Opinion: World’s oldest President, Paul Biya, turns 90 today

By Tata Mbunwe

Cameroon’s president, Paul Biya, is not only one of the longest serving presidents, but takes the rare title of the oldest elected leader on earth at the moment, with a whooping 90 years to his credit.

Born on 13 February 1933, Biya has ruled Cameroon as Head of State for nearly 40 years, his only age rival being Lebanon’s president Michel Aoun, who will turn 89 in September.

To commemorate his 90th birthday, Biya and his wife Chantal traveled on Sunday, February 12th, 2023, to his native Mvomeka village in the Country’s South Region.

For the past 39 years, Biya has ruled Cameroon with an iron fist, with a centralized grip over power.

While he has been credited for reintroducing multiparty politics in the country, making education more accessible, among other achievements, Biya’s Government has however been accused severally of rigging elections to keep him in power over these years.

Obviously, not everyone will be celebrating his birthday with him, for millions of Cameroonians are fed up with seeing the same face for 40 years now.

Biya’s walk into his 90th birthday will not be a gentlemanly one for most of his critics who think he should have relinquished power to the younger generation.

At the age of 39, Paul Biya was handpicked into presidency on 6 November 1982, by Cameroon’s first President, Ahmadou Ahidjo, on his resignation.

Before then, he had served as Secretary-General of the Presidency from 1968 to 1975 and then Prime Minister of Cameroon from 1975 to 1982.

Under Biya as President, critics say the country has slumped into more economic chaos, with unemployment, inflation and crime rate at considerably high levels, not forgetting the armed conflicts in the Far North, Northwest and Southwest Regions.

But he obviously has his praise singers too, who never run short of opportunities to shower praises at him.

Mimi Mefo Info