Article 47 of the law of 22 December 1999
pertaining to the general statutes of public establishments and companies of
the public and para-public sector specify that directors general and, if need
be, their assistants have a maximum of nine years to occupy their respective
positions. However, it is most surprising that President Paul Biya who
promulgated this law has refused to respect it to the letter. He allows many of
these DGs to exercise their functions for as long as possible for reasons best
known to him alone. In the following analysis, we take a look at four of such
personalities, one of whom has been in his post of responsibility for as long
as 23 years!
AdolpheMoudiki, DG of SNH
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| AdolpheMoudiki, DG of SNH |
AdolpheMoudiki, the all-powerful director
general of the National Hydrocarbons Corporation, SNH, has been in that
enviable position since 1993! This means that for 23 uninterrupted years, he
has been at the helm of the state corporation that manages Cameroon’s oil and
which, to a very large extent, strategically ensures the economic and even
political stability of the country.
Although
the hand of age is now playing tricks on him, to the extent of rendering his
physique rather groggy, he remains a key figure in the Biya administration as
he has an unquestionable influence on some very important decisions of state.
Moudiki
literally acts for the most part behind the scene, but his influence was
greatly felt by the general public when, in his capacity as the SNH boss, he
supplied most of the funds (out of the state budget) for the purchase of the
presidential plane as well as the yatch christened Rio del Rey.
It
also filtered out to the public that it was this illustrious son of the
Littoral region who vehemently opposed the appointment of his closest
collaborator, Bernard Bayiha, as DG of Chantier Naval of which the SNH is the
biggest shareholder. It should be recalled that after the former minister of
Transport, Robert Nkili, had recommended Bayiha for that position, President
Paul Biya signed a decree appointing him. However, AdolpheMoudik raised a
strong argument to the effect that his collaborator’s presence by his side at
SNH was absolutely imperative. This caused President Biya to replace Bayiha
with Alfred NforgweiMbeng as DG of Chantier Naval.
Indeed
it takes only a dinosaur of Moudiki’scalibre to cause the President to budge in
this manner!
YaouAïssatou, DG of SNI
Commonly
referred to as the “Iron Lady” of the Biya administration, YaouAïssatou has
been manning the National Investment Corporation, SNI, since 2003. However,
even before her appointment to that post of responsibility, she had worked in
the corporation for long years. She actually joined it on 3 November 1975 as
deputy director of finance.
On
4 February 1984, barely 15 months after Paul Biya took office as President of
the Republic, she was appointed minister of Women’s Affairs. A few years later,
she became minister of Social and Women’s Affairs.
She
was later to be dropped from government after serving as minister for more than
15 years. Nevertheless, on 18 May 2000, the president of the women’s wing of
the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (WCPDM) resurfaced at SNI,
this time as the assistant treasurer of the house. On account of her discretion
and near anonymity in this position, little was said about her in public.
YaouAïssatou
began making headline news again when she was propelled to the topmost position
at SNI in 2003. However, she had some tense moments when she was suspected of
mismanaging public funds and was convoked a number of times for quizzing at the
special criminal tribunal. Sources say the suspicion came not because she truly
manifested financial rascality but rather owing to her alleged closeness to
MarafaHamidouYaya.
At one point in time, she was the
longest-serving member of government. Who knows if she will end up being the
longest-serving DG of a state corporation too?
