Gabriel Oba-Apounou
Encyclopedia
Gabriel Oba-Apounou is a Congolese
politician
. During the single-party rule of the Congolese Labour Party (PCT), he was First Secretary of the Union of the Congolese Socialist Youth
; he also served in the government of Congo-Brazzaville as Minister of Youth from 1979 to 1985 and as Minister of State for Youth and Rural Development from 1989 to 1991. Later, he was First Vice-President of the National Assembly of the Republic of the Congo
from 2002 to 2007, and he has been a member of the Senate
since 2008.
tribe and also a cousin of Congolese President Denis Sassou Nguesso
, with whom he grew up with. Gabriel left his native village after his freshmen year in high school and went to Brazzaville
, the capital city, where he dreamed of becoming of gymnastics teacher. He soon graduated from high school there and later earned his certificate to teach gymnastics
. His physical abilities attracted a couple of colonial army officers, who wished to enroll him in the Army.
Escaping the colonials, he went to Impfondo
, a small town in the north of the country, to pursue teaching gymnastics. In 1969, he returned to Brazzaville to join the Congolese Labour Party (Parti Congolais du Travail, PCT), newly founded by Captain Marien Ngouabi
. The next year he was appointed as Chief of District at Abala, where his mother was born. Gabriel Oba-Apounou proved himself as a talented orator at several meetings held by the Central Committee of the PCT. The leaders soon asked him in 1979 to return to Brazzaville to serve as the leader of the Union of the Congolese Socialist Youth (Union de la Jeunesse Socialiste Congolaise, UJSC), a subdivision of the PCT.
Oba-Apounou joined the PCT Central Committee in 1979, and he was appointed to the government as Minister of Youth in the same year; his ministerial portfolio was expanded to include Sport in 1984. He was dismissed from the government in December 1985, but he remained on the Secretariat of the PCT Central Committee. He joined the PCT Political Bureau (where he was assigned responsibility for the youth) in 1989, in addition to serving as Secretary of the PCT Central Committee in charge of the Youth. On 13 August 1989, he was appointed to the government as Minister of State for the Youth and Rural Development, holding that post until 1991.
Being loyal to his cousin and party comrade
Denis Sassou Nguesso, Oba-Apounou did not collaborate with Pascal Lissouba
, who was President from 1992 to 1997. In 1998, after the return of Sassou-Nguesso to power, he was appointed as President of the Commission for Defense & Security in the National Council of the Transition (Conseil National de Transition or CNT - it served as the Parliament from 1998 to 2002). In 2001, he was elected as President of the PCT for the City of Brazzaville. He was then in charge of the 2002 presidential election
, which Sassou Nguesso won without any major competition. In the May 2002 parliamentary election
, Oba-Apounou was elected to the National Assembly as the PCT candidate in the Abala constituency of Plateaux Region; he won the seat in the first round, receiving 73.63% of the vote. Rumors predicted that he would become the next Mayor of Brazzaville, but he was instead elected as First Vice-President of the National Assembly on August 10, 2002. Oba-Apounou was also assigned responsibility for the National Assembly's relations with the African Parliamentary Assembly on August 23, 2002.
Oba-Apounou served as First Vice-President of the National Assembly until 2007. He ran again in the 2007 parliamentary election
as the PCT candidate in Abala, facing Minister of Higher Education Henri Ossébi
and an independent candidate, Joseph Mbossa. Oba-Apounou placed first in the first round, receiving 40.21% of the vote against 32.55% for Ossébi, and he therefore faced Ossébi in a second round. He was defeated by Ossébi in the second round.
Oba-Apounou is a member of the Political Bureau of the PCT, and in February 2008 he was elected as President of the departmental coordination of the Rally of the Presidential Majority (RMP)—the coalition supporting Sassou Nguesso—in Brazzaville. He held that post at the time of the June 2008 local elections. Oba-Apounou was elected as a Senator from Plateaux Region as an RMP candidate in the August 2008 Senate election
, receiving 59 out of 61 possible votes. He was then elected as President of the Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Committee in the Senate on August 29, 2008.
