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Poll
reveals Nigerians against handing over Bakassi to Cameroun
By Julius Onwujekwe, Enoghase Sylvester,
Okeowo Kehinde & Iseghe Ajayi
A major event
that has obviously continued to dominate both local and international media is
the battle for the ownership of the oil rich Bakassi Peninsular between Nigeria
and her southeast neighbour Cameroun. Severally, these parties witnessed
violent military actions in a bid to capture the embattled oil-rich area. But
the battle eventually shifted to the legal front when on March 29t, 1994 the
Republic of Cameroun government led by President Paul Biya headed for the
International Court of Justice (ICJ) in Hague, the Netherlands, otherwise
called the World Court.
Cameroun’s
legal action was born out of the fact that she believed that the June 1s, 1975
Marona Declaration allegedly signed by the General Yakubu Gowon’s led-
government and President Ahmadu Ahidjo of Cameroun automatically cedes the
disputed region to it. This is now history as the International Court of
Justice (ICJ) in a judgment given on October 10, 2002, eight years after the
legal tussle was instituted, awarded the region under dispute to the Republic
of Cameroun.
The judgment has
since generated mixed reactions as the people of Bakassi Peninsula have vowed
to perish rather than be administered as part of the people of Cameroun. This
position was further reiterated when the paramount ruler of Bakassi, His Royal
Highness Etinyin Etim Okon Edet was quoted as saying that President Olusegun
Obasanjo swore to defend and uphold the Constitution of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria and since Bakassi is part of Nigeria with its headquarters in Abana,
and the constitution has not been amended, they are still part of Nigeria and
Cross River State.
But other
Nigerians, such as Professor Anthony Asiwaju, a member of the Nigerian-Cameroun
Mixed Border Commission (NCMBC), has advised Nigeria to forget about Bakassi.
According to him, Nigeria lost the battle when the late Head of State Sani
Abacha moved in troops to the disputed region against his personal and
professional advice. He also said the decision by President Olusegun Obasanjo
to head for the ICJ was not different from what Abacha did, adding that the
Bakassi issue was rather a diplomatic one that needed a diplomatic approach. He
believed Nigeria going to ICJ for justice is like going to war. But in another
context, some Nigerians also alleged the Gowon-led regime gave Bakassi out,
when it signed the Marona Declaration of 1975.
However, Nigeria
does not seem to be in a haste to let go of the region if the call by the
Senate for Nigeria to be combat-ready if a diplomatic option at settling the
Bakassi issue fails is anything to go by. Also in the UN-supervised
Nigerian-Cameroun Mixed Border Commission (NCMBC) meeting, a date was
fixed for September 15, 2004 for the formal
handing over of
the region by Nigeria. By extension, Nigeria should evacuate its officials,
troops and government paraphernalia from Bakassi. This date was however not
honoured. The Nigerian government fixed another date r November 5, 2004. In
view of this, the Independent Newspapers Research Desk posted a public opinion
poll question on the Internet, to ascertain whether or not Nigeria should hand
over the disputed Bakassi region to Cameroun in spite of residents' opposition?
The poll
questionnaire was posted on Monday evening of October 18, 2004, and results
obtained as at 1.40pm on Friday October 29 showed that out of the 499
responses, an overwhelming majority of 85 per cent (426) are of the opinion
that Nigeria should not hand over the region to Cameroun, 11 per cent (42)
however felt Nigeria should comply with the ICJ judgment and hand over the
region, while a small proportion of four per cent (18) of the respondents were
undecided.
CHART SHOWING VOTES OF RESPONDENTS
Independent Poll
Question: Should Nigeria hand over Bakassi
Region to Cameroun in spite of residents' opposition? [499 votes total]
Yes (55)
11%
Don't Know (18)
4%
No (426)
85%
Some
respondents’ comments on the proposed handover posted on Independent
Newspapers Website are highlighted below.
John Tsuwa:
‘‘If
Obasanjo and his chief of criminal officers like Adeniji and Bola Ajibola have
conspired to sell Nigeria out for their personal gains, the Lord of Host shall
surely revenge on behalf of the Nigerian people. I can advocate for a war and
volunteer to spill my last drop of blood if the region of Bakassi is ceded to
Cameroun. Obasanjo is seeking political relevance in Africa by selling Nigeria.
Let him do so only in the economic areas where he is impoverishing the poor
people; God will surely descend on him one day. Bakassi is for Nigeria and so
shall it remain.”
