Revisit The Bakassi Issue Now

Apparently exasperated by the outrage exhibited by many
Nigerians over the October 10, 2002 International Court of Justice (ICJ)
decision that tended to cede Bakassi to Cameroon, the Nigerian Senate,
penultimate Wednesday, resolved that President Goodluck Jonathan should
urgently commence a process of appealing the judgement.

The Senate resolution came nearly two months after the
Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) expressed displeasure over the continued
dehumanistion of Bakassi indigenes, who have refused to change their
citizenship, despite the provision of the June 3, 2006 Green Tree Agreement
(GTA), which guides the execution of the judgement.

The Senate’s demand, though coming at the eleventh hour,
must be applauded as it is a reflection of the will of the people which should
be respected. Besides, the fate of the Bakassi people whose land Nigeria is too
quick to give away still hangs in the balance.

The Tide supports the call for a revisit especially with the
discovery of fresh facts within the last six months which the ICJ needs to
hear. Of course, the non-ratification of the judgement by the Nigerian National
Assembly as required by Geneva Convention also invalidates the judgement..

Notwithstanding the provision of Article 60 of the ICJ
statute which states that the court’s judgement is “final and without appeal,”
the NBA had even at that Abuja conference, urged the Federal Government to
“without further delay,” apply for a revision of the unjust judgement under
Article 61 which stipulates that a country could only seek a review of the
decision on the ground that it has unearthed fresh facts, within the last six
months, which it was oblivious of at the time of the trial.

Although the officials that represented Nigeria may have
made tragic blunders on this matter, the request of the National Assembly for a
revision of the ICJ decision is not out of place. Besides, the Bakassi people
have attempted to declare self rule for themselves to underscore the loss of
faith in Nigeria.

In a statement last Tuesday, the political leader of Bakassi
People’s General Assembly, Senator Florence Ita-Giwa said her people were ready
to provide evidence that would facilitate the restoration of the status of
Bakassi, a privilege she said they were denied of before the judgement.

Noting that “all the arguments being raised now and
positions being taken now have all been raised by us in the past, but were
ignored by the powers that be at that time,” Senator Ita-Giwa regretted that
the displaced Bakassi people, “have been left to wander all over Cross River
State like second class citizens since the signing of the Green Tree agreement
in 2006.”

Experts have opined that the judgement could be revised on
grounds of un-advertent bias, failure to take into consideration the
peculiarity of Bakassi and the people living there, the history and cultural
affiliations of the Bakassi people, the non-involvement of Bakassi people and
other Nigerians that have vital facts on the matter during the ICJ trial, among
others.

Worse still, in what amounted to shaving a man’s hair in his
absence, the Bakassi people were denied the right to self determine, through a
referendum, where they would want to belong, which such matters involving the
habitation of indigenous peoples normally require.

From all intent and purposes, the basis of Cameroon’s claims
fails every common sense test as their sole desire appears to stand only on the
desire to take control of the oil and gas wells in the peninsula.

While the hurry to handover Bakassi remains to be explained,
the possibility of another part of Nigeria being claimed by another country
would become almost predictable, as the failure to protect the land and people
of the country would have become too evident.

Already, the Bakassi people, have been pressured to the
point they want self rule. If this attempt is actualised without the Federal
Government taking concrete actions to ameliorate their anguish, the flood gates
of requests for self rule would have been opened to other people who may feel
un-protected under Nigeria.

While we are  happy
with the decision to revisit the matter by the Federal Government, we hope that
no stone would be left unturned this time. Let the consultation be wide and
deep and let the Bakassi people and their land not be given away for whatever
reason.