The Nation Newspaper

Tag: bakassi

  • INEC to register IDPs in Bakassi

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Cross River State is taking steps to ensure that Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Bakassi Local Government vote next year, Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) Dr. Frankland Briyai has said.

    He told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Calabar yesterday that the commission would register IDPs in their camps during the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR).

    “We are strategising on how Bakassi returnees in camps are registered so that they can vote in 2019.

    “No matter their situation, they have a right to choose who leads at the state and national levels.

    “But because of the security situation, we have to reach them through stakeholders, including traditional, youth and political leaders.

    “We have decided to go to the camps with soldiers, policemen and other security agents for safety reasons.

    “We feel this is the best way of getting them to register,” Briyai said.

    He urged the returnees to take advantage of the CVR to register and vote for leaders of their choice in 2019 general election and others in future.

    NAN reports that there are three IDPs’ camps in Bakassi Local Government.

     

  • As FG gives nod to Bakassi deep sea port

    SIR: Provisions of a deep seaport and a super highway for Cross Riverians were the twin signature projects which the governor of Cross River State, Senator Ben Ayade pledged to actualize for the state using all means possible during his inauguration in 2015.

    But two years on, the excitement which greeted this proposition waned, as strict bureaucratic requirements coupled with conspiracy in some quarters seemed to scuttle this noble venture. The combination of both and other sundry restrictions were the initial clogs in the wheel of the immediate take-off of this laudable project. The recent disclosure by the governor, that the federal government has appointed a transaction advisor for the project is the silver lining that gave a vista of actualization of that dream.

    The deep seaport in itself would not be complete without the evacuation corridor for the imports; this also necessitated the proposed 260km super highway. The proposed six-lane highway spans 162 miles across the length of the geographical space of the state from Bakassi in the south up to northern part of the state which borders with Benue State in the North-central. This $3.5 billion project represents a single most ambitious and audacious effort of any previous government in the state to frontally attack under-development bedeviling the state in order to liberate it from the shackle of poverty and backwardness.

    As promising as this twin vision of deep seaport and super highway appear to be, I have however come across many analysts who have penchant to serially disparage and deprecate these prospects. For instance, many have questioned the rationality of such initiative that is bound to gulp billions of dollars at the time of national austerity. Others have claimed the ubiquity of similar projects in such places like Tin Can Island, Apapa,  Lekki and Badagry in Lagos, the ongoing Ogun and Ondo joint deep seaport project in Olokola and the one at Ibaka in Akwa Ibom State.

    They premised their pessimism on the current under-utilization of existing ports facilities in the country due to insufficient cargo volumes outside the demesne of Lagos. It is reported that even the ports in Lagos have up to 50 – 60 percent capacity utilization while Warri, Port Harcourt and Calabar purportedly have about 25 percent.

    There are still many who do not see market prospects in deep seaport ventures in Nigeria, they do not understand the comparative advantage Cross River has over other states in such projects. Take for instance, the strategic geographical position of the state and its propinquity to the land-locked states in the northern flank of the country. The proposed super highway would reduce the risk and the distance involved in transporting goods from Lagos ports up north; thus making Bakassi port a preferred business destination that would be patronized even by neighbouring countries that border northern part of the country.

    Another prospect as announced by the governor is that vessels conveying goods into the country would not go back empty as there would be agricultural produce for export. There is no doubt that these business prospects and projects would radically revolutionize and galvanize its economic potentialities that would industrialize the state.

    Now with the appointment of the transaction adviser for the project, the governor has assured that reclamation work would commence soon while the actual work is expected to follow suit still within the year. We hope that this response from the president is an indication that all encumbrances that hitherto held back the project have been resolved. It is our belief that this would also have positive implications for the proper take-off of the suspended work on the super highway. Issues about environmental impact assessment, preservation of biodiversity, proper compensation of the affected communities and others should be amicably handled to avoid any further delay.

     

    • Itaobong Etim,

    Calabar.

