Delegates vote against Bakassi reclaim

By Patrick Andrew

Delegates to the National Conference yesterday unanimously voted against reclaiming Bakassi which was ceded to the Cameroons by the International Court of Justice at The Hague, in 2008.

The delegates, who debated on the recommendations of the Committee on Foreign Policy and Diaspora, said the Federal Government must respect the verdict of the International Court of Justice and thus work in tangent with the international community.

The Ibrahim Gambari-led committee had recommended that the federal government should commence the processes for reclaiming the area in what many delegates thought would be a breach of international justice and an affront on The Hague.

But, they resolved that since Nigeria was signatory to international treaties especially those bordering on rule of law and the ICJ resolutions and judgments, efforts should be made to respect its verdicts, though painful it might be.

However, delegates recommended that the federal government must not turned its back on the plight of the resettled Bakassians but endeavour to cater for their welfare by providing the necessary amenities and thus ensure that they were adequately resettled.

Accordingly, the conference recommended that the federal government should properly relocate and resettle them by ensuring that they were given a new lease of life in their respect settlements.

They decried the prevalence of neglect and lack of basic provisions in areas where they have been resettled noting that it was these unpleasant treatment coupled with the discomfiture that arose from their dislocation that has necessitated call for the country to reclaim the area in violation of the verdict of the Hague.

Consequently, the conference recommended that the government must step up its efforts at resettling them properly by creating a livable environment and ensure that they relocate their lives and move on.