Surprise and disbelief have spread among Cameroonians as revelations surface about former President Amadou Ahidjo’s financial decisions during his time in office.
He reportedly took an overdraft from the bank to construct a house in his native Garoua, instead of stealing from the state treasury as some African leaders of his time did.
Excerpts from the book titled, “Une décennie avec le Président Ahidjo” (A decade with President Ahidjo) revealed that Ahidjo asked his bank for an overdraft when he ran out of personal money to complete his house.
The 175-page journal, published by L’Harttan, was authored by Ahidjo’s close ally and erstwhile Secretary General at the Presidency, Samuel Eboua.
He served in that position between 1975 and 1982, when Ahjio left power.
In the journal, Eboua discusses who the Man Ahidjo was. The former President, who was Cameroon’s first leader upon independence in 1960, was known for his firm grip of power and persecution of his opponents.
But behind this savage character lay a genuine statesman, according to Eboua’s journal.
A section of the publication recounts a conversation where Eboua updates Ahidjo on the progress of his personal villa construction.
Ahidjo, in response, discloses that he had faced a similar situation when building his own house in Garoua, leading him to take an overdraft from the bank.
“I had managed to spend the weekend in my hometown,” Eboua wrote.
“I return to Yaoundé Monday evening, and on Tuesday morning, I am received by the President. I report to him on the progress of the work on my villa under construction in Nkongsamba: ‘A pit of funds,’ I tell him. The contractor demanded six million francs for labor alone. I have to buy all the materials myself, which are constantly diverted. Sometimes this is missing.”
Ahidjo, in response to Eboua, reportedly said, “Eboua, don’t talk to me about the construction business. Do you remember the project for my villa in Garoua? I took the estimate that was presented to me for the total amount of the work. Now, hold on, I have just been informed that this amount only relates to the structural work! It will still take twice that amount, if not more, for the finishing touches. I had asked for something simple, not a palace with marble everywhere. I need to contact my bank for an overdraft. I will never forget until I die the blow they did to me.”
Cameroonians, upon learning of Ahidjo’s financial decisions, expressed shock and disbelief, considering that, as president, he could have accessed state funds for such personal projects.
The journal glorifies Ahidjo for being a noble statesman in this scenario.
But on the contrary, Cameroonian history books say one of the reasons the former President resigned was because he and his friends had looted State funds.
Comparisons with the current state of the public service, reports of corruption and embezzlement by state officials have fueled public discourse on governance and financial practices in the country.
Amadou Ahidjo, who served as Cameroon’s first President from 1960 to 1982, is renowned for overseeing the development of various public infrastructure projects during his tenure.
Many of them today appear to be in shambles, especially the road infrastructure and the national airline Camair-Co, which is barely surviving.
Although literacy and public freedoms were relatively very low under Ahidjo’s rule, the former leader is credited for spurring growth in various sectors, especially infrastructure.
His legacy has been a subject of both praise and criticism, but more of criticism.
He surrendered power to the current president Paul Biya in 1982 and was later involved in a failed coup to overthrow Biya two years later.
President Ahidjo died in exile in Senegal on November 30, 1989, and was buried there.