  • Nigeria, Cameroun meet on Bakassi, Boko Haram 

     The issue of Bakassi and Boko Haram dominated discussions at a recent meeting between top government officials from Nigerian and neighbouring Cameroun, it was learnt.

    Cameroun President, Paul Biya, dispatched a three-man delegation to the country to discuss issues of mutual benefits to both countries.

    Dr Joseph Dion Ngute, Minister in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs led the delegation that was received by Mr. Geoffrey  Onyeama, Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs in Abuja.

    At a joint briefing at the end of their closed-door meeting, which lasted about 45 minutes, the visiting minister denied the recent report of massacre of Nigerians by Camerounian gendarmes.

    He said there was no iota of truth in the report, saying that Cameroun is a law-abiding country and no such thing would ever happen.

    He said: “ I was sent here by President Paul Biya to come and meet with the Foreign Affairs Minister of Nigeria to discuss a number of subjects that are mutually beneficial to both countries.”

    On the reported killing of over 97 Nigerians, the minister said: “We are also here to inform the government of Nigeria that a month ago, we had reports in the media concerning massacre of people in the Bakassi area.

    “We sent our administrators and we even asked Nigerian consul in Bua to accompany them. They went there and they realized that not a single person was touched, nobody was injured, nobody was killed and it was a fabrication which appeared in the media, which we don’t know why and for what purpose. But we came to reassure the government and Nigerian people that Cameroun is a law-abiding country and no such thing would ever happen under our watch. “

    On Boko Haram, he said both countries had been working perfectly to defeat the terrorist group.

    He said: “We came to discuss the situation in the North-Western part of Cameroun and North-Eastern  part of Nigeria concerning the fight against Boko Haram.  We are here to say that the two countries have been working perfectly in trying to make sure that this evil group is completely alienated.”

    He also denied the report that his country maltreated Nigerian refugees, saying that they had protested to the UN Human Right Commission.

    “ You know being a refugee is a very difficult condition. We in Cameroun are very sensitive to the issue. If you visit our own camp where we have about 60,000 refugees, you will see that they are being given the most humane treatment that we in Cameroun can give and can afford along with the UNHCR,” he said.

  • Nigeria, Cameroon discuss Bakassi, Boko Haram

    Nigeria, Cameroon discuss Bakassi, Boko Haram

    …As Cameroonian officials denies Bakassi mascara report

     

    The issue of Bakassi and Boko Haram dominated discussions Thursday when Nigerian government and their Cameroonian authorities met.

    Cameroonian President Paul Biya dispatched a three man delegation to the country to discuss issues of mutual benefits to both countries.

    Dr Joseph Dion Ngute, Minister in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs led the delegation that was received by Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama, Nigeria Minister of Foreign Affairs in Abuja.

    At a joint briefing at the end of their closed door meeting which lasted about 45 minutes, the visiting Minister denied the recent report of massacre of Nigerians by Cameroonian gendarmes.

    He said there was no iota of truth in the report; saying that Cameroon is a law abiding country and no such thing would ever happen.

    He said: “I was sent here by President Paul Biya to come and meet with the foreign Affairs Minister of Nigeria to discuss a number of subjects that are mutually beneficiary to both countries.”

    On the reported killing of over 97 Nigerians, the minister said, “We also came to inform the government of Nigeria that a month ago, we had reports in the media concerning massacre of people in the Bakassi area. We sent our administrators and we even asked Nigerians Counsel in Bua to accompany them. They went there and they realize that not a single person was touched, nobody was injured, nobody was killed and it was a fabrication which appeared in the media, which we don’t know why and for what purpose. But we came to reassure the government and Nigerian people that Cameron is a law abiding country and no such thing would ever happen under our watch.”

    On Boko Haram, he said both countries have been working perfectly in trying to clip the terrorists group.

    According to him: “We came to discuss the situation that afflict North Western part of Cameroon and North-Eastern part of Nigeria concerning the fight against Boko Haram.  It really to say that the two countries have been working perfectly in trying to make sure that this evil group is completely alienated.”

    He also denied the report that his country maltreated Nigerian refugees; saying that they have protested to UN human right commission.

