, 20 September 2018). President Ahidjo left a lasting legacy of constructing unforgettable structures in Cameroon. I would like to mention just two out of many:
1) ‘The Unity Palace in Cameroon’, located in the erosion region in Yaounde and surrounded by verdant greenery in a serene location at Etoudi was constructed by President Ahidjo. It has been rated as the most beautiful presidential villa in Africa with towering pillars giving it a pleasant look. The Cameroon Presidential Palace got the spot as the number 1 most beautiful palace in Africa. (Cf. https://9jatoday.com/top-10-most-beautiful-presidential-palaces-in-africa/). Till date, it is the official residence of the president of Cameroon.
2) President Ahmadou Ahidjo constructed a Stadium known as the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium, which is a multi-purpose stadium in Yaoundé, Cameroon. It is used mostly for football matches and it also has athletics facilities. It was built in 1972. The stadium was renovated in 2016 ahead of the African Women Cup of Nations tournament. It has a capacity of 42,500 seats and is the home stadium of Canon Yaoundé, Tonnerre Yaoundé and the women’s club Louves Minproff. The stadium is also known as the home venue of the Cameroonian national football team, who drew the stadium’s record attendance of 120,000 in a football match in the 1980s. It is one of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations venues. (Cf. Europlan – Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo – Yaoundé (Jaunde); CAF publishes the official TotalEnergies AFCON Cameroon 2021 match schedule; Cameroon national football team statistics and records: Attendances.)It is my humble wish that someday, the mortal remains of President Ahidjo will be transferred back to Cameroon, his fatherland where he served selflessly.
Why did Mr. Ngumbah visit Ahidjo’s remains in Dakar, Senegal, Africa?
To my mind, the visit of Mr. Ngumbah to Mr. Ahidjo’s remains in Dakar, Senegal demonstrates a Cameroonian who has a passion for patriotism and who knows the history of his country of origin. Patriotism is defined as the feeling of love or devotion to one’s country or homeland. It is linked to the values, culture, history, and affection that a person has for the land where they grew up or belong. It is often seen as defensive and moderate, in contrast to nationalism, which is loyalty to one’s nation. It is also associated with the love of law and common liberty, the search for the common good, and the duty to behave justly toward one’s country.
His visit also demonstrates a Cameroonian who wants to connect with the history of his country of origin. Even if Mr. Ngumbah might have visited Dakar, Senegal for other reasons, it is admirable that he found out time to connect with the first president of Cameroon, his country of origin.
Interestingly, the motto of Cameroon is peace, work, fatherland. Peace stands for the peace in Cameroon. The hard work and fatherland is prove of the love for the country Cameroon.Every Cameroonian is called to be peaceful, hardworking and demonstrate a spirit of patriotism for Cameroon wherever. The visit of Mr. Ngumbah to the tomb of President Ahidjo is highly admirable and worth emulating by every Cameroonian who finds himself or herself in the future in Dakar, Senegal.
Nchumbonga George Lekelefac, Doctorandus, University of Münster, Germany; Europe / USA Correspondent of the SUN Newspaper; Founder/ CEO of Nchumbonga Lekelefac Institute of Research, Documentation, Language and Culture, USA.