Biya’s Cling To Power

At 92, Cameroonian President Paul Biya, who assumed power in 1982, recently hinted at seeking another term in office in the country’s election scheduled to be held on October 12, later this year.

If he contests and wins, and there is nothing to suggest that he won’t, it will be Biya’s eighth term. This is yet another recognition for a man who holds the record as the world’s longest-serving president.

No amount of gaslighting will justify the fact that at 92, Biya who ought to have excused himself from governance even on the strength of old age is still warming up for political action. However, it seems he is not done yet, the fact that his country has not fared any better notwithstanding.

But Biya’s clinging to power is not an isolated scenario on the continent, which, despite having the world’s most youthful population, has become home to one of the world’s oldest and longest-serving leaders.

There is a long list of these leaders, most of whom have either stayed decades in power or are way too old to withstand the challenges and rigours of modern-day governance, but have refused to leave power.

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The list includes: Alassane Ouattara (Ivory Coast, 82), Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo (Equatorial Guinea, 82), Emmerson Mnangagwa (Zimbabwe,82), Joseph Boakai (Liberia, 79), Yoweri Museveni (Uganda, 80), Abdelmadjid Tebboune (Algeria, 78), Ismail Omar Guelleh (Djibouti, 76), Bola Tinubu (Nigeria, 73)

It is ironic that on a continent where 70 per cent of its population is under the age of 30, leadership and critical decision-making are still being done by persons who ordinarily should be enjoying their retirement from public service.

In Cameroon, for example, what has Biya done to deserve yet another term? Considering the fact that age has set in for him, should he not relinquish power to someone much younger and more vibrant?

In a March 2021 assessment of Biya’s years in power, Julius Amin, a professor of History at the University of Dayton, Ohio, USA, noted that Biya’s most enduring achievement is in his foreign policy.

Amin noted that Biya drove a solvent economy into insolvency and implemented policies that targeted and undermined certain groups.

After four decades in power, what is the fate of the Cameroonian economy? It is on the brink of collapse, pure and simple. The country ranked 91 in the world based on GDP amidst an economic growth that slowed from 3.6 per cent in 2022 to 3.3 per cent in 2023.

According to the World Bank, Cameroon’s poverty reduction has remained stagnant in the last 20 years under President Biya, with about four in 10 citizens living below the poverty line. The 2021-2022 household data survey showed that 23 per cent of the country’s 29,879,337 population live below what is termed the extreme international poverty line.

One area where the country has not fared better is in tackling corruption. According to Transparency International’s 2024 Corruption Perception Index, Cameroon ranked 140 out of 180 countries sampled.

The country is battling weak governance, which has impeded its ability to attract investors and grow. All of these gloomy pictures are outcomes of Biya’s long years of inept leadership. Yet Biya, who no longer has age on his side, is seeking another term.

With a vibrant youth population, Cameroon deserves a leader who has the wisdom of the old and the vibrant energy of the youth. That clearly is no longer present in Biya. He has to acknowledge this and give way to fresh blood.

This newspaper is firm in its belief that Biya’s continued hold on power is a disservice not just to his health but to the country, which has been deprived of the chance to breathe freely.

Perhaps the time is ripe for the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States and other regional organisations to prevail on the continent’s sight-tight leaders.

As it is often said, a good actor takes a bow from the stage when the ovation is loudest. Biya and others like him, who have spent decades in power and no longer have the luxury of age but still cling on to power, need to be told in unmistakable terms that they have overstayed. It is time to make room for younger persons to assume power.