However when news reached late Amadou Ahidjo that, the father of Souleymane was preparing his son for a trip to Saudi Arabia, in order for junior Soulaymane to become an Imam, he (Ahidjo) is claimed to have cried: “what a waste!” He ordered for senior Souleymane to be brought to Yaoundé along with junior Souleymane, immediately they were back from their tour of northern Nigeria. When the Souleymanes came back from their Nigerian trip, they were directly flown to Yaoundé, where they met with the late former head of state. But when Ahidjo proposed to senior Souleymane that, the state wanted to send Souleymane to France for further education instead of Saudi Arabia, he (senior Soulaymane) refused. But when Ahidjo persuaded him in Fulani language that, his was to study first to Yaoundé and later on to France, where he will be groomed or trained and upon completion, he will come back to Cameroon to rule over the Christians, senior Soulaymane accepted Ahidjo’s offer. But senior Souleymane still wanted an imam in his family, for it was a hallmark of a noble family to have an imam in their fold, hence Souleymane’s younger brother was send to Saudi Arabia. The deal proposed by late president Amadou Ahidjo to the father of Souleymane shows how the trajectory of Souleymane Mahamat changed.
He came to Yaoundé and registered at the School administration and Magistracy, better known in it French acronym as ENAM and upon graduation, he continued his education in France. Thereafter, he came back to Cameroon and was given the strategic post of director of finance at the National Oil refining Company in Victoria. Although he was the financial director, he was being groomed to replace the White French man who was the director general. It is an understatement to stress hereon that, Souleymane Mahamat was the eyes and ears of Ahmadou Ahidjo at SONARA. As soon as Souleymane Mahamat began working at SONARA, in Victoria, he abandoned the virtuous religious track in which he was brought up. Others will refer or identify him as a moderate muslem, but for a person groomed within strict Islamic tradition and was programmed to become a Muslim cleric quickly, his transformation was tantamount to blasphemy. But moderate Islam or Muslim is a euphemism used to refer to all those who are not practising the Mohammedan faith as required. I really can’t tell or write the following with authority, but I have heard that, practising Muslims can marry Christians or Jews provided they practice their faith as indicated by their religion. But Souleymane was married to a Roman catholic who was a Roman Catholic only by name.
Furthermore, it appears as though, Islam also prohibits the consumption or abusive consumption of alcohol. But Souleymane who claimed to be a devout Muslim was an inveterate alcoholic. And finally, while Islam condones polygamy but prefers monogamy and faithfulness, Souleymane was married to one wife, but he was a monumental womaniser. However, the fact that Souleymane Mahamat was no longer a practising Muslim, but bagged the enviable secular tag of a moderate, a tag that was nevertheless abhorred by theocracy and theocrats. In spite the excesses of Soulaymane, it was of no concern to Ahmadou Ahidjo and it was of no danger to his post provided he (Souleymane) drew the necessary line between his job and his private life. Souleymane truly liked his job and also knew that, as long as Ahidjo was president of the republic, he was like the rock of Gibraltar in his post of finance director. Souleymane was the bright promising and constantly rising star of Northern Cameroonians. In 1981, he was sent again to France by the government of Cameroon for a training course that was aimed to prepare him to take over the mantle of general manger of SONARA.
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