Cameroon’s Minister of Communication, Issa Tchiroma Bakary has firmly countered the comments made by Mrs Germaine Ahidjo on Radio France International, RFI.
The former First Lady, on exile in Dakar, Senegal, insinuated in a close to five-minute exclusive interview on November 24, 2014 that President Paul Biya is absolutely resistant to the repatriation of his predecessor’s remains.
President Ahidjo died in exile and was buried 25 years ago in Dakar.
In addition, Mrs Ahidjo placed the following conditions before her husband’s remains could be moved to Cameroon: she would accompany the exhumed corpse, a special amnesty should be granted unambiguously to her late husband, and the organisation of a State funeral must be made public.
It is against this background that Mr Tchiroma intervened on November 26, 2014 on RFI to redress Mrs Ahidjo’s expressed sarcasm. He characterised Mrs Ahidjo’s comments as manipulative and inaccurate to historical facts.
“President Paul Biya promulgated, in 1991, a law adopted in Parliament to grant amnesty to everybody (including late President Ahmadou Ahidjo) who had at one point went against State institutions,” he said.
While addressing the repatriation of Mr Ahidjo’s remains, Mr Tchiroma stated that: “the Head of State has indicated his government’s readiness to bring back the remains, under the approval and coordination of the former leader’s family.”
