Race for PM job:

AgborTabi was unstoppable after all

- A profile

Prof. Peter AgborTabi, the Minister, ASG of the presidency and CPDM heavyweight, who died recently in Nueilly France, is one Anglophone who was always linked with a move to the Star Building as Prime Minister. Even though he never declared such an ambition, political pundits always projected him as the candidate with the best pedigree for the exalted job. They are still saying so even after his death. 

By Ojong Steven Ayukogem in Yaounde

Since way back in the mid 1990s when elites of the South West region through SWELA, mounted pressure on President Biya to appoint one of theirs as PM, and that was after Foncha, Jua, Muna, AchidiAchu (all from the NW) had taken turns as either PM, Speaker of the National Assembly or Grand Chancellor, for over three decades, AgborTabi was considered by many as the South Westerner most psychologically prepared to handle the complexities attendant with the job of PM. Some even considered him a PM in waiting.

                Yet, political commentators contended that by linking AgborTabi with a move to the Star Building as PM, the press was only creating enemies for him. The commentators argued that the Yaounde regime thrives on scheming and expediency; it is a conflict-prone system that always puts its major actors against one another.

                Reason why it was believed that by projecting AgborTabi, the press had only put him on a war path with other Anglophone contenders for the PM post. 

                And that was why when AgborTabi suffered a malaise and collapsed during a public event in Buea on 26 April 2015, many did not hesitate to conclude that he had been struck by a mystical bullet fired by one of his political adversaries.

                AgborTabi’s partisans argued that even if in the unlikely event that he was not in combat, the mere fact that he was in an arena of war, did not spare him the bullets of his enemies. And many believed this to be true given the hidden nature of political combats here, which are sometimes and perhaps more often by witchcraft.

                When Christopher Nsalai died suddenly in 2008, it was widely believed that he was cut down on the battlefield of his quest for the PM job. Former PM Thomas Ephraim Inoni also complained about witchcraft experiences he suffered whilst in office. The sitting PM, Philemon Yunji Yang, also collapsed at least once when he worked at the Presidency as ASG. Former PM, Senator Peter MafanyMusonge was once feared dead when he collapsed at a public event at the Yaounde Conference Centre during his days as PM.

                That was why AgborTabi’s partisans argued strongly that despite his collapse in Buea, his chances of becoming PM were still intact.

                His supporters argued that none of the names that were also cited as possible replacements for Philemon Yang were more deserving of the PM job than their candidate. They supported their argument by brandishing AgborTabi’s career report card, and his sterling performance as a trusted ally of President Biya.

                Born on 23 February 1951 in Ndekwai village in Manyu Division of the South West Region, AgborTabi attended the Bilingual Grammar School Man’o war Bay (now BGHS Molyko, Buea) from 1965 to 1971; he was among the first group of students to sit and pass both the Francophone BEPC and the GCE “O” Levels.

                After his “A” Levels at the same institution, AgborTabi in 1975 bagged a bilingual degree from the then University of Yaounde. He had also in 1972 obtained the ‘Certificatd’EtudeFrancaise’ from the university of Dijon, France.

                With his quenchless appetite for knowledge, AgborTabi would later travel to the USA where he bagged successively a Master’s Degree and a PhD in Political Science and International relations from the University of South Carolina in 1978 and 1982 respectively. 

                Upon returning to the country in 1982, he began his career as lecturer at IRIC Yaounde. He later in 1984 became the Deputy Director of the institution. In 1988 he was made the Director of the school.

                Perhaps, his performance at IRIC caught the attention of President Biya, who decided to entrust him with yet another exalted job, this time a more trying one.

                That was how AgborTabi in 1991 became the Chancellor of the University of Yaounde. In this position he had the arduous task to implement the very unpopular reforms that government had adopted for University education in Cameroon, notably the proscription of bursaries and the institution of tuition fees. Yet, AgborTabi did not fail in this daunting assignment. 

                The institution of these unpopular reforms easily transformed the university campus into a war zone, as students uprisings became the order of the day.

                But the young (he was slightly over 40 then), courageous and fearless AgborTabi stunned the entire nation and left many watching in awe, when he in no time, restored calm on the campus.

                 He suggested to government to build a perimeter fence all round the campus. Even though the students protested against the erection of the fence, AgborTabi stood his ground, sometimes folding the sleeves of his shirt to face the raging students. He succeeded to erect the fence. Today that fence not only demarcates the boundaries of the University campus, it also affords security and protection for students.

                AgborTabi also succeeded to stop bursaries for students and imposed the payment of tuition fees.   

                It was perhaps in recognition of these sterling achievements that President Paul Biya after creating six new universities in 1993 retained AgborTabi as the pioneer rector of the University of Yaounde-1.

                AgborTabi would later on 21 July 1994 become the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific research, with mission to get the newly created universities fully functional and operational. Again, he did a wonderful job, as all the six universities went fully operational at short notice. 

                It was at this moment that political pundits started predicting that AgborTabi would be made the PM. Even though, some analysts still expressed reservations as to whether he would be able to translate his huge success as university manager into political leadership at the post of PM, giving the complexities and multi-dimensional demands of the post. 

                But as fate would have it, President Biya did not hand AgborTabi the PM job. He chose instead “little known” Peter MafanyMusonge from the CDC to replace AchidiAchu as PM.

                And the new PM, MafanyMusonge, who considered AgborTabi more as a rival than a loyal collaborator, took the first opportunity offered him by Biya and threw AgborTabi out of the government in 1997.

      Despite this slap on his face, AgborTabi did not turn his back on Biya. He returned to the classroom at IRIC and continued militating in the CPDM.

                So, when AgborTabi re-emerged like a phoenix 0n 30 June 2009, following his appointment as Minister, ASG of the Presidency, after staying for 12 good years in political wilderness, many wasted no time to say he had been brought back to be prepared for what had been denied him before - the PM job.

                But AgborTabi dies only now; just when it is widely believed that his distance from the Star Building was just at an arms length.

                Yet, he will be remembered as one of the few Anglophones ever to be dropped from government as minister and brought back. The only others were AchidiAchu, Christopher Nsalai (RIP) and Philemon Yang.

NB: This profile of AgborTabi was first published in The Median, issue No 151 of 4 May 2015