Unity Palace Esplanade:Mounting Anxiety Satisfied

When the gates of the Unity Palace were thrown wide open at 10:40 a.m. on November 6, 2018 for President-elect Paul Biya accompanied by the First Lady Chantal Biya to go for the oath-taking ceremony at the National Assembly, thousands of people who had filled the esplanade of the Unity Palace expressed excitement through singing, dancing and cheering.

The light departure motorcade drove slowly as President Biya and wife waved in response to the cheering population most of whom wore the President’s campaign fabric, T-Shirts, CPDM uniform and impressive dance groups whose members were dressed in distinctive traditional attires of their regions of origin.

As the motorcade drove along the Unity Palace-National Assembly itinerary, the curious population followed keenly in two giant television screens where they had scrambled for space. Indeed, the excitement of the population could be likened to that of fans and supporters of a darling football team in a competition as they shouted with joy with some of them dancing and raining praises on the Head of State during major highlights of the swearing-in event at the National Assembly.

The veritable long awaited time came around 1:10 p.m. when the gates of the Unity Palace were once more flung wide open to receive President Paul Biya who after taking the oath of office had ceased from being the President – elect to the full President with powers to pilot the ship of State for the next seven years christened, “Great Opportunities.”  The motorcade that drove at snail’s pace, had become dense with the chivalry constituting a major component. The motorcade escorted President Paul Biya and Wife Chantal Biya right to the main entrance to the Unity Palace.

At this moment solemnity came in as President Biya alighted from the car for military honours mounted by the Presidential Guard. After the ritual, he mo...