The Bakassi Handover

President Yar'Adua

After almost 70 months of high-powered negotiations, Nigeria finally cedes oil-rich Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroun
By Iyke Kalu
Emotions were high last Thursday, August 14, 2008 as Nigeria finally handed off the vast expanse of oil-rich land and sea, otherwise known as Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroun.
The event was the climax of almost 70 months of high-powered negotiations between Nigeria and Cameroun regarding how to implement the October 10, 2002 ruling of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) which gave the territory to Cameroun.
Nigeria’s delegation to the formal handover was led by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Michael Aondoakaa.
The Inspeector-General of Police, Mike Okiro who led a police contingent to the event was accompanied by Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG) in charge of Operations, Adedayo Adeoye and other senior police officers.
Aondoakaa is also the chairman of the follow-up committee that was set up by federal government to implement the judgement of the ICJ. Cameroun’s delegation was led by the country’s deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice, Ahmadu Ali.
Shedding light on the hand-over two days before the event, the Special Adviser to the Nigerian President on Communication, Olusegun Adeniyi, said the decision to handover Bakassi to Cameroun was a painful one for President Umaru Yar’Adua.
Against the backdrop of the July 31, 2008 Federal High Court, Abuja injunction stopping the handover, the presidential spokesman said the Nigerian government obtained the certified true copy of the March 19, 2004 ruling before deciding to hand over the disputed teritory.
Adeniyi had said the handover would go ahead as planned.
The most important thing to the federal government, Adeniyi said, was the welfare of the Bakassi people as bonafide citizens of Nigeria who have found themselves in a territory legally given to another country.
He said the government has so far released about three billion naira for the comfort and resettlement of the people and that another one billion naria was also released for those in Borno State who lost territories to Chad in the same ICJ ruling.
The Nigerian government reiterated that the handover of the territory will not affect the map of the country since the area has never been on it and that it citizens who are indigenes of the area would not be abandoned.
In recent weeks, the number of people who had returned to Akwa Ibom State, frrom Bakassi, has been on the increase and this has warranted the state government to erect a resettlement centre for the displaced Bakassi indigenes.
The state Deputy Governor, Patrick Ekpotu, put the number of returnees at over 37,000.
Prior to the ICJ judgment, there were about 306,000 Nigerians resident in Bakassi.
The decision to handover Bakassi to Cameroun is one many Nigerians will never forget for years to come.
Two days to the D-day, Nigerian students under the aegis of National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), asked the Nigerian government to halt the process.
The body at a news conference by its Senate President, Kingsley Ezekwelu in Akwa, Anambra State, said that Nigerian students desired to see the federal government head back to the ICJ for a review of the October 10, 2002 judgment rather than handover “our land to another country."
The students regretted that the administration of President Yar’Adua did not display any seriousness in resettling the returnees.
Prelate of the Methodist Church of Nigeria, Dr. Sunday Makinde advised the federal government to back out of the handover.
The same with Senator Bassey Ewa-Henshaw representing Cross Rivers State, Francis Ada, who advised Yar’Adua to stop the implementation of the handover because of its economic and security implications.
Even though a progamme of events tagged programme of activities for the withdrawal of civil administration and police from Bakassi had indicated that events would start at 11 a.m, the proceedings only commenced around 11.50.
The first to speak was the the representative of the United Nations Secretary-General, who praised both countries for their maturity. Then, the acting governor of Cross River State who among other things asked the Camerounian government to respect the culture and property of Nigerians in the area.
Aondoakaa, in his short address said the handover of Bakassi by the President Yar’Adua’s administration was his practical demonstration of a believe in the rule of law. He commended the government of Cross River State for its assistance in rehabilitating the displaced Bakassi people.