After Appointing A New Gov’t On January 4, 2019, President BIYA In An Unprecedented Situation Did Not, Carryout Any Cabinet Reshuffle, Throughout The Last Mandate.
Joe Dinga Pefok (Uncle Joe)
Despite A Number Of Big Scandals That Came Up Like The COVIDGATE And OLEMBEGATE, There Was No Cabinet Shakeup During The Last 7 Year Mandate Of President BIYA. This Also Gives Credit To The Petition That Was Filed At the Constitutional Council By Prof OLIVIER BILE, That President Biya Be Removed From Office, On The Grounds That He Now Lacks The Physical And Mental Capacity To Rule.
After the October 1992 presidential election, President Biya reshuffle the cabinet, in which he brought in persons like Issa Tchiroma Bakary and Hamadou Moustapha, who jumped into the CPDM government behind the back of the National President of the UNDP, Bello Bouba Maigari. Biya did not appoint a new Government, certainly because he did so a few months earlier, that is, after the March 1, 1992 legislative and municipal elections. Hon Simon Achidi Achu was appointed Prime Minister.
Meanwhile, during the presidential mandate, there was cabinet shakeup in 1995, when Issa Tchiroma for example was dropped from government. After the 1997 presidential election, President Biya appointed a new government, before the end of year, That was for example, when Bello Bouba Maigari and his UNDP Party, entered the government, after officially signing an alliance with the ruling CPDM. Before the next presidential election in 2004, there was a cabinet reshuffle on March 18, 2000. Prof Jacques Fame Ndongo for example was appointed Minister of Communication, Laurent Esso appointed Minister of Public Health, Bidoung Mkpatt was appointed Minister of Youth and Sports, and so on.
.After the October 11, 2004 presidential election, a new government was appointed on December 8, 2004. During that presidential mandate, President Biya on September 22, 2006 carried out a cabinet reshuffle. That was when for example, Prof Elvis Ngolle Ngolle, was appointed Minister of Forests and Wildlife, with Mengot Victor Arrey Nkongho, appointed to replace him in his former post of Minister in charge of Missions at the Presidency. Less than one year later, there was another cabinet shakeup, precisely on September 7, 20207. Louis Paul Motaze was for example appointed Minister of Economy, Planning and Regional Development, while Paul Atanga Nji was appointed Minister in charge of Missions at the Presidency, and Dr Fuh Calistus Gentry (a geologist) appointed Secretary of State in the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Technological Development.
Why There Was A Change Of Gov’t In 2009.
Meanwhile, still during the presidential mandate of 2004 – 2011, President Biya appointed a on June 30, 2009 appointed a new government, with Philemon Yang replacing Chief Ephraim Inoni as Prime Minister. The change was linked to the fact that the name of Ephraim Inoni, appeared in two case files on alleged embezzlement of the funds, at the then newly created Special Criminal Court. The embezzlement allegedly took place some years back, when Chief Inoni was Deputy Secretary General at the Presidency and Board Chair of Standard Chartered Bank Cameroon, and Yves Michel Fotso, was General Manager of Cameroon Airlines, CAMAIR. One of the two allegations against Inoni, had to do with payment for a plane that was hired by the Presidency for use by the President of the Republic. Worth noting that it was also in the new government that President Biya appointed on June 30, 2009, that Issa Tchiroma Bakary, made a comeback to government, as Minister of Communication.
Meanwhile, Biya did not appoint a new government after the October 9, 2011 presidential election, probably because Philemon Yang had just been in office as Prime Minister for barely two years. So President Biya instead carried out a cabinet reshuffle on December 9, 2011. That was when for example, Doh Jerome P. was appointed Secretary of State in the Ministry of Justice and keeper of the Seals, in charge of Penitentiary Administration. Fugui Jean Pierre was also appointed Minister Delegate to the Minister of Justice and Keeper of the Seals, to fill the vacuum that was left by Prof Maurice Kamto, who resigned from government a few days before the December 9 cabinet reshuffle.
Two More Cabinet Reshuffle s
Before the next presidential election in 2018, President Biya carried out two more cabinet reshuffles or cabinet shakeups. The first was on October 2, 2015. That was when for example, Joseph Beti Assomo, who was Governor of the Littoral Region, was appointed Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of Defence, and a senior member of the Judiciary, Mme Mbah Acha nee Fomundam Rose Ngwari, was appointed Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of Supreme State Control. The next cabinet reshuffle came up on March 2, 2018, with Paul Atanga Nji for example appointed Minister of Territorial Administration and, Prof Nalova Lyonga Pauline epse Egbe appointed Minister of Secondary Education.
No Cabinet Reshuffle In Seven Years, Despite Scandals
But come to think of it, that since President Biya appointed the ‘Dion Ngute Government’ on January 4, 2019, following the October 7, 2018 presidential election, he, did not carry out a single cabinet reshuffle or shakeup, throughout the seven year mandate, or up to the next presidential election which came up on October 12, 2025. That is, President Biya during the seven years long mandate did not do any cabinet shakeup, more so, when some very big financial scandals involving some members of Government, and even some close collaborators of the President of the Republic were reportedly involved. We are talking especially of the scandals commonly known as COVIDGATE and OLEMBEGATE.
