The Golden, the Ugly: Intricacies in the Invalidation of the West Cameroon Civil Service: 1961-1972

This paper examines double edge intricacies for the invalidation of the West Cameroon Civil Service following the adoption of a unitary constitution in 1972. it argues that the West Cameroon civil service was golden but ugly and the choice of invalidation stemmed both from the complications that ensued and the personal scheme of the then President, El Hadj Ahmadou Ahidjo. These conclusions have been arrived at backed by primary and secondary sources. The findings reveal that, while the English-speaking Cameroonians blame Ahidjo and their Francophone counterparts for the problems and eventual abolition of the West Cameroon Civil Service, the British colonial administration and the West Cameroonians especially the KNDP led government of John Ngu Foncha must also share the blame. Ahidjo saw the continued existence of the West Cameroon Civil Service as a threat to his unitary state ambition and consequently worked out plans for a gradual absorption by the federal government. But, the KNDP government joined him to politicize the said civil service and the shortage of personnel was the result of lack of will on the part of the British Trustee to train qualified civil servants including technicians in the former British Southern Cameroon. It is hoped that this paper will directly or indirectly contribute to the current debates and advocacies for and against the return of the federal system under which the West Cameroon Civil Service operated.

Keywords: Golden, Ugly, Invalidation, Intricacies, West Cameroon, Civil Service