Simon Achidi Achu (5 November 1934 – 4 May 2021) was a
Cameroon
Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...
ian
politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...
who served as the
prime minister of Cameroon
Under the current Constitution of Cameroon, the Prime Minister of Cameroon is a relatively powerless position. While the Prime Minister is officially appointed to be the head of government, the President retains most of the executive power and c ...
from 1992 to 1996. Previously he was Minister of Justice from 1972 to 1975. A leading member of the Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM), Achidi Achu was appointed Chairman of the National Investment Corporation in 2003, and he was elected to the Senate of Cameroon in 2013.''Les Elites camerounaises: who's who in United Republic of Cameroon'' (1976), Bulletin de l'Afrique noire, page 6.''Africa Year Book and Who's Who'' (1977), Africa Journal Ltd., page 1,033.
Early life and career
Achidi Achu was born in
Bamenda
Bamenda, also known as Abakwa and Mankon Town, is a city in northwestern Cameroon and capital of the Northwest Region, Cameroon, Northwest Region. The city has a population of about 2 million people and is located north-west of the Cameroonian ca ...
and grew up in
Santa
Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring children gifts during the late evening and overnigh ...
, located in the Northwest Province of Cameroon. He completed primary education in Santa and then continued to Cameroon Protestant College, where he had his GCE Ordinary Level. Pa Achu later continued to the
University of Yaoundé
The University of Yaoundé (french: Université de Yaoundé) was a university in Cameroon, located in Yaoundé, the country's capital.
It was built with the help of France and opened in 1962 as the Federal University of Yaoundé, dropping the "Fe ...
, where he participated in the creation of the Student Association, which still exists. He also served as the association's first president. He continued his studies in
Marseille
Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
.
Political career
Achidi Achu was a state magistrate from October 1965 to October 1966.Christophe Dongmo "CL-Experts : Achidu Achu and the “Opposition Devil Plan” during the 1992 Presidential Elections" Camerounlink.com, 10 June 2008. Later, he was appointed Minister Delegate at the State Federal Inspectorate in late October 1971. He was subsequently appointed Minister of Justice by Cameroonian President Ahmadou Ahidjo on 3 July 1972,Cameroonian government page on Achu . remaining in that position until 1975. Pa Simon then returned to Santa and started the Rock Farm Ranch as a farmer.
He stayed out of politics for several years, then he was elected as a member of the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...
. President
Paul Biya
Paul Biya (born Paul Barthélemy Biya'a bi Mvondo; 13 February 1933) is a Cameroonian politician who has served as the president of Cameroon since 6 November 1982.
later appointed him Prime Minister on 9 April 1992, following the March 1992 parliamentary election. He was the first
Anglophone
Speakers of English are also known as Anglophones, and the countries where English is natively spoken by the majority of the population are termed the ''Anglosphere''. Over two billion people speak English , making English the largest language ...
Prime Minister of Cameroon.
On 10 October 1992, the day before the 1992 presidential election, Achidi Achu appeared on Cameroon Radio and Television and addressed the people in French, his second language. In this address, he accused the opposition, led by Social Democratic Front (SDF) candidate
John Fru Ndi
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second E ...
, of having a "diabolical plan" (''plan diabolique'') to prosecute and execute the leading figures of the state, government, and military if it won the election, and he urged the people to reject the opposition in order to avert potential violence and instability.
Following Biya's victory in the 1992 election, Achidi Achu remained Prime Minister until 19 September 1996, when he was replaced by
Peter Mafany Musonge
Peter Mafany Musonge (born 3 December 1942 , ''Afrique Express'' .) is a
2004 presidential election and was the president of the campaign's support and follow up committee in the Northwest Province. He has also headed the discipline commission of the CPDM. During the campaign for the July 2007 parliamentary and municipal elections, Achidi Achu was a member of the CPDM's Central Campaign Committee; he was also President of the CPDM Provincial Campaign Committee in the Northwest Province.
In 2009, Achidi Achu became one of three members of the CPDM North West Section's newly established Council of the Wise, which was intended to formulate strategy and tactics to enable the CPDM to attain dominance in the North West Province, where the opposition Social Democratic Front (SDF) has been traditionally dominant.
In the April 2013 Senate election, Achidi Achu was elected to the Senate as the top candidate on the CPDM's list for Northwest Province. When the Bureau of the Senate was elected on 12 June 2013, Achidi Achu received the post of Vice-President of the Senate."Le bureau élu du Sénat" ''Cameroon Tribune'', 13 June 2013 .
He died on 4 May 2021, at the age of 86, after recovering from an illness in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
.Décès de l'ancien premier ministre camerounais Simon Achidi Achu