Maikano Abdoulaye
Encyclopedia
Maikano Abdoulaye is a Cameroon
ian politician. A veterinarian by profession, he held various positions in the government of Cameroon from 1970 to 1983, ultimately serving as Minister of State for the Armed Forces. Later, he was the Government Delegate to the Urban Commune of Garoua
from 1996 to 2009, and since 2009 he has held the post of Roving Ambassador
.
in Chad
from 1947 to 1948. As a Muslim
, he learned to recite the Koran as a child, although he did so without any knowledge of Arabic
. He was included in the first group of students from northern Cameroon to be sent to France
in 1950; the group was sent by Ahmadou Ahidjo
, who was a delegate in the Representative Assembly of Cameroon. After completing veterinary studies in France, he returned to Cameroon in July 1964; by that point Cameroon had obtained its independence, with Ahidjo as its President.
From 27 July 1964 to January 1966, Maikano was deputy head of the northern sector of animal husbandry at Maroua
. He was appointed as Director of Animal Husbandry and Animal Industries at East Cameroon's Secretariat of State for Animal Husbandry in 1966.
Maikano was viewed as a loyalist of Ahidjo, who was President until resigning on 4 November 1982; after he resigned, Ahidjo was succeeded by Prime Minister Paul Biya
. According to Maikano, he was not informed of Ahidjo's resignation in advance and learned of it along with the rest of the country; he also said that Ahidjo called him and other members of the northern elite into a meeting and asked them to "work with [Biya] as you have with me". Maikano initially retained his post as Minister of State for the Armed Forces under President Biya, but a political feud soon developed between Ahidjo and Biya. Biya dismissed some Ahidjo loyalists from the government on 18 June 1983, although Maikano still kept his post; Ahidjo reacted angrily to the changes and called the ministers from northern Cameroon to a meeting at his home later on the same day. At that meeting, he told the northern ministers that they should resign from the government, hoping that by doing so they would undermine Biya. Maikano also held a meeting in Yaoundé
at the home of Ibrahim Wadjiri, the Delegate-General of the Gendarmerie, at which he explained Ahidjo's plan to top military officers from the north, while also telling the officers that they should stay out of the situation due to its political nature. Ahidjo did not go forward with his plan, however, and he went into exile on 19 July 1983.
A month later, on 22 August 1983, Biya publicly accused Ahidjo of plotting a coup d'état; on the same occasion, he dismissed Maikano and another Ahidjo loyalist, Prime Minister Bello Bouba Maigari
, from the government. Gilbert Andze Tsoungui was appointed to replace Maikano. When dismissing Maikano and Bello Bouba, Biya did not explicitly accuse them of involvement in the coup plot, but the timing of their dismissal nevertheless implied that they were suspected of involvement. Ahidjo was tried in absentia for the 1983 coup plot and was sentenced to death by a tribunal on 28 February 1984; on that occasion, the tribunal proposed that Maikano and Bello Bouba should also be placed on trial. However, Biya halted the legal proceedings against them.
Although Maikano was suspected of involvement in the April 1984 coup attempt, which failed after heavy fighting in Yaoundé, he was subsequently appointed as Director of the National Veterinary Laboratory (LANAVET), located near Garoua, on 14 September 1985.
Maikano retired on 31 December 1993, but Biya called him out of retirement to serve as Government Delegate to the Urban Commune of Garoua in 1996. Biya appointed Maikano to that post following the victory of the opposition National Union for Democracy and Progress
(UNDP) in Garoua's municipal election; the atmosphere in the city was tense and Maikano, as the representative of the government, was greeted with hostility from the UNDP. According to Maikano, however, he was not interested in confrontation and intended only to improve the situation in Garoua through dialogue and his experience.
During his tenure as Government Delegate, Maikano said that he remained on good terms with President Biya, although they rarely met. He credited Biya with helping him when he went to France for medical treatment. In his capacity as Government Delegate, Maikano was present for the inauguration of the American Corner at the Garoua Municipal Library on 13 December 2006 and expressed gratitude for the donation of materials and resources by the United States
Embassy. Maikano remained in his post as Government Delegate until a successor took office on 1 March 2009; on that occasion, he was praised and credited with restoring calm to the city. Maikano was then appointed as a Roving Ambassador by President Biya on 30 June 2009.
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
ian politician. A veterinarian by profession, he held various positions in the government of Cameroon from 1970 to 1983, ultimately serving as Minister of State for the Armed Forces. Later, he was the Government Delegate to the Urban Commune of Garoua
Garoua
Garoua is the capital of the North Province of Cameroon, lying on the Benue River. The city had 235,996 inhabitants at the 2005 Census, and is an important river port.- Overview :...
from 1996 to 2009, and since 2009 he has held the post of Roving Ambassador
Ambassador-at-large
An ambassador-at-large is a Diplomat of the highest rank or a Minister who is accredited to represent his country internationally.Unlike an ambassador-in-residence who is usually limited to a country and/or embassy, the ambassador-at-large is entrusted to operate in several usually neighboring...
.
Education and early career
Maikano was born in Gaschiga, located in the Garoua arrondissement of Benoue Department. He received his primary education at Garoua's regional school and attended secondary school at BongorBongor
Bongor is a city in Chad, the capital of the region of Mayo-Kebbi Est. It is located on the eastern bank of the Logone River. During the rainy season , the Logone is navigable between Bongor and N'Djamena, Chad's capital...
in Chad
Chad
Chad , officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west...
from 1947 to 1948. As a Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
, he learned to recite the Koran as a child, although he did so without any knowledge of Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
. He was included in the first group of students from northern Cameroon to be sent to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in 1950; the group was sent by Ahmadou Ahidjo
Ahmadou Ahidjo
Ahmadou Babatoura Ahidjo was the first President of Cameroon from 1960 until 1982.-Early life:Ahidjo was born in Garoua, a major river port along the Benue River in northern Cameroun, which was at the time a French mandate territory...
, who was a delegate in the Representative Assembly of Cameroon. After completing veterinary studies in France, he returned to Cameroon in July 1964; by that point Cameroon had obtained its independence, with Ahidjo as its President.
From 27 July 1964 to January 1966, Maikano was deputy head of the northern sector of animal husbandry at Maroua
Maroua
Maroua is the capital of the Far North Region of Cameroon, on the Ferngo and Kaliao Rivers. The city had 201,371 inhabitants at the 2005 Census,and is a centre of cotton industry. The city also has an airport located near the town of Salak, an agricultural school and ethnographic museum. To the...
. He was appointed as Director of Animal Husbandry and Animal Industries at East Cameroon's Secretariat of State for Animal Husbandry in 1966.
Political career
Maikano was first appointed to the government of Cameroon as Minister of the Civil Service on 12 June 1970. He was instead appointed as Minister of Planning and Urban and Regional Planning (Aménagement du territoire) on 3 July 1972, and then as Minister of Animal Husbandry and Animal Industries on 30 June 1975. Three years later, on 2 May 1978, he was moved back to his former post as Minister of the Civil Service. His name was officially changed from Abdoulaye Maikano to Maikano Abdoulaye on 9 March 1979. He was appointed as Minister of the Armed Forces on 17 July 1980, and he was promoted to the rank of Minister of State on 7 January 1982, while retaining the armed forces portfolio. He was Acting Prime Minister for a time in 1982.Maikano was viewed as a loyalist of Ahidjo, who was President until resigning on 4 November 1982; after he resigned, Ahidjo was succeeded by Prime Minister Paul Biya
Paul Biya
Paul Biya is a Cameroonian politician who has been the President of Cameroon since 6 November 1982. A native of Cameroon's south, Biya rose rapidly as a bureaucrat under President Ahmadou Ahidjo in the 1960s, serving as Secretary-General of the Presidency from 1968 to 1975 and then as Prime...
. According to Maikano, he was not informed of Ahidjo's resignation in advance and learned of it along with the rest of the country; he also said that Ahidjo called him and other members of the northern elite into a meeting and asked them to "work with [Biya] as you have with me". Maikano initially retained his post as Minister of State for the Armed Forces under President Biya, but a political feud soon developed between Ahidjo and Biya. Biya dismissed some Ahidjo loyalists from the government on 18 June 1983, although Maikano still kept his post; Ahidjo reacted angrily to the changes and called the ministers from northern Cameroon to a meeting at his home later on the same day. At that meeting, he told the northern ministers that they should resign from the government, hoping that by doing so they would undermine Biya. Maikano also held a meeting in Yaoundé
Yaoundé
-Transportation:Yaoundé Nsimalen International Airport is a major civilian hub, while nearby Yaoundé Airport is used by the military. Railway lines run west to the port city of Douala and north to N'Gaoundéré. Many bus companies operate from the city; particularly in the Nsam and Mvan neighborhoods...
at the home of Ibrahim Wadjiri, the Delegate-General of the Gendarmerie, at which he explained Ahidjo's plan to top military officers from the north, while also telling the officers that they should stay out of the situation due to its political nature. Ahidjo did not go forward with his plan, however, and he went into exile on 19 July 1983.
A month later, on 22 August 1983, Biya publicly accused Ahidjo of plotting a coup d'état; on the same occasion, he dismissed Maikano and another Ahidjo loyalist, Prime Minister Bello Bouba Maigari
Bello Bouba Maigari
Bello Bouba Maigari is a Cameroonian politician. He was Prime Minister of Cameroon from 6 November 1982 to 22 August 1983 and has been the National President of the National Union for Democracy and Progress since January 1992...
, from the government. Gilbert Andze Tsoungui was appointed to replace Maikano. When dismissing Maikano and Bello Bouba, Biya did not explicitly accuse them of involvement in the coup plot, but the timing of their dismissal nevertheless implied that they were suspected of involvement. Ahidjo was tried in absentia for the 1983 coup plot and was sentenced to death by a tribunal on 28 February 1984; on that occasion, the tribunal proposed that Maikano and Bello Bouba should also be placed on trial. However, Biya halted the legal proceedings against them.
Although Maikano was suspected of involvement in the April 1984 coup attempt, which failed after heavy fighting in Yaoundé, he was subsequently appointed as Director of the National Veterinary Laboratory (LANAVET), located near Garoua, on 14 September 1985.
Maikano retired on 31 December 1993, but Biya called him out of retirement to serve as Government Delegate to the Urban Commune of Garoua in 1996. Biya appointed Maikano to that post following the victory of the opposition National Union for Democracy and Progress
National Union for Democracy and Progress (Cameroon)
The National Union for Democracy and Progress is a political party in Cameroon, drawing its main support from the north of the country. It was established as an opposition party in the early 1990s and won the second largest number of seats in the 1992 parliamentary election...
(UNDP) in Garoua's municipal election; the atmosphere in the city was tense and Maikano, as the representative of the government, was greeted with hostility from the UNDP. According to Maikano, however, he was not interested in confrontation and intended only to improve the situation in Garoua through dialogue and his experience.
During his tenure as Government Delegate, Maikano said that he remained on good terms with President Biya, although they rarely met. He credited Biya with helping him when he went to France for medical treatment. In his capacity as Government Delegate, Maikano was present for the inauguration of the American Corner at the Garoua Municipal Library on 13 December 2006 and expressed gratitude for the donation of materials and resources by the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Embassy. Maikano remained in his post as Government Delegate until a successor took office on 1 March 2009; on that occasion, he was praised and credited with restoring calm to the city. Maikano was then appointed as a Roving Ambassador by President Biya on 30 June 2009.