Thank you very much for your love and support!!

one correction though, I dont think we "want" to give up Bakassi to Cameroon. Bakassi is Nigerian and we are going to fight for it - despite what the Europeans say.


One Nigeria!

niceone.gifThanks bro, it good to know none Nigerians can respect us

Thank you very much for your love and support!!

one correction though, I dont think we "want" to give up Bakassi to Cameroon. Bakassi is Nigerian and we are going to fight for it - despite what the Europeans say.


One Nigeria!

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You welcome,

I heard from the US Media that Nigeria was going to give up Bakassi, for other land exchange. I should have not have listen to them. Sorry if that is not correct, I should have done research on it. Is it true that the peoplle who live in the Island are all Nigerians, and if that so, it will be hard for any Nigerian Government to give up their own people.

has any one of you from that island? Or visited and if so, how is the mood of the people?

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niceone.gifThanks bro, it good to know none Nigerians can respect us



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No problem,

A lot of people ignore what countries like Nigeria have done or are doing all over Africa. I also believe that with out the quick action and bravery of the Nigerian soldiers in Sierra leane, whohave saved manylives in Freetown, from one of the cruelest rebel movement in history of Africa, the NPLF, should be regarded one of the most respectful interference ofone AfricanNation to another. To that end alone, respect is dou to you guys as a nation and people.

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thats good to hear that someone sees the other side of the coin,

dont mindall thenigerian haters, look around the world who are the majority of black africansupfront, doing things making things happen, i went to ireland and saw how only nigerian lawyers are helpingall thosequiet foreingers to gain asylum and all that. then later on they have the guts totalk shit about us.

to all the haters die slow.

thats good to hear that someone sees the other side of the coin,

dont mindall thenigerian haters, look around the world who are the majority of black africansupfront, doing things making things happen, i went to ireland and saw how only nigerian lawyers are helpingall thosequiet foreingers to gain asylum and all that. then later on they have the guts totalk shit about us.

to all the haters die slow.



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You Soulmachine,

Don't be to hard on them, they may be blinded by ignorence.

They will one day be convinced as I'm that we as Africans need to stop hating each other and try to see the good side thateach African can bring to this world and Africa as a whole.

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What is the history of Bakassi ?

@ Burning Spear - do you really want to know...or is this just another opportunity to disrespect Africans again?

Id like to know blkthumbsupblkscholar

Ok since you asked DM... besides I have been meaning to start a thread on this Nigerian-Cameroon dispute.

Briefly, there's a border area between Nigeria and Cameroon which Nigeria says belongs to them. The area is inhabited by Nigerians in so much as there is affilation to the Nigerian local government and to the Nigerian traditional rulers. These tribes are Nigerian tribes.

However, Cameroon says that this land belongs to them and was given to them under some treaty years ago (I dont remember when). Anyway this matter went before the UN and the ICJ (international Court of Justice) which is the UN's judicial arm, found that the land belonged to Cameroon per some treaty that the British signed on behalf of Nigeria back whenever. Nigeria contends that the Brits had no right to give away Nigeria's land thats the inhabits are Nigerians and they should be the ones that determine what country they belong to.

what of course complicates this story is that Bakassi is oil rich and so there is also an economic factor in play.

anyway, per the UN Nigeria was told to hand over Bakassi to Cameroon inSept 2004. That hasn't been done and it seems that Nigeria is ready to fight for Bakassi. Personally, I think we should thumb our nose at the UN much like America did over Iraq and stand by our position. Bakassi belongs to Nigeria regardless of what the Europeans say,

ONE NIGERIA (including Bakassi)

Here is official position of The Federal Republic Of Nigeria on the Bakassi dispute that was given back in 2002 when the ICJ first made its ruling:
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Nigeria's Reaction to the Judgement of the International Court of Justice at The Hague (Nigeria, Cameroon with Equitorial Guinea Intervening)

The Federal Republic of Nigeria makes the following statement in respect of the judgement by the International Court of Justice in The Hague, in the case concerning the land and maritime boundary between Cameroon and Nigeria.
The Government of Nigeria has substantially examined the implications of the judgement delivered by the International Court of Justice in The Hague on 10th October, 2002. The decision of the Court covered five specific areas:

1. Lake Chad
2. The Land Boundary between Nigeria and Cameroon.
3. Bakassi
4. Cameroon's claim to a major share of offshore resources - particularly oil in the Gulf of Guinea; and
5. Claims of both sides for reparations involving State responsibilities.

