The Life of Issa Tchiroma Bakary from Childhood till today 10 October 2025.

 

Issa Tchiroma Bakary Cameroon presidential candidate 2025.

Here’s a relatively detailed summary of Issa Tchiroma Bakary’s life — from his origins and early career through to his actions up to 2025.

Early Life and Origins

• Date and place of birth: He was born on 10 September 1949 in Garoua, in the North Region of Cameroon.

• Family background: He comes from a respected family in Garoua. His father was a notable (i.e. person of status) and was a counselor (“conseiller”) to the lamido (lamido = local traditional ruler in northern Cameroon).

• Education / training:
  He had his early education in the North, then further studies in Douala. He later went to France. His training is technical: specialized in transport, materials, and construction mechanics. He was trained to be a railway engineer.

Early Career and Political Entry

• After his training, he worked at Regifercam (the national railway company) in Douala as a materials and construction engineer. 

• He was arrested in 1984 in connection (alleged involvement) with a failed coup in Cameroon — though sources indicate he was not directly implicated. He was imprisoned for several years without trial.

Political Career and Government Service

• He entered politics more visibly in the early 1990s. He was Secretary-General of the Union Nationale pour la Démocratie et le Progrès (UNDP), an opposition party.

• Member of National Assembly: He was elected deputy in March 1992, representing the Bénoué constituency. 

• Minister of Transport: From 27 November 1992 until 19 September 1996. During that period, Cameroon was going through multiparty opening, following political liberalization.

• Minister of Communication: Later, under President Paul Biya, he served as Minister of Communication from 30 June 2009 to 4 January 2019. He was the government’s spokesperson during that time. 

• Minister of Employment & Vocational Training: From 4 January 2019 up to 24 June 2025.

Political Party and Positions

• He founded (or leads) the Front pour le salut national du Cameroun (FSNC) (Front for the National Salvation of Cameroon). 

• Before that, he was with UNDP (as noted) and also associated at times with other parties as his political trajectory evolved.

Later Developments, Resignation & Presidential Bid (2025)

• In June 2025, Issa Tchiroma Bakary resigned from his ministerial post (Employment & Vocational Training).

• Immediately afterward, he declared his candidacy for the October 2025 presidential election. 

• Part of the platform he’s promoting includes a shift toward federalism, more autonomy for regions, especially amid crises in the Anglophone regions (North-West, South-West), more responsive governance, and a plea for “alternance” (meaning political change of leadership) after decades of the same leadership. 

• He has positioned himself as a candidate of significant experience — having held major ministries — but also someone breaking with the status quo.

Influence, Reputation & Issues

• Tchiroma is known for being a strong speaker and a visible government spokesperson especially during troubled times, including during the Boko Haram insurgency. 

• His long tenure in government, especially under Paul Biya, both gives him credibility for experience but also raises questions among some observers about how much real change he represents given past closeness to the ruling system. 

• There are reports of tensions, for example travel restrictions and claims that authorities barred him from traveling abroad (August 2025) while he was a presidential candidate.

Issa Tchiroma is the most popular presidential candidate in the current 2025 elections. He has notified the public that Biya is the one who decides who counts the votes, he appoints the elecam president and event the constitutional council. He added that Biya will do his all to win, but he will have his answer this year.

NshingTv Africa