For Africa Report with Crystal Oldison.

Crystal Ordison, we've already started talking about this.

Cameroon's ninety two year old president, Paul Bier is the world's oldest head of state.

He wants an eighth term in the Toba election to extend his forty three years of rule.

What has he not done that he still needs to do after forty three years at nine two.

Pun GANI on your theme of age, So you will basically stay in office antleast one hundred years old?

Can you lay no man imagined?

So firstly, he doesn't live in Cameroon.

You know, he lives permanently at some hotel in Switzerland.

Can you imagine the cost attached to that?

And in last year he was basically not heard or seeing for more than forty days and the rumor or were just going, you know, absolutely crazy.

And then the media they were actually banned from reporting on Ba's health.

And so I had met some Cameroonian diplomats and I had asked, you know, what is this about?

And I mean they themselves were diplomats, and you know, for a number of years, because you know, in South Africa you maybe have a five year term, you come back home, not in Cameroon.

You just hold onto your position and that's ultimately what it's about Bongani.

It's about holding the political elites around.

Paul Beer is holding onto power.

He allows for patronage for you know, the elites to continue to have access to resources, contracts, positions, et cetera.

And they are the ones keeping Paul Beer basically, you know, giving him the leverage and forcing him, I think, to stay in power.

Unfortunately, the sadness Bogani is no strong opposition candidate either, the opposition divided, they don't have a strong candidate.

And ultimately it means that for a country that is actually quite rich, as a Cameroonian told me once, we are waiting to take off, but we can't because Paul Bea is holding us back.

And I think that's ultimately the sad story about this.

They're keeping that, they're keeping him there to steal essentially because he says he's responding to insistent public calls for him to stay on.

Let's keep it themed aged.

Nigeria's former president, Mohammadu Bohari died in a London clinic this past weekend.

Was buried yesterday.

He only stepped down, of course two years ago and he was eighty two.

Yes he was, and you know blaz May He's sole rast in peace Sponghani.

But you know the name that Nigerians referred to him was Baba go Slow because the decisions, everything took much slower.

I covered one of those elections where Bojari was really at but of course President Bola Tinuba hailing Bohari as a patriot, a soldier, a statesman who led with quiet strength, profound integrity and an unshakable belief in Nigeria and its potential.

However, if we look at Bohari's track record, the economy really tanked.

It was COVID, we had insurgency in the North, Bokoha ram and also the economy foul into recession.

So unfortunately Nigerian's point out to that was the legacy.

However, yesterday in the North, private ceremony for Bohari, playing tribute to a man who had led Nigeria one first as a military dictator and later then as a statesman.

You know what I can think of one president maybe closer to home, that could be called Baba go Slow.

But I won't go there.

Crystal Ordison with this morning's Africa Report.