President Paul Biya: Life, Achievements Presented in Two Books

Cameroonians and citizens of the world at large since Friday, September 21, 2018 better know the life, evolution and the achievements of President Paul Biya thanks to two books published about him. The two books authored by Oswald Baboke, Assistant Director of the Civil Cabinet of the Presidency of the Republic were presented during a heavily attended ceremony at the Yaounde Hilton Hotel. The books are illustrated with 1088 photographs.

Book I

Volume one is entitled, “Paul Biya: The Mandates of the President.” This is a 317-page bilingual book illustrated with 602 speaking photographs. This volume has four parts including a forward and introduction.

Part one is entitled “The Apolitical Seven –year terms” and focuses on the birth of President Paul Biya on February 13, 1933 in Mvomeka’a to the catechist Etienne Mvondo Assam and Anastasie Eyinga Elié. It further talks of his primary school life as a brilliant pupil of the missionaries at the Nden Catholic Mission School. From here, he attended the Saint Joseph Minor Seminary in Akono.

After the BEPC, he abandoned the seminary and went to High School at Lycée Général Leclerc in Yaounde. His university life was at the Institute des Hautes Etudes d’Outre-mer of Paris France, where he learned political know-how.

He also obtained a DESS at the Faculty of Law in Paris. Part two of the book is entitled the “Administrative seven year-term term” that focuses on Biya’s return to Cameroon and his duties as a senior civil servant from 1962 to 1969. From 1968 to 1975, he was Minister of State, Secretary General at the Presidency of the Republic.

From 1975 to 1982, he was the Prime Minister. Part three is the Political seven –year terms that covers the period 1982 to 1989 in which Paul Biya is presented as President of the Republic and the early experiments in democracy, the arrival of Multi-partism covers the period 1990 to 1997.

Here the humanitarian activities of the First Lady Chantal Biya are also exhibited. Part four of the book is on “The Seven &nd...