Due to his years as the leader of the UJSC, he remains very popular among the people, especially the young ones who often called him "Ya Gaby". Many remember him coming to the rescue of college students who did not get their student pensions on time. He was also responsible for granting scholarships to thousands of students and sending them all over the world to study in foreign universities. He probably is the most popular official ever under Sassou-Nguesso and also one of the wealthiest ones.
Republic of the Congo
The Republic of the Congo , sometimes known locally as Congo-Brazzaville, is a state in Central Africa. It is bordered by Gabon, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo , the Angolan exclave province of Cabinda, and the Gulf of Guinea.The region was dominated by...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. During the single-party rule of the Congolese Labour Party (PCT), he was First Secretary of the Union of the Congolese Socialist Youth
Union of the Congolese Socialist Youth
The Congolese Socialist Youth Union was the youth wing of the Congolese Party of Labour , intended to supervise the young people. From 1969 to 1992, it played a major role in disciplining the young members of the Party and building up their character with Socialist ideas.The destiny of the young...
; he also served in the government of Congo-Brazzaville as Minister of Youth from 1979 to 1985 and as Minister of State for Youth and Rural Development from 1989 to 1991. Later, he was First Vice-President of the National Assembly of the Republic of the Congo
National Assembly of the Republic of the Congo
The Parliament of the Republic of Congo has two chambers. The lower house is the National Assembly . It has 153 members, for a five year term in single-seat constituencies.-See also:...
from 2002 to 2007, and he has been a member of the Senate
Senate of the Republic of the Congo
The Parliament of the Republic of Congo has two chambers. The Senate is the upper house. It has 72 members , elected for a six year term by district, local and regional councils. Prior to the 2008 Senate election, it had 66 members; it was expanded to 72 members at that time to account for the...
since 2008.
Political career
As a native of Oyo, he is a member the MbochiMbochi
The Mbochi are a central African ethnic group whose population is concentrated in the northern region of the Republic of the Congo. The current Congolese president, Denis Sassou-Nguesso, as well as many senior government officials, belong to this group....
tribe and also a cousin of Congolese President Denis Sassou Nguesso
Denis Sassou Nguesso
Denis Sassou Nguesso is a Congolese politician who has been the President of Congo-Brazzaville since 1997; he was previously President from 1979 to 1992. During his first period as President, he headed the single-party regime of the Congolese Labour Party for 12 years...
, with whom he grew up with. Gabriel left his native village after his freshmen year in high school and went to Brazzaville
Brazzaville
-Transport:The city is home to Maya-Maya Airport and a railway station on the Congo-Ocean Railway. It is also an important river port, with ferries sailing to Kinshasa and to Bangui via Impfondo...
, the capital city, where he dreamed of becoming of gymnastics teacher. He soon graduated from high school there and later earned his certificate to teach gymnastics
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
. His physical abilities attracted a couple of colonial army officers, who wished to enroll him in the Army.
Escaping the colonials, he went to Impfondo
Impfondo
Impfondo is a town in the north eastern Republic of the Congo with a population of around 20,000 people, lying on the Oubangui River. It is home to an airport and is linked by river barge to Brazzaville and to Bangui. It is the administrative centre of Impfondo District and the Likouala Region....
, a small town in the north of the country, to pursue teaching gymnastics. In 1969, he returned to Brazzaville to join the Congolese Labour Party (Parti Congolais du Travail, PCT), newly founded by Captain Marien Ngouabi
Marien Ngouabi
Marien Ngouabi was the military President of the Republic of the Congo from January 1, 1969 to March 18, 1977.-Origins:...
. The next year he was appointed as Chief of District at Abala, where his mother was born. Gabriel Oba-Apounou proved himself as a talented orator at several meetings held by the Central Committee of the PCT. The leaders soon asked him in 1979 to return to Brazzaville to serve as the leader of the Union of the Congolese Socialist Youth (Union de la Jeunesse Socialiste Congolaise, UJSC), a subdivision of the PCT.
Oba-Apounou joined the PCT Central Committee in 1979, and he was appointed to the government as Minister of Youth in the same year; his ministerial portfolio was expanded to include Sport in 1984. He was dismissed from the government in December 1985, but he remained on the Secretariat of the PCT Central Committee. He joined the PCT Political Bureau (where he was assigned responsibility for the youth) in 1989, in addition to serving as Secretary of the PCT Central Committee in charge of the Youth. On 13 August 1989, he was appointed to the government as Minister of State for the Youth and Rural Development, holding that post until 1991.
