By Cletus Felix
Seventeen years after their displacement from their ancestral homeland, the indigenous people of Bakassi have renewed calls for the Federal Government to fulfil its resettlement promises.
At a stakeholders’ meeting held in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, on Friday, leaders of the displaced Bakassi communities lamented the government’s failure to provide them with a permanent place of abode.
Right Honourable Chief Iyadim Amboni Iyadim, speaking on behalf of the displaced persons, expressed disappointment over the unfulfilled commitments, despite numerous assurances from successive administrations.
Chief Iyadim presented documents detailing the government’s promises, including a letter from the then Vice President, Mohammed Sambo, setting up a technical committee to study the requests of the Bakassi Peoples General Assembly. He also displayed a map of the proposed resettlement site at Dayspring 1, 2, and Qua Island, approved by the then Governor of Cross River State, Senator Liyel Imoke.
He stated, “We can categorically declare to the world that we have not been given fair treatment as a people. Our God-given land was ceded to the Republic of Cameroon without our consent well over 17 years ago, despite several technical and implementation committees being set up to address our peculiar plight.
“Bakassi has come to stay, and no individual or group can erase it from history without undergoing a rigorous constitutional process. I am well aware of my rights, having been deeply involved in this struggle. I can boldly assert that I am a thoroughbred in this matter.
“We are in trying times where people can rise and level baseless accusations against others without fear of God or regard for consequences. A group of charlatans and political novices, who lack any historical knowledge of Bakassi and were never part of its struggle—from its creation to its ceding and the resettlement process 17 years after the ICJ judgement—have sought to distort the facts. However, I take solace in their acknowledgment of the importance of coastal reclamation at Dayspring 1, 2, and Qua Island, which remains an unceded part of the old peninsula. Restoring our dignity and giving us political and traditional identity remains paramount.
“Let it be clearly stated that we are not in any way antagonising the administration of Honourable Effiong Okon as Chairman of Bakassi Local Government, as widely speculated, nor that of His Excellency, the Governor of Cross River State, Apostle Prince Bassey Edet Otu. Our aim is merely to employ constitutionally recognised means to advocate for the proper resettlement of displaced Bakassi people, as promised by the Federal Government 17 years ago. This has necessitated our ‘Save Our Souls’ letter to the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, His Excellency Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR.
“The burden of resettling the displaced people of Bakassi is too heavy for the state to shoulder alone at this time. It is evident that we are all registered members of the ruling APC and worked tirelessly to elect His Excellency and other party candidates in the last general election. As men and women of conscience, we cannot for any reason undermine what we have collectively invested time, energy, and resources to build.”
Reiterating the plight of the displaced people, Chief Iyadim continued:
“It is true that the ICJ, in 2002, ceded Bakassi to the Republic of Cameroon.
“It is true that the Federal Government, during President Obasanjo’s administration, promised to execute a painless relocation, resettlement, and compensation in perpetuity for the loss of our territory.
“It is true that the three political wards—Ikang North, Ikang South, and Ikang Central—are still valid wards within Akpabuyo Local Government. Attached are the political wards of Akpabuyo as Annexure ‘P’.
“It is true that INEC has conducted general elections at Dayspring 1, 2, and Qua Island since 2011.
“It is true that, 17 years after our relocation, we have not settled on any land in Ikang. Instead, we continue to carry our wards, villages, and clans on our heads.
“It is true that other displaced communities from Chad Basin, Borno, and Adamawa states were resettled by the Presidential Committee on Resettlement, yet Bakassi Local Government remains neglected, which is unacceptable.
“It is true that Bakassi remains the pride of Cross River State, with its naturally endowed ecosystem.”
The leaders of the displaced Bakassi communities appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene and ensure their resettlement without further delay.
“We are not asking for too much,” Chief Iyadim asserted. “We only seek a place to call our own, where we can live in peace and dignity.”
He further reminded the Federal Government of President Tinubu’s campaign promise during his town hall meeting with stakeholders in Cross River State, where he pledged to address the Bakassi crisis.
The Bakassi dispute dates back to 2002 when the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ceded the Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon. The Nigerian government subsequently relocated the displaced Bakassi indigenes to temporary shelters in Cross River State, with assurances of permanent resettlement. However, 17 years later, those promises remain unfulfilled, leaving the displaced people stranded in makeshift accommodations without basic amenities.
In a recent interview on Arise TV, former lawmaker Senator Florence Ita-Giwa and Okoi Obono-Obla, the suspended Chairman of the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property under President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, called for the delisting of Bakassi from Nigeria’s 774 local government areas. The move was condemned by the Cross River State House of Assembly.