BAKASSI
In 1884, the Kings, Chiefs and people of Old Calabar signed a treaty of protection with Great Britain. That treaty did not give the British power to alienate all or any part of the land which they were supposed to protect. The protectorate included Bakassi. This is what they claimed to have done in 1913 when Great Britain allegedly ceded Bakassi to Germany. The Court, in disregard of the inalienable rights of the Kings, Chiefs and people of Old Calabar to their land and ancestral homes, upheld the Anglo-German Treaty of 1913 by which Britain ceded the Bakassi Peninsular to Germany. This treaty was essentially the basis of the judgement giving sovereignty over Bakassi to Cameroon. The Court, without any justification whatsoever, failed or refused to follow its own precedent set in the Advisory Opinion on Western Sahara where it recognized the local rulers' possession and title as superior to other forms of title. In the case of Bakassi, the root of title belongs to the King., the Chiefs and the people of Old Calabar. Neither Germany nor for that matter Cameroon could therefore claim Bakassi as terrae nullius. In the judgement in the case of the frontier dispute, Burkina Faso-Mali which the Court relied upon in the Nigeria vs. Cameroon judgement, they interpreted the first part of that paragraph (i.e. para 63 of that case) as being in favour of Cameroon but failed to take cognizance of the latter part of the paragraph which states that effectivites must invariably be given consideration. The Court failed to give that consideration.
The Court decided that during the League of Nations Mandate, and subsequently, the United Nations Trusteeship, Bakassi had been administered by Nigeria as part of the Mandate/Trust territory. However, the Court, having admitted that the Southern Cameroons plebiscite Order of 1960 "made no mention of any polling station bearing the name of a Bakassi Village" (and Nigeria knowing as a fact that they never participated), went ahead to presume that the inhabitants of Bakassi had indeed exercised their rights to self-determination.
Furthermore, the exercise of authority of traditional rulers, the Efik and Efiat toponymy of the territory, its ethnic affiliation with Nigeria and not with Cameroon, the long established permanent settlement of Nigerians which continues to exist undisturbed and the manifestation of sovereign acts, such as tax collection, census-taking, provision of education, judicial and public health services, which formed the basis of Nigeria's historical territorial title was totally disregarded in the judgement of the Court.
In the instant case, for purely political reasons, the Court, headed by a French President, upheld a legal position which is contrary to all known laws and conventions, thus legitimizing and promoting the interests of former colonial powers at our expense. The French President of the Court and the English and German Judges should have disqualified themselves since the countries which they represent are, in essence, parties to the action or have substantial stakes. These judges, as citizens of the colonial powers whose action had come under scrutiny, have acted as judges in their own cause and thereby rendered their judgement virtually null and void. Nigeria does not accept that a Protectorate Treaty made without jurisdiction should take precedence over a community's title rights and ownership existing from time immemorial. Great Britain could not have given to Germany what it did not have. For a stronger reason, what Germany did not have could not have been transferred to Cameroon.
Bakassi and the thirty-three villages in the Lake Chad area in issue have, from time immemorial, been inhabited by Nigerians who owe their allegiance to local Nigerian rulers, State Governments and the Federal Government. These areas have always been administered by Nigerian authorities and there is no record or any evidence of their having come under Cameroonian rule. The Court did not dispute this evidence but maintained, quite erroneously, that the colonial treaties took precedence over the inalienable rights of ownership of the land by the Nigerian inhabitants.
Furthermore, all land and territory comprising the nation of Nigeria is specified in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999. Bakassi as a Local Government is so specified in Part 1 of the First Schedule to the Constitution. Being a nation ruled by law, we are bound to continue to exercise jurisdiction over these areas in accordance with the Constitution. The responsibility for the amendment of the Constitution being that of the National Assembly of Nigeria and the State Governments and Local Government Councils will continue to exercise their constitutional responsibilities over all Nigerian territory as specified in the Constitution until the National and various States Assemblies effect amendment to the Constitution.