    “You know been a refugee is a very difficult condition. We in Cameroon are very sensitive to the issue. If you visit our own camp where we have about 60,000 refugees, you will see for yourself that they are being given the most humane treatment that we in Cameroon can give and can afford along with the UNHCR.

    “We were a bit surprise by that report and we take exception to it. We drew the attention of the UNHCR that in Cameroon we have been abiding by the law and have been doing everything we can because these refugees unfortunately, are the same people whether they are in Cameroon or in Nigeria. It is the same families that across both borders. It is even difficult to distinguish one from the other because they are the same people and we have been doing our best to give them the best possible treatment and we know that our brothers and sisters of Nigeria agreed within us that we have been doing our maximum in order to make sure that refugees who are already under a very difficult circumstances do not get any worst treatment from anybody.”

    Ngute also briefed Nigeria on other issues of interest, especially in the English speaking part of Cameroon, including resolving the strike action.

    “The first of the issues is to inform Nigerian authority that for some time we had so e issues with the English speaking region of Cameroon and to tell the minister and the good people of Nigeria that those problems have been resolved. The trade union that went on strike is back to work. The situation has been normalized and to thank our brothers and sisters of Nigeria for the understanding they have showed throughout this episode.  We have obviously numbers of radicals who don’t want to see things from the way most people see them,” he said.

    He also said he was very pleased with the responses he got from his Nigerian counterpart; adding that “It shows that the two countries are working in and the cooperation between us is very good.”

    Onyeama on his part denied any distrust between countries, saying “on the contrary both countries are extremely close, working together very closely and I think sending this delegation by the president himself, shows the importance he attaches to that relationship.

    “And we are also keen that this should trickle down to average Nigerian and Cameroonian. And I think by and large it does. But we also have to be careful of social media where you can have a very small minority of people generating a narrative that is not in any way reflective of the reality.”

    He was also quick to recall the recent cooperation between both countries in the fight to reclaim territories under Boko Haram in the North East.

    “You will recall that Cameroon is fighting shoulder to shoulder with our soldiers against Boko Haram. And in fact their intervention in that fight was very important and decisive,” he said.

  • Cross River: SEMA distributes relief materials to Bakassi returnees

    Cross River: SEMA distributes relief materials to Bakassi returnees

    The Cross River State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), in collaboration with the state Food Bank Commission, has distributed relief materials to more than 1,000 Bakassi returnees evicted from Cameroon.

    Mr John Inaku, the Director-General of SEMA, who distributed the relief materials to the beneficiaries on Friday at the Bakassi Council Secretariat, said that the items were provided for the returnees to ameliorate their suffering.

    Inaku said that the State Government was touched by their plight.

    “Gov. Benedict Ayade in his magnanimity, has provided for the victims all these food and non-food items and also urge them to remain calm.

    “We are also here to take care of our brothers, who were chased out of Cameroon for obvious reasons; some say it was due to taxes and all of that”.

    Inaku said that the returnees were from six states comprising: Cross River, Bayelsa, Akwa-Ibom, Rivers, Ebonyi and Delta.

    Also speaking, Dr Mercy Akpama, the Managing Director, Cross River Food Bank Commission, said that the role of the state food bank was to provide food for all the people of the state, especially for those in distress.

    “When Ayade heard that Nigerians were pushed out of Cameroon, he had to send us here with these food items to alleviate their hardship.

    “These food items are for all the states represented here; since the victims are all Nigerians, the governor has provided for all of them,’’ she said.

    The camp leader of Rivers returnees, Mr Paul Boma, said that they were forcefully evicted from Cameroon for failing to pay tax.

    “They levied us with a tax equivalent of N55, 000 per adult, we tried to negotiate the amount down to N25,000, but they refused, rather, they asked us to leave their country if we could not pay the money.

    “I want to thank the governor for providing us with these food and non-food items,’’ he said.

    Other returnees, who spoke with NAN in separate interviews, thanked the State Government for the relief materials and urged other State Governments to come to their aid.

  • Ita-Giwa urges resettlement of Bakