Though not the first Nigerian leader to visit Cameroon, President Muhammadu Buhari’s two-day trip to the country may be well be one of the most memorable.
Buhari, who was the fourth Nigeria’s President to visit the country behind former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, the late Umaru Yar’ Adua and Goodluck Jonathan, completely seized the airwave and cyberspace many days before the visit.
Apart from a tumultuous crowd that turned out to welcome and bade him fareware, almost all the programmes on television, radio and social media in the country completely focused on Buhari’s visit.
Discussions at any little gathering of Cameroonians also centred on Buhari with excitement of the visit glaringly showing on their faces.
Different groups of women, men and youth in the various colourful Cameroonian national attires dancing and showcasing their culture were at many points between the Yaounde International Airport and the Hilton Hotel, where Buhari stayed.
They were also on the roads leading to the Presidential Villa, known as the ‘Unity Palace’ and on many roads in the city.
At every point, security personnel had hectic day keeping the crowd in check to prevent them from spilling to the roads in excitement.
While armed security personnel dotted the two sides of major roads in the city, snipers were strategically positioned on top of high rise buildings looking out for troublemakers.
Any road where vehicles were allowed to ply prior and during the visit, had many check points where the vehicles and passengers were thoroughly screened.
Pedestrians were not left out as they were made to open any bag on them for searching.
Shops, doors and gates to buildings by the roadside of Buhari’s routes were shut throughout the visit.
Nigeria and Cameroon flags and banners with various messages on the strong ties between the two countries were hung on the two sides of the road at intermittent intervals
Besides the rolling out of drums by the Cameroonians and Nigerians residing in the country, the visit is viewed as a great plus for security in the sub region aimed at defeating the Boko Haram terrorists.
The visit is also expected to boost bilateral relations between the two countries
As part of the communique read in the presence of the two leaders at the end of the visit by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Defence, Ismail Aliyu, the two leaders agreed to complete the demarcation of the land border between Nigeria and Cameroon before the end of the year in order to concentrate on enhancing cross-border cooperation.
They also endorsed the commitments made at the Extraordinary Summit of the Lake Chad Basin Commission and Benin Republic held on June 11, 2015 in Abuja.
The two leaders agreed to strengthen security collaboration along their common border under the auspices of the Nigeria-Cameroon Trans-Border Security Committee and within the framework of the implementation of the concept of strategic operations approved at the Abuja Summit.
They reaffirmed their determination to strengthen cooperation with other neighbouring countries for the rapid elimination of terrorism and other security threats.
Thanking the United Nations, the African Union, the ECOWAS, Economic Community of Central African States and other bilateral and multilateral partners for active solidarity against Boko Haram, they reaffirmed their support for the implementation of the Lake Chad Basin Commission’s Five-Year Investment Programme (2013-2017).
This seeks to save Lake Chad, restore its ecosystem and promote the socio-economic development of the people living within the basin.
The two leaders also welcomed the first meeting of Governors of contiguous states and regions on the Nigeria-Cameroon border in Yaounde, calling for such regular meetings to strengthen collaboration between the two countries.
One of the governors on the visit, Adamawa State Governor, Jibrilla Bindow said: “I am very happy to be part of this team. Though it concerns me because I am one of the governors that are affected by this insurgency, Adamawa is one of the frontline states.
“As you know, Mr. President is a serious person and the Cameroonians are very happy to meet him. We the six governors that came with the president are also highly impressed.
“Our expectations are very important for our people. Apart from the insurgency that affects the North East states, Yobe in particular because of the mountains around the state. I’m sure Boko Haram will soon be a thing of the past.
“It is also highly important, Cameroon and Nigeria has already signed an MoU to reconstruct the road between Demse-Belel-Jimeta-Gerei. So we are very impressed and looking forward to seeing some of the implementations of what we have agreed. The road is very important for the movement of goods and services.”
On his part, Cross Rivers State Governor, Ben Ayade, said: “It has been a fantastic outing, a closed-door meeting between President Buhari and Paul Biya, with extensive outcomes. Emphatically looking at the Boko Haram menance and see how, through that bilateral cooperation, they can curb the incidences of Boko Haram.
“My hope is that a joint patrol team will be set up, a collaborative effort will be set up to check the Chadian corridor, which will check proliferation of small and light arms to Nigeria. My expectation is that the day of Boko Haram will soon be over.”
Avoiding past mistakes
Will you like a President who appears to be very fast with policies that get the country nowhere or a seemingly slow President who properly articulates his policies and hit the mark for the progress of the country.
Many Nigerians, no doubt, will definitely go for the second category of President in order to have their expectations and yearnings met.
This is a poser for those who may already be feeling that President Muhammadu Buhari, after two months in office, is not as fast as they want.
In this direction, the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa last week Tuesday called for patience.
He said: “Change is not by magic it is driven by the people, the spirit and the character and the planning. We have had so much problem in this country in the past because we run into policy blind folded without adequate and effective planning.
