Nigerians were recently jolted by the news of an alleged annexation of Nigerian Mangrove Islands situated at Efiat in Mbo local government area of Akwa Ibom State and maritime territories by the Republic of Cameroon.
In a matter of urgency, the Nigerian Senate on March 18 set up an ad-hoc committee to investigate the vexed issue and report to it in two weeks even as the lawmakers urged President Bola Tinubu to take immediate steps to protect more than 2,560 oil wells and gas revenues which ought to accrue to Nigeria and its territorial waters.
The committee which has Senator Jimoh Ibrahim (APC, Ondo South), as chairman, also has Senators Adeniyi Adegbonire (APC, Ondo Central); Seriake Dickson (PDP, Bayelsa West); Shehu Lawan Kaka (APC), Borno Central; Banigo Ipaligo (PDP, Rivers West) and Jarigbe Jarigbe (PDP, Cross River North), as members.
Others are Senators Ekong Sampson (PDP, Akwa Ibom South); Sani Bello (APC, Niger North), and Aniekan Bassey (PDP, Akwa Ibom).
The disturbing news followed a motion moved by Aniekan Bassey (Senator from Akwa Ibom North-East) under Senate Orders 41 and 51.
In his submission, Bassey warned of the economic and territorial implications of the alleged encroachment by Cameroon, stating that the affected islands in Efiat, Mbo local government area of Akwa Ibom State, were not part of the territories ceded to Cameroon under the 1913 Anglo-German treaties or the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling of October 2002.
“It is a monumental national embarrassment that foreign laws are being imposed by the Cameroonian Gendarmes on Nigerians living in the 16 ancestral villages in these areas,” Bassey said, adding that “this encroachment is illegal and has resulted in a significant economic loss, particularly in oil and gas revenues.”
While we commend the Senate for constituting a nine-man committee to investigate the alleged annexation of Nigeria’s mangrove islands and maritime territories by the Republic of Cameroon, it is pertinent at this juncture to wait for the outcome of the investigation and the recommendation of the Senate on how best to tackle the matter.
Territorial disputes are usually very complex and complicated perhaps because both Nigeria and Cameroon inherited colonial boundaries, which may not have been clearly defined in some instances.
Nigeria has had protracted territorial disputes with Cameroon in the past and the two countries came close to the brink of war on several occasions until the issues were largely resolved by the ruling of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over the Bakassi Peninsula in 2002, which ceded parts of the peninsular to Cameroon.
That ICJ ruling was a blot on Nigeria’s sovereign integrity and the country is still reeling in the pain of losing parts of its territory to Cameroon even if it gained some parts. Worse still, the Nigerian citizens in the areas ceded to Cameroon have been reportedly subjected to inhumane treatment by Cameroonian security forces, especially the Gendarmes. Many of them have been killed and their land reportedly confiscated and this we urge the Senate to also look into.
Nigeria must be cautious about Cameroon as reports suggest its expansionist moves to annex about 16 villages of the Nigerian Mangrove Islands, waters and oil, which constitute a breach of international laws, and an affront on Nigeria’s territorial integrity.
We implore the federal government to be more vigilant and deploy enough vessels to forestall any unlawful exploitation of Nigeria’s economic resources in a manner that could constitute a national embarrassment. The nation must be ready to deal with any threats wherever they exist to announce her strength and stature in the international arena.
In the face of reported breaches of Nigeria’s rights by Cameroon, the country will have to look at Resolution 16 (1) of the First Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Governments of the Organisation of African Unity held in Cairo from 17th to 21st July, 1964, in which all African nations including the Republic of Cameroon pledged to respect the borders of other African States after the attainment of National Independence.
This is a matter of national importance far above a lot of the mundane issues that have preoccupied the Senate in recent times. Nigerians must rise in unity to defend their territorial boundaries and thwart any threat to national integrity wherever it manifests.
But the concern most Nigerians harbour is the political will on the part of the leaders to show leadership in situations like this. We are used to turning the other cheek as a giant of Africa influenced by the warped notion of the continent being the centrepiece of Nigeria’s foreign policy. It is time we revisited that policy that has been overtaken by the realities of geopolitical exigencies.
