NEVER REALLY SAY, NEVER
It is said that
life is unpredictable. An example is
that of Cameroon`s current Minister at the Presidency of the Republic in Charge
of State Control, Eyebe Ayissi Henri. Within the space of fifteen years or so, his
fortunes have risen, fallen and risen again.
Once when
Paul Biya announced a cabinet reshuffle, Eyebe was appointed Minister of Town
Planning and Housing. Barely two years later in 1992, he was dropped and left
out in the cold for six years until 1998 when he became Inspector-General of
Services in the Ministry of Higher Education. That was when Jean Marie Atangana
Mebara was the Minister. Often I met with both men during sessions of the
National Commission for Private Higher Education to which Jean Marie Atangana
Mebara had appointed me as a member.
Eyebe struck
for several reasons. When he met with me he spoke English, despite his faults. Whenever
the minister was coming in to chair our meetings, Eyebe preceded him and adjusted
his seat reverently. He also did it when the minister was about to rise. And I
said to myself, “what humility!”
Also, when I
wrote to minister requesting to be appointed Head of the Communication Unit in
his ministry because the post was vacant, it was to Ayissi that Mebara sent the
file. Unfortunately, I lost the job because they needed someone who was already
a civil servant. I was not.
Later, Eyebe
was appointed Inspector-General for Electoral Issues at the Ministry of
Territorial Administration and Decentralization while Mebara was made Secretary
General at the Presidency of the Republic. After that Mebara became Minister of
External Relations. At the time he was removed from External Relations to be
charged with embezzling state funds, it was Eyebe who was appointed to replace him.
So this time he and Mebara met in the same room as equals, one outgoing and one
incoming.
Since Eyebe`s
comeback, he has distinguished himself twice. First, he courageously told off
Yaounde-based diplomats for being unfair to Cameroon. That did not go
unnoticed. Furthermore, Paul Biya rewarded him by appointing him to the the
“hangman” portfolio of Minister in charge of State Control. That is a sensitive ministry whose mission is to denounce
administrative and financial malpractices of his own peers. But he is there and
at least for now, holding the fort.
Humility, hard work, serving people, honesty, trust and continuous learning should be the pedigree of every one, whether elected, appointed, civil servant, state agent, contract worker or law enforcement personnel. Where ever you find yourself, serve your community. The current Governor of California Mr. Jerry Brown was once Governor of same state years ago. He ran for office of President of the United States and almost won. There after he ran for and was elected Mayor of Sacramento, a city that was under him when he was Governor. From there he was elected Attorney General of California. When term limits forced out Arnold Schwarzenegger Mr. Jerry Brown was once again elected Governor. Before becoming Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was a Professor at Stanford University. After she left Washington, she returned to teaching at Stanford. Where am I going with this? Well in Cameroon when someone is appointed Minister, some of them do not see themselves ever going back to a lower office or at the level from where they were appointed Minister. With the many cabinet reshuffles that have taken place in Cameroon, you can find people doing nothing for years with the idea they are waiting to be re-appointed Minister. Let me say that while waiting, keep actively serving the nation even if it means going back to teach at the High School from where you were appointed Minister.
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