The former president of the Cameroon Senate, Marcel Niat Njifenji, has died, Senate President Aboubakary Abdoulaye has announced.
Mr. Niat died on Saturday at a hospital in the nation’s capital, Yaounde, at the age of 91.
He died less than a month after his replacement at the helm of the Cameroon Senate on March 15.
Niat, a former boss of the Cameroon Energy Company, was appointed to the Cameroon Senate in 2013. Since then, he had maintained the position of president and, at the same time, the constitutional successor to the president of the Republic until March 2026.
During his tenure as Senate president, all bills that passed through the house were adopted.
Niat Was Missing in Action Until His Death
Following his reappointment to the Senate in 2023, he was rarely seen in public. He was regularly absent during senate sessions and also during the New Year wishes.
His passing has been described as a tragic loss by Senate President Aboubakary Abdoulaye. The current Senate President was speaking while extending a condolence message to the widow of the deceased at their residence in Yaounde.
His Majesty Aboubakary Abdoulaye has pledged that the late statesman will be accorded a befitting burial.
“In these particularly painful circumstances, the Senate members and staff extend sincere condolences to the bereaved family, along with their heartfelt sympathy,” HRM Abdoulaye said. “The funeral arrangements for the president emeritus of the Senate will be announced in due course.”
Life and Death of Marcel Niat Njifenji
He was born on October 26, 1934, in Bangate, West region of Cameroon.
Following his entry into government, the road construction engineer was appointed in 1974 as the director of the then National Electricity Company Sonel, known today as ENEO. He held the position until 1984, following an abortive coup d’état that saw him arrested. He was later acquitted in 1989.
Since then, he had served as minister in several positions, including territorial administration. He was also elected to the Cameroon parliament, a post he held before moving to become mayor of Bangate in 2007.
In 2013, he became Cameroon’s first-ever president of the Upper House of Parliament. Niat Njifenji maintained that position until March 15, 2026. He died without completing his mandate.