ACCESS TO CALABAR
The Court also held that the Maroua Declaration of June 1, 1975 was a valid international treaty binding on both Cameroon and Nigeria. The Maroua Declaration purported to delimit the maritime boundary between Nigeria and Cameroon from the point where the relevant colonial treaty ended, down the Calabar and Cross River estuaries and out to sea to a point south of Bakassi. This is not acceptable to Nigeria.
Whilst the effect of the Court's decision is to grant sovereignty over Bakassi to Cameroon, it does not affect the right of innocent passage enjoyed under international law by all vessels, including Nigerian naval vessels, traveling to and from the sea to the west of Bakassi whether on the Nigerian or the Cameroonian side of the Maroua line.

OFFSHORE OIL
The Court, in its ruling, has indicated to Nigeria and Cameroon the direction of their international boundary south of the Maroua line. The line to be drawn between them will rapidly reach the outer limits of Equatorial Guinea's maritime space. The effect of this line is to cut Cameroon off completely from access to Nigeria's offshore fields.

THE LAND BOUNDARY
Cameroon, of her own volition, put in issue 1800 kilometres of land boundary between Lake Chad and Bakassi. Nigeria made detailed submissions which identified areas of uncertainty and dispute. Nigeria did this in order to settle once and for all the outstanding boundary issues between the two States. In the event, the Court examined some 17 areas along the boundary, in each case ruling exactly where the boundary should run. The net result of this exercise has been that some 17,000 hectares of land have been affirmed as being Nigerian territory, including some significant Nigerian settlements, such as Sapeo, Tipsan, Lip and Mberogo. By contrast, some 4,000 hectares of disputed territory were held to be within Cameroon. In some areas, such as at Turu in Adamawa State, the Court found that there has been substantial encroachment by Cameroon into Nigerian territory. The Court directs Cameroon to withdraw her administration and military or police forces from all the areas along the land boundary which are now confirmed as being under the sovereignty of Nigeria, including Turu, Bourha Ouango and Nyaminyami.

LAKE CHAD
The main problem with Lake Chad has been the gradual drying out of the Lake, which has taken place over the last 30 years. The Lake, exceeding 25,000 sq kilometers in area (previously the fourth largest fresh water lake in Africa), has been reduced to less than 2,000 sq kilometers. The drying out of the Lake has had a huge impact on the local population. Many people depend on the lake for their livelihood, both for the fish it provides and on the farmlands of the region.
The Nigerian Local Government Areas in the North-East have traditionally provided administrative services and infrastructure for the 60,000 or so Nigerians living in the area. Nevertheless, the Court has ruled that the colonial boundaries are to be respected.
In the Lake Chad area, an international body, the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC), comprising Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Niger and the Central African Republic has long been established. Representatives of the five States meet on a regular basis in order to coordinate efforts to preserve and protect environment and people of this ecologically fragile area. The people are well used to cooperation under the leadership of the LCBC. Nigeria provides over 50% of the budget of the LCBC and looks forward to continued cooperation between the member States, including Cameroon, in managing this area.

REPARATIONS
In addition to her territorial claims, Cameroon made substantial claims against Nigeria for reparations to be paid on the basis that Nigeria has encroached on sovereign Cameroonian territory. Nigeria made corresponding claims against Cameroon. Both claims were reje