By Musa Odoshimokhe
A group, the Patriots Without Borders (PWB), has faulted the recent visit of Borno State governor, Babagana Zulum, to the Republic of Chad, where he held parley with the country’s military high command on how to render assistance to Borno, in fighting Boko Haram.
According to them, the plot constituted potential threat to Nigeria’s territorial integrity and its sovereignty.
President of the group, Chief Jack Efetobo, in a letter said the governor violated the powers of the presidency by discussing national security with foreign nationals.
He alleges there is a discreet plot to “cede part of Nigeria’s territorial lands to Chad, noting the oil-rich Lake Chad Basin is marked for exchange deal.
“Media reports elaborated that Gov. Zulum’s visit to Chad had the twine agenda of discussing the country’s withdrawal of its forces from Nigeria early January this year and negotiations with Chadian agents on how to render assistance to Borno State in fighting Boko Haram.
“PWB reliably sourced that while in the Chadian capital, N’Djamena, Gov. Zulum held secret talks with the Commander, Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Yusuf and other stakeholders of the team at its headquarters on issues of combating Boko Haram in Borno State and agreements were sealed. The governor also visited the headquarters of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC),” the group alleged.
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“We are concerned and boldly states that matters of foreign or international relations between countries particularly on a sensitive and explosive agenda like security are not covered by the powers averred an executive governor of a state.
“Gov. Zulum’s actions violate the powers of the presidency and traduces his limitations as serving governor. The patriots are compelled to discern from Gov. Zulum’s actions, discreet plots to likely cede part of Nigeria’s territorial lands to Chad, precisely, the oil-rich Lake Chad Basin in exchange for assistance by masked state-actors in fighting Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists in Borno state.
“No matter the justification for Zulum’s visit to Chad and the rewarding fruits of the negotiations, we hold the deal suspect for very basic reasons. Gov. Zulum has wittingly abused his executive powers by the agenda of the visit. And his actions constitute a flagrant affront to the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) under your leadership,” PWB alleged.
“We strongly suspect that silence is not golden, as the actions of the governor have exposed Nigeria’s part of Lake Chad Basin or even other territories to threats akin to what the country experienced with the Republic of Cameroun in the colonial times with Bakassi Peninsula in Cross River State.
“Nigeria eventually lost the oil-rich Bakassi Peninsula after prolonged international litigations over the disputed territory. And Gov. Zulum’s current engagement with some leaders in Chad in the guise of soliciting for assistance to fight Boko Haram drapes with similar tenor,” it warned.
The group, however, urged President Buhari to investigate Zulum and his co-conspirators as well as take immediate actions to halt the execution of such seditious plots against Nigeria, declaring that the country under President Buhari’s admininistration had not proved helplessness in combating Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorism in the country.
“We plead that you invoke the powers vested in you by the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, to investigate Gov. Zulum and his co-conspirators as well as take immediate actions to halt the execution of such seditious plots against Nigeria.
“Your administration has not proved helplessness in combating Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorism in Nigeria. We are equally contented with the actions taken by your Government to rein in resurgent terrorists in the country. If Nigeria requires external intervention to curtail the excesses of terrorism, your office rather than that of a state governor is empowered by law to initiate and sign an international deal with any country,” the group said.
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