Inside the Presidency:

Urgent Decrees Waiting for Biya’s Signature

- Appointment of 30 Senators

- Appointment of Secretaries-General & DGs

- Operation Sparrow-Hawk

Following the proclamation of the results of the 25 March Senatorial election, by the constitutional council on Thursday 5 April, President Paul Biya is expected to sooner than later appoint 30 senators to complete the 100 seats in the senate. Recall that 70 senators were declared elected in each of the 10 regions, making a total 70 elected senators.

            The constitution gives the president the prerogative to appoint 3 senators from each of the 10 region. The President has a deadline of 10 days to exercise this exclusive prerogative. So he is expected to sign the decree appointing the 30 senators on or before 15 April. Sources say the president’s agents had already completed the consultations with potential appointees and the list has already been forwarded to the President.

            Another hot file that the president must attend to is that concerning the appointment of secretaries-general of ministries. It is understood that since for several months running several ministries have been without secretaries general. They include the ministry of communication; Ministry of Secondary Education; Ministry of Higher Education; Ministry of Agriculture and rural development; Ministry of Environment and Nature Protection; Ministry of Public Service and Administrative Reforms and the Supreme State Audit Department. All these ministries have but interims occupying the post of SG.

            Apart from these two files, the president may also be constraint to make changes at the helm of some public corporations. This is because the petroleum depot company, SCDP is without a DG, after its DG, Gaston Eloundou Essomba was on 2 March appointed Minister of Energy & Water in replacement of Basile Atangana Kouna.

            Also, with leaked security cables talking about the prohibition of foreign travels for some senior state functionaries, it is expected that the president may instruct the judicial authorities to arrest of some of those public managers suspected financial and managerial crimes.

             Some of the names of public managers barred from travelling abroad include: former MINDEF, Edgar Alain Mebe Ngo’o, Camtel DG, NKoto Emane David, Rector of UNIYAO II, Minkoa Shey Adolphe etc etc.