Upper Sanaga: Minister inaugurates CSPH-funded pilot petrol station in Minta.

Personalities in attendance included; the Senior First Vice President of the National Assembly, Hon Hilarion Etong; the Governor of the Centre Region, Naseri Paul Bea; the Director General of CSPH, Okie Johnson Ndoh, alongside his peers of Blessing Petroleum and the Cameroon Petroleum Depot Company, SCDP.

Minister Mbarga Atangana said the facility is a gift from the Head of State, President Paul Biya, and his wife Chantal, to the population of Minta and beyond, in line with the energy sector master plan.

The minister challenged the population to make good use of the investment at their disposal. He said the facility shows President Biya is a man of his words, in whom they should continue to partner to power their development.

The member of government, who is also the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of CSPH, said the putting to service of the petrol station marks the end of people buying petroleum products at exorbitant prices.

Mbarga Atangana cited the regular availability of cooking gas as a plus to the crusade against climate change and environmental population, which he said, are affecting everyone. 

With the availability of cooking gas at regularised prices, the minister sounded positive that deforestation will reduce.

Biya has no match

Minister Mbarga Atangana used the event to drum support for President Paul Biya, ahead of the October 12 presidential election. He urged the people to massively re-elect Biya on October 12, as a sign of loyalty and support to his leadership task. 

He asserted that Biya’s leadership experience has no match, given the support he enjoys in Minta, Upper Sanaga Division and the entire nation. The minister sounded confident that come October 12, Biya will get a landslide victory.

Enter CSPH Director General

The Director General of CSPH, Okie Johnson Ndoh, said the Minta Pilot Petrol Station will address the urgent need for petroleum products in rural communities, often neglected by profit-driven companies in the sector. 

Okie averred that the inauguration of the facility marks the beginning of constant supply and access to petroleum products for daily activities for the population of Minta and the Upper Sanaga Division in general.

He added that the station will serve as a key driver of development in improving the welfare of the local population. Okie said the facility will also offer employment opportunities to children of Minta.

Going by the CSPH boss, the petrol station was handed over to Blessing Petroleum for management given its experience in the downstream sector as a marketer of petroleum products. He disclosed that the project financed through the investment budget of CSPH cost over 466 million FCFA.

Revisiting the conception and construction of the project which went underway in 2021, Okie thanked the population, administrative and municipal authorities for constant support in the realization of the project. He credited the realization of the project and its inauguration to multiform support from across the board.

With Presidential election in a few weeks, the CSPH boss reminded the population of the Upper Sanaga Division and Minta in particular of the need to continue trusting in the wise leadership of President Paul Biya.

Okie told the people to mobilise and massively vote for candidate Paul Biya come October 12 so as to continue to benefit from investments that will improve their wellbeing.

Mayor, traditional rulers praise investment 

Speaking at the event, the First Deputy Mayor of Minta, Essomba Abanda Theodore, thanked the Head of State and CSPH management for the facility.

Essomba said the station had added in embellishing Minta, sounding positive that it will change the development dynamics of the municipality.

Traditional rulers of the 33 villages that make up Minta Subdivision expressed similar views. 

They used the event to offer blessings and decorations to the Minister of Trade, CSPH DG and the DG of Blessing Petroleum.

Snippet of facility

The pilot petrol station is constructed on a surface area of 3,229 metre square. The contract was awarded on December 31, 2021. 

Explaining the concept of pilot petrol station, officials of CSPH said they are proximity filling stations whose construction it finances to take petroleum products closer to the population.

Okie assured that beyond the modern equipment used in constructing the facility, it has a capacity of 30,000 litres of fuel, 100,000 for gas and 6,000 for kerosene.

Before Minta, CSPH had realised similar projects elsewhere across the country. Among them are those in; Mora in the Far North Region; Lolodorf and Meyomessala in the South Region; Esse, Ambam, Ntui, Ngomou, Akono  and Ombessa in the Centre Region; Yabassi and Omeng in the Littoral Region; Djoum, Nguelemendouka and Gari Gombo in the  East Region; Tombel and Nguti in the South West Region and Banyo in the Adamawa.

CSPH offers didactics to population

The event also featured the dispatch of a huge consignment of didactics from CSPH to the seven Subdivisions that make up Upper Sanaga Division. 

The DG of the Corporation, while handing over the didactics, appealed to Divisional Officers, DOs, and municipal authorities to ensure the offer gets to learners. 

Okie disclosed that CSPH benefited support from the First Lady Chantal Biya to donate the didactics.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3575 of Thursday September 25, 2025