President Paul Biya and the First Lady, Chantal Biya today in Libreville pay last homage to departed Gabonese President Omar Bongo Ondimba.

President Paul Biya and the First Lady Chantal Biya will today in Libreville join scores of other world leaders to pay homage to the departed President of Gabon, Omar Bongo Ondimba. The casket of the departed Head of State has been placed at the Presidential Palace in Libreville since last Thursday and thousands of mourners have been taking turns in paying their last respects. President Paul Biya and his wife Chantal Biya arrived in Libreville yesterday afternoon and on hand to welcome them was the interim President Madame Rose Francine Rogombé. Also present at the Léon Mba International Airport to welcome Cameroon's First Couple were hundreds of Cameroonians resident in Gabon. President Paul Biya and Chantal Biya were later escorted to the Cite CEMAC, which will be their official residence during their stay in Libreville. According to the official programme, today's funeral activities begin at eight o'clock this morning with the foreign delegations leading the queue in the final homage to the departed Gabonese President at the Presidential Palace where his mortal remains have been laid. President Paul Biya and Chantal Biya are expected to lay a wreath at the casket of the departed Omar Bongo Ondimba.

Shortly after the arrival of Cameroon's First Couple at their residence in Libreville yesterday evening, President Paul Biya received a number of Gabonese dignitaries in audience. The first to be received was Prime Minister Jean Eyeghe Ndong, followed by the Defence Minister Ali Bongo Ondimba, the Director of Cabinet Pascaline Bongo Ondimba, the Minister of State Casimir Oyemba and others. Presidents Idriss Deby of Chad and François Bozzize of the Republic of Central Africa paid a courtesy call on president Paul Biya at his resident in Libreville.

Since last Thursday when the casket of Omar Bongo Ondimba arrived in Libreville, the entire nation has been paying their last respects to their fallen leader by taking turns at the Presidential Palace where the corpse has been laid in State. All the television channels in Gabon have been broadcasting, round the clock the funeral ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Libreville. Before the corpse leaves today for his hometown in Franceville where he will be finally buried next Thursday, there will be military honours before their departure to the Léon Mba international airport for the final flight to the Mvengué airport in Franceville. Informed sources in Libreville say there was a final consensus engineered by the senior brother of the departed President on the site of his final resting place. Given the matrilineal social organisation in most Gabonese tribes, there was a debate between his paternal and maternal family on where to bury the departed President. It was decided that his final resting place will be in his personal residence in Franceville.

Born in December 30, 1935 in the Gabonese Province of Upper Ogoué, the departed President always said he was not born on a hospital bed, in reference to his village life. His father, a farmer died seven years after his birth. As a last child in a family of twelve he affirmed his solitary and independent character at that early age by defying the instructions of his guardian. Instead of going to France for studies he left all alone for Brazzaville and registered at the Lycée technique. Later he became the only African to do his military service at the French military Airforce base in Chad. On his return to Gabon he joined the ministry of Foreign Affairs and rose rapidly. At the age of 32, he became President of the Republic on December 2, 1967 after the death of President Léon Mba. On March 14, 2009, Edith Lucie Bongo Ondimba, his wife, died in Rabat, after a protracted illness. A short while later, on May 6, 2009 the presidency of the Republic of Gabon, on the orders of President Omar Bongo Ondimba announced that "all presidential audiences have been suspended till further notice". On June 8, 2009 the entire world was shocked with the confirmation of his death in Barcelona-Spain.