News that Cameroon’s 91-year-old ailing president, Paul Biya, will be back today has triggered a wave of activities, with ministers paying out of pocket to mobilize Cameroonians to wait for the dying President.

Two weeks ago, a similar situation occurred with CPDM militants waiting at the airport but after a long and boring wait, the hungry and cash-strapped militants were asked to go home without further explanation. Many had to cover more than ten kilometers on foot and on empty stomachs and they never got what they had been promised.

The president’s failing health was the reason for the cancelation of the project to receive him and his entourage.

Are those waiting militants sure that the 91-year-old Biya has fully recovered and will sit on that airplane? There is every indication that Biya will not be in Cameroon for the next couple of months. He is a colony of diseases and his age makes it hard for him to fly long distances. Any form of sedation to get him to fly might send him into eternal rest.

Cameroonians must be vigilant. Though a flight has just taken off from Geneva to Cameroon, nobody has confirmed that Biya is on that flight.

Cameroonian authorities have proven that they are unreliable. Cameroonians should insist on seeing pictures of Mr. Biya being received at the airport by the Prime Minister and other senior officials of the government. Only pictures and videos should convince Cameroonians that Biya is still alive.

By Chi Prudence Asong