-“They failed in their attempts to send me to jail; now they have succeeded with the car accident.”
The cold hands of death have silenced what observers describe as the CPDM piper, Mayor of Douala V in the Littoral region and one-time Member of Parliament, Francoise Foning. Madam Foning died a couple of days ago, after a motor accident.
Francoise Foning is remembered for always leading standing ovations for the presidential couple during public ceremonies. She is also noted for giving the President the floor in major Congresses by singing her famous intro; Le president….. Le President…..Il va parler…., Il va parler.
This has made her so strong and influential in the presidency and in the party more than even sitting ministers and other top government officials.
Madame Francois Foning, entrepreneur and staunch supporter of Paul Biya, got involved in an accident while travelling on the Douala-Yaounde Highway where she attended the 4th elective assembly of the United Cities and Councils of Cameroon, UCCC.
Her death was announced by officials of the Yaoundé Central Hospital around midday Friday Jan 23.
Her driver lost control around Ebebda after trying to avoid a motorbike on top speed. Her vehicle overturned so many times leaving her with so many fractures and bruises on her body. She was rushed to the emergency unit of Yaoundé Central Hospital where she later passed away.
In 2003, Foning was victim of a road accident around Nomayos in the Centre region. She was later evacuated to France for intensive medical care. Reports from Yaounde say, prior to her death, an evacuation plane had arrived the hospital for her evacuation at about 10 am but she couldn’t make it as she passed on an hour later.
It is also reported that in one of her last statements in the hospital bed, she told political friends who came visiting, that her enemies failed sending her to jail but have finally succeeded getting her through the car accident.
Reports from Douala have it that the compound of Francoise Foning was crowded by the population as the wailing was intense for such a loss. Francoise Foning who was born in 1949, was also section president of the governing CPDM Party in the Wouri V.
According to a blogger, De Braun Hill, “All I ever thought about her was that she was a pipe-piper for the CPDM and a staunch supporter of Biya. Well after hearing about her death, I scouted the internet for more information on her. This woman was a hardworking entrepreneur who had built a business for herself from her humble beginnings and ended up rubbing shoulders with the very powers that ruleth the state”.
On several occasions after an opposition win in the Litoral or anywhere, she is reported to have collapsed, when the Social Democratic Front Party won in Douala in 1996, Francoise Foning is said to have collapsed.
Josias Gassesse on April 3 2014 in a write up termed ‘Françoise Foning: the impressive success of a former office employee’, alleged that the former employee of a municipality of Douala decided to take her fate in her hand in creating in 1967 the restaurant “New style”, her very first company. She afterward created a transport company with two taxis. In 2005 she counted 150.
Positions of responsibility Mayor of Douala, Executive Vice-president of African businessmen Round Table, President of businesswomen group of Cameroon, President of African network for feminine entrepreneurship, International Vice-president of French-speaking forum of business, President of the NGO “World women business managers, Consultant in finances and managements at African Development Bank, Permanent Secretary for Central Africa of training center AGOA (African growth opportunity Act).
Foning received several awards. Grand Officer of Cameroonian Merit; she was also rewarded Queen of Bafo (Ménoua) group royal court before receiving Njih (award in sultanate Bamoun royal court).