Kalu Eme:
“I
personally reject the verdict of the " world court " being
implemented by Federal Government. Can America, Britain or other western nation
hand over part of their country in respect of the ICJ verdict? OBJ is a
--------- by going to that court in the first place. Since he doesn’t
know what democracy and the rule of law are, he is supposed to go back to his
farm and allow those who are competent enough to rule the country. If Nigeria
can handover Bakassi to Cameroun today, it means that tomorrow - the Biafrans
can separate from Nigeria. After all, Bakassi is part of the Bight of Biafra.
That is what my geography master taught me in school.”
Emeka:
“It is
patently undemocratic and arbitrary to dictate to the people under which
government they should live. There should be a referendum to ascertain the
people's wishes and abide by same. Even the United Nations declaration of
rights guarantees same. It is a fundamental human right.”
Nonames:
“If
Nigeria can handover other parts of the country in the North without batting an
eyelid, then why not Bakassi? Or are some Nigerians better than others?
Assuming there was oil in the parts of the North that were to be handed over,
then it may not have happened. Yet the parts were handed over inflicting the
same pains, hardship and identity crises on the peoples involved. So, Bakassi
should be handed over, pronto.”
Frank Edegware:
“I find it
strange that the Nigerian Government continues to hold on to Bakassi in spite
of the World Court judgment in favour of Cameroun. It is perhaps a continuation
of the blunders that have characterised the Bakassi issue. First, rather than
use our considerable and comparatively stronger international clout to opt for
a political settlement of the matter, we allow ourselves to be goaded into a
legal battle, the result of which was clear to the legal experts from the beginning.
Secondly, when
judgment was eventually given in favour of Cameroun, we did not issue any
strong official position statement; only to foolishly commence the handover of
some territories up North to Cameroun and by so doing tacitly accepting the
judgment of the World Court. I ask; if we have implemented certain aspects of
the ICJ’s judgment, why renege on Bakassi? Do we not have enough oil in
Nigeria already? What have we done with all the revenues from the black gold in
more than 30 years of its exploitation in Nigeria? I say: leave Bakassi alone
and concentrate on the very many domestic issues confronting us in Nigeria.
Bakassi is an unnecessary diversion that has the tendency of
becoming another conduit pipe for syphoning of our money.”
Dr Aghogho
Gbenidion:
“It’s
so sad the raw deal Nigerians experience in the hands of their self-seeking
leaders. The Bakassi blunder and the incessant labour strikes are only a
miniature part of a bigger national disillusionment. It is about time we made a
fresh start to make this country of ours a better place for our children to
live again. On this note, I completely support the noble efforts by our
patriots to convene a Sovereign National Conference or dialogue to chart a way
out of our current self-imposed mess. The confab may be Nigeria’s final
chance to come clean with equitable distribution of power and national
resources.”
Hugo:
“Handing
the (Bakassi) peninsula over to Cameroun will be a great injustice to the
inhabitants who are Nigerians. The Federal Government should take a second look
at the so-called judgment and the motive behind it. I believe France is trying
hard to expand her borders and resources in Africa, like the Americans are
doing in the Middle East. Nigeria should not fall for their antics. Recently,
some French officials were implicated in the Iraq oil-for-food deals. The fact
is they are corrupt, and they will do anything for oil, and that includes
stealing our oil rich peninsula.”
Obilom Onuoha:
“For some
of us, who don’t know, this Bakassi land was given to Cameroun during the
Nigeria/Biafra civil war. Ahidjo was the then president of Cameroun. In order
to block food aid to Biafra via that route, the Nigerian government gave out
that land to Cameroun. So I wonder how we hope to get it back. I only pity the
indigenes of Bakassi who don’t know that the fate had been sealed several
years ago.”
Christopher Ekpo:
“Bakassi
belongs to Nigeria. The language spoken by the inhabitants of this peninsula
legitimately testifies to this fact. Any attempt by Chief Obasanjo to hand it
over to Cameroun shall amount to biblical story of Esau who sold his
birth-right to his brother Jacob for a piece of meal. If he does, surely what
happened to Esau shall happen to him.”
Tsaibu:
“Bakassi
is Nigerian territory and OBJ should not make the mistake of handing over to
Cameroun. If he does, we will never forgive him and his children. Cameroun is
only interested in the crude oil in Bakassi as soon as they get it, they will
forget the people.
There is nowhere
in the world where a country cedes territory just because a court says so. If
that is the case, Mauritania would have given independence to Saharawi. Even
Eritrea had to fight to get independence. We should hold on to our land and
love it the way we love our children because it is what we have and are proud
of.”
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