Nanga-Eboko gets own FEICOM-funded multimillion modern market.

The market realised to the tune of 500 million was officially put to use Wednesday. This was during a ceremony that was witnessed by the population, almost all the living forces of the municipality and Upper Sanaga Division and other top state officials. 

Minister Elanga Obam used the ceremony to laud the positive gains of decentralisation in the municipality and the administrative unit as a whole. 

He recalled that he was in Upper Sanaga, specifically on June 10 and 11, 2022, to inaugurate the Town Halls of Minta Council and Nkoteng Council, respectively. 

His visit to Nanga-Eboko, the Divisional capital, the minister said, is for inauguration of the modern municipal market.

The member of government described the facilities constructed in the administrative unit in recent years as special gifts from the President of the Republic, Paul Biya. 

Minister Elanga Obam told the population that the Head of State is leaving no stone unturned in his ambition to bring Cameroon to the status of an emerging nation by 2035. 

Such gestures from the Head of State, the minister told the population, must be reciprocated to President Biya.

The minister said this will be by massively renewing President Biya’s mandate, by voting for him at remain at the helm of the state during the presidential election that comes up next year. 

FEICOM boss zooms on project specificities 

Speaking at the ceremony, the Director General of the Special Council Support Fund for Mutual Assistance, FEICOM, Camille Philippe Akoa, presented details of the modern market.  

According to the FEICOM boss, the modern market covers a surface area of 20,000 square metres; with the market stalls alone taking up 7,200 metres square. 

He said the market has three main blocks, one of them having 20 lock up stores. The other two blocks, he detailed, have 40 lock up stores each. All the stores, the FECICOM said, are of type R+1. 

He said project was funded in two phases with the first phase consuming a total of 416,678,470 FCFA while additional financing was made on March 30, 2021, to the tune of 63,500,000 FCFA. 

Initially meant to last eight months, the project was finally delivered in 11 months. It was delivered in two phases; with the foundation floors received on June 21, 2023, and the sections that constituted supplementary works on received July 23, 2024. 

Camille Akoa told the Mayor of Nanga-Eboko, Romain Roland Eto, and his collaborators that the facility is intended to be a revenue yielder for the council. 

He said this cannot be realised if the financial management is sloppy, pilfering tolerated and indiscipline allowed to take away. 

FEICOM boss urged the mayor to work so that the council meets its commitments with creditors while respecting the terms of agreement signed with FEICOM. 

In his address, Mayor of Nanga-Eboko, Romain Roland Eto, expressed gratitude to government and FEICOM for the giant modern market. 

The municipal authority said the market will be used to generate revenue for the council so as to better develop the municipality and improve the living conditions of the population. 

This story was first published in The Guardian Post issue N0:3220 of Thursday, September 5, 2024