Ahmadou Ahidjo
| Ahmadou Ahidjo | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 1st President of Cameroon | |
|
In office 5 May 1960 – 6 November 1982 |
|
| Succeeded by | Paul Biya |
| 1st Prime Minister of East Cameroon | |
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In office 1 January 1960 – 15 May 1960 |
|
| Succeeded by | Charles Assalé |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
24 August 1924 Garoua, Cameroun |
| Died | 30 November 1989 (aged 65) Dakar, Senegal |
| Nationality | Cameroonian |
| Spouse(s) | Germaine Ahidjo |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
Ahmadou Babatoura Ahidjo (24 August 1924 – 30 November 1989) was the first President of Cameroon from 1960 until 1982.
Ahidjo was born in Garoua, a major river port along the Benue River in northern Cameroun, which was at the time a French mandate territory. His father was a Fulani village chief, while his mother was a Fulani of slave descent.
Ahidjo's mother raised him as a Muslim and sent him to Quranic school as a child. In 1932, he began attending local government primary school. After failing his first school certification examination in 1938, Ahidjo worked for a few months in the veterinary service. He returned to school and obtained his school certification a year later. Ahidjo spent the next three years attending secondary school at the Ecole Primaire Supérieur in Yaoundé, the capital of the mandate, studying for a career in the civil service. At school, Ahidjo also played soccer and competed as a cyclist.
In 1942, Ahidjo joined the civil service as a radio operator for a postal service. As part of his job, he worked on assignments in several major cities throughout the country, such as Douala, Ngaoundéré, Bertoua, and Mokolo. According to his official biographer, Ahidjo was the first civil servant from northern Cameroun to work in the southern areas of the territory. His experiences throughout the country were, according to Harvey Glickman, professor emeritus of political science at Haverford College and scholar of African politics, responsible for fostering his sense of national identity and provided him the sagacity to handle the problems of governing a multiethnic state.
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