Yet, President Biya was quoted to had on ’high instruction’, demanded that the Audit Bench of the Supreme Court investigate into the management of the over 180 billion francs CFA that the State borrowed from the International Monetary Fund, IMF, to fight the COVID -19 pandemic that shook the world in 2020. The State allocated the money to the government to fight against the pandemic. But even though the funds had to do with protecting the lives of Cameroonians, part of the funds was reportedly embezzled by some members of Government and accomplices. An elaborate report of a meticulously done audit, carried out by the Audit Bench of the Supreme Court, in which some members of Government, some of their collaborators, as well as some contractors, were incriminated, was sent to the President of the Republic. But till date, nothing has happened. This is a clear indication that President Biya is no longer in control.
OLEMBEGATE And ‘Medals Of Shame’
Come to think of what happened after the so much public outcry a few years ago, over, what is commonly known as OLEMBEGATE. it had to do with the alleged embezzlement of a huge part of funds that the State borrowed, for the construction of an ultramodern Sports Complex at Olembe, in the outskirt of Yaounde, in the buildup to the African Cup of Nations, AFCON, that Cameroon hosted in early 2022. President Biya, through high instruction, instead gave medals to some senior government people, who were involved in overseeing the big project that failed. The National President of PCRN and member of the National Assembly, Hon Cabral Libii Ngue, rightly qualified the medals as, “medals of shame”. This medal scandal was another case that raised serious questions, about the mental capacity of President Biya, who is now in his 90s.
Late Members Of Gov’t Not Replaced Till Date – The Case Of Alim Hayatou
Another thing in the last couple of years which shows that President Biya is no longer what he used to be, definitely because of age and longevity in power, is the fact that some members of Government, who passed away during the last presidential mandate of 7 years, were not replaced by the President during the mandate, and have even till date not been replaced. The long serving Secretary of State in the Ministry of Public Health, Alim Hayatou, passed away on April 5, 2021, that is close to five years today, but has so far not been replaced. Worth noting, that Alim Hayatou, as Secretary of State in the Ministry of Health, was among other things in charge of Pandemics.
Worth noting, as well, that Alim Hayatou was from the historic town of Garoua, where he was also Lamidou. He was the only CPDM member of Government from Garoua, or better still, Benoue Division. After his death, the Benoue CPDM wrote several complaints to President Biya and the hierarchy of the ruling CPDM, crying out that the CPDM was now an orphan in the historic town of Garoua, as it had no member of Government. They argued that such a situation was definitely not good for the CPDM, especially considering that two ‘opposition’ party leaders that were in government, Bello Bouba Maigari and Issa Tchiroma Bakary, were both from Garoua or Benoue Division. But even so, President Biya who is the National President of the CPDM did not react.
The Case Of Late Dodo Ndoke Gabriel And Adoum Gargoum
Meanwhile, Dodo Ndoke Gabriel, who was Minister of Mines, Industry, and Technological Development, passed away on January 21, 2023 in Yaounde. President Biya designated the Secretary of State in the Ministry of Mines, Industry and Technological Development, Dr Fuh Calistus Gentry, as Interim Minister. Till, date, President Biya has neither confirmed Gentry as minister,, nor appointed another person to replace late Dodo Ndoke Gabriel ad minister. Also, the Minister Delegate to the Minister of External Relations in charge of the Islamic World, Adoum Gargoum, passed away. Till date, President Biya has not appointed somebody to replace him.
Issa Tchiroma Bakary And Bello Bouba Maigari, Resigned From Gov’t
Also, on June 24, 2025, the Minister of Employment and Vocational Training, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, National President of FSNC, resigned from the Government, ahead of the October 12 presidential election, at which he was a candidate. The Minister of State in charge of Tourism and Leisure, Bello Bouba Maigari, National President of UNDP, also resigned from the Government ahead of the October 12, 2025 presidential election, at which he was a candidate. Two northern members of Government, Mainouna Foutsou, Minister of Youths and Physical Education, and Mbairobe Gabriel, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, were respectively also designated to temporary replace Issa Tchiroma Bakary and Bello Bouba Maigari as Int
Glaring Indications That The President Has Serious Problem
These are all indications that President Biya no longer has the capacity to run the country, as the National President of ‘Les Liberateurs’, Prof Olivier Bile, stated in his petition to the Constitutional Council, demanding that Biya be relieved of the duty of President of the Republic. When it becomes a difficult task for the President of the Republic to replace a late member of government, a difficult task to appoint a new government or do a cabinet shakeup when the government or some members plunge into a big financial scandal, or difficult task to appoint a new government after a presidential election, and more so when from all indications the government in place so badly failed to deliver in the last presidential mandate, then the President himself definitely have serious problems.