Being loyal to his cousin and party comrade
Comrade
Comrade means "friend", "colleague", or "ally". The word comes from French camarade. The term is frequently used by left-wing organizations around the globe. "Comrade" has often become a stock phrase and form of address. This word has its regional equivalents available in many...
Denis Sassou Nguesso, Oba-Apounou did not collaborate with Pascal Lissouba
Pascal Lissouba
Pascal Lissouba was the first democratically elected President of the Republic of the Congo from August 31, 1992 to October 15, 1997. He was overthrown by the current President Denis Sassou Nguesso in the 1997 civil war....
, who was President from 1992 to 1997. In 1998, after the return of Sassou-Nguesso to power, he was appointed as President of the Commission for Defense & Security in the National Council of the Transition (Conseil National de Transition or CNT - it served as the Parliament from 1998 to 2002). In 2001, he was elected as President of the PCT for the City of Brazzaville. He was then in charge of the 2002 presidential election
Republic of the Congo presidential election, 2002
A presidential election was held in the Republic of the Congo on 10 March 2002. This followed a civil war in 1997, which returned Denis Sassou Nguesso to power, and a subsequent transitional period, in which a new constitution was written and approved by referendum in January 2002.The election...
, which Sassou Nguesso won without any major competition. In the May 2002 parliamentary election
Republic of the Congo parliamentary election, 2002
A parliamentary election was held in the Republic of the Congo in 2002; the first round was held on 26 May and the second round on 20 June. The Congolese Labour Party and its allies won a majority of seats in the National Assembly....
, Oba-Apounou was elected to the National Assembly as the PCT candidate in the Abala constituency of Plateaux Region; he won the seat in the first round, receiving 73.63% of the vote. Rumors predicted that he would become the next Mayor of Brazzaville, but he was instead elected as First Vice-President of the National Assembly on August 10, 2002. Oba-Apounou was also assigned responsibility for the National Assembly's relations with the African Parliamentary Assembly on August 23, 2002.
Oba-Apounou served as First Vice-President of the National Assembly until 2007. He ran again in the 2007 parliamentary election
Republic of the Congo parliamentary election, 2007
A parliamentary election was held in the Republic of the Congo on 24 June 2007, with a second round initially planned for 22 July 2007, but then postponed to 5 August 2007. According to the National Commission of the Organization of the Elections , 1,807 candidates stood in the first round for 137...
as the PCT candidate in Abala, facing Minister of Higher Education Henri Ossébi
Henri Ossébi
Henri Ossébi is a Congolese politician who served in the government of Congo-Brazzaville as Minister of Higher Education from 2002 to 2009 and has been Minister of Scientific Research since 2009.-Political career:...
and an independent candidate, Joseph Mbossa. Oba-Apounou placed first in the first round, receiving 40.21% of the vote against 32.55% for Ossébi, and he therefore faced Ossébi in a second round. He was defeated by Ossébi in the second round.
Oba-Apounou is a member of the Political Bureau of the PCT, and in February 2008 he was elected as President of the departmental coordination of the Rally of the Presidential Majority (RMP)—the coalition supporting Sassou Nguesso—in Brazzaville. He held that post at the time of the June 2008 local elections. Oba-Apounou was elected as a Senator from Plateaux Region as an RMP candidate in the August 2008 Senate election
Republic of the Congo Senate election, 2008
An indirect Senate election was held in the Republic of the Congo on 5 August 2008. 42 of the 72 seats in the Senate were at stake in this election, with six elected from each of seven departments. The Senate was expanded by six members at the time of this election to account for the creation of...
, receiving 59 out of 61 possible votes. He was then elected as President of the Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Committee in the Senate on August 29, 2008.
Due to his years as the leader of the UJSC, he remains very popular among the people, especially the young ones who often called him "Ya Gaby". Many remember him coming to the rescue of college students who did not get their student pensions on time. He was also responsible for granting scholarships to thousands of students and sending them all over the world to study in foreign universities. He probably is the most popular official ever under Sassou-Nguesso and also one of the wealthiest ones.