President Biya’s 13 Days Abroad: Over FCFA 1 Billion Spent, Media Reports Say

African and European heads of states who attended the Africa-EU summit in Bruxelle returned to their countries immediately the meeting ended but President Paul Biya of Cameroon has gone missing newspapers say. Speculations as to whether President Paul Biya is actually on holidays have been casted. Newspaper reports last week speculated that during the past 13 days stay in Europe, President Biya has spent close to a billion FCFA. One French Daily, Le Messenger reported last weekend that ever since the Africa-EU Summit ended in Belgium, President Biya and wife, Chantal Biya are yet to return to Cameroon. According to the news report, the prolonged visit has gulped the state treasury about FCFA 1 billion. Le Messenger went further to expose that information on the website of the Hotel where the head of state and First Lady are lodging in Switzerland have also shown how much the couple is spending of the tax payers’ money. It is alleged that an ordinary room at the Intercontinental hotel is estimated at FCFA 440,061, yet President Biya’s delegation is made of 15 security officials, 5 personal hotel staff, 10 attaché and 02 technical advisers. Globally, his entourage is made up of 32 persons. According to Le Messenger, a hotel bill for the head of state’s entourage for the 13 days is about FCFA 183,065,376. The paper also speculates that the head of state and wife must be living in a Presidential suit which cost FCFA 1.2 million per night and when multiplied by 13 sums up to FCFA 15.6. However, according to Le Messenger, the above expenses cover only lodging. Yet when the cost of renting a plane for the trip and feeding is added to the above expenditures, the total money consumed from the state treasury will be above a billion FCFA. 

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