Issue: The power behind the man Atanga Nji.

As Minister of Territorial Administration, he has created more enemies at home and abroad, whereas he is simply true to a mission he embarked on nearly four decades ago.

The road Atanga Nji has trod in his fight to sustain the regime he is working with and for, is nearly as long as that of the King Pin himself, as President Biya ascended to power in 1982, which is also some 43 years ago.

Reading through the memoire, one wonders whether the issue of bearing the same name with somebody; this namesake of a thing, has something to do with the appointment of Anglophones into high offices of the land by President Paul Biya.

Apart from Paul Atanga Nji, who bears the same Christian name with the President, we can also cite, Naseri Paul Bea, sitting Governor of the Centre Region; Elung Paul Che, Minister, Deputy Secretary General at the Presidency of the Republic; Prof Pauline Nalova Lyonga, Minister of Secondary Education; Prof Ghogomu Paul, Minister of Special Duties at the Presidency of the Republic; Paul Achonbong, Bamenda City Mayor; Paul Efome Ngale, Limbe City Mayor, and so on.

Encountering the man

The Ejagham have this adage which translates as encountering a human being for the first time, and making a mistake in assessing him or her, because of outward appearance. “Okpugi Ntehm kah Mbah”. 

It warns you to be careful so that you do not over rate or underrate the person you meet for the first time because of statue or how he or she looks.

No one carries the story of his life along with him to enable strangers read, assess and place the visitor correctly. The statement, “Okpugi Ntehm Kah Mbah”, serves as a warning to people who are wont to minimising others on first encounter and from outward appearance.

People with slim or smallish personality are more likely to be derided, accorded low esteem and treated with scorn by novices, until they learn of or get to hear more from people who know the personality well.

On the contrary, many people with pompous personalities are easily overrated at first sight and accorded importance that could, on closer study, be far above their actual personality.

The Biya regime will go down in the history of Cameroon as one that favoured people whose first names are the same with that of the President of the Republic, Paul Biya.

True to Paul Atanga Nji

Reading through his book, titled: “Paul Atanga Nji: 37 Years of Flawless Fidelity to the Head of State and State Institutions”, one would agree that the man had a clear vision of where he was going.

Growing up closely with his businessman father, Paul Atanga Nji learnt early in life, what it means to choose to stand with the winner and on the winning side.

Despite the where he has been standing this many years, Atanga Nji’s loyalty to the regime did not pay off as soon as it does for many other Cameroonians who also support the regime.

Nor have others who are also benefitting from the regime, created so many enemies as Paul Atanga Nji has done. 

Many Cameroonians believe that the Minister of Territorial Administration is not only a very wicked man, but could actually put anybody who stands on the way of President Paul Biya, and Republican institutions, and grind him or her in a blender (Molinex).

Those who know him well, and who knew him before he became the MINAT boss, say Paul Atanga Nji is not only a lover of other human beings, but even generous to a fault.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3629 of Wednesday November 19, 2025