Cameroun hands over village to Nigeria
From Njadvara Musa,
Maiduguri
FOR Nigeria and its neighbour, Cameroun, the horizon for a peaceful relationship brightened further yesterday as one of the disputed villages in the Lake Chad Basin was handed over.
The ownership of the village, Ndaba-Kura, was transferred to Nigeria by` Cameroun at a ceremony supervised by all members of the Nigeria-Cameroun Mixed Commission.
The Nigeria chairman of the commission, Prince Bola Ajibola, said that the hand-over of Ndaba-Kura was in compliance with the October 20, 2002 International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling at The Hague.
Expressing appreciation for the successful hand-over, Ajibola said: "Our gratitude goes to the United Nations for enabling the Mixed Commission from Nigeria and Cameroun to implement the ICJ ruling peacefully without shedding a drop of blood."
According to him, with the peaceful hand-over of Ndaba-Kura to Nigeria and Nwiki in Bama local government to Cameroun, the Federal Government is committed to the provision of basic infrastructure.
He said other African countries should emulate the two countries in settling disputes peacefully.
At Nwiki, the Cameroun chairman of the Cameroun-Nigeria Mixed Commission, Alhaji Ahmadu Ali, thanked all members of the panel for a job well done.
He assured the villagers that peace would continue to reign between the two African countries, as they had shown that they were able to resolve their boundary disputes.
Addressing the people of Ndaba-Kura, Governor Ali Modu Sheriff of Borno said that the hand-over was a historical demonstration of how African countries resolve their problems peacefully.
He noted that the implementation of the ICJ ruling by the Nigeria-Cameroun Mixed Commission reflected the strength of the cordial relationship between the two countries.
Sheriff, who was represented by his deputy, Alhaji Adamu Dibal at the official hand-over, commended the villagers for their co-operation with both the commission and governments in the implementation of the ICJ ruling.
He said that President Olusegun Obasanjo and his Camerounian counterpart, Mr. Paul Biya, should be commended for strengthening the relationship between the two countries.
The peaceful settlement, he said, had cemented the brotherhood among the people living in the border towns.
He recalled that it was the colonial masters from Britain and France that divided the people by creating artificial boundaries for their administrative convenience.
While welcoming the villagers to the Nigerian side, Sheriff said: "With this eventful ceremony of handing over this community to Nigeria, we assure you that all the basic needs of life will be provided by the federal and state governments."
He listed the needs of the people to include boreholes, schools, healthcare delivery service, agricultural inputs and the protection of lives and property.
To this end, he said that the Nigerian army would set up a unit at Ndaba-Kura while the Nigerian Customs and Immigration Services would establish their presence in the village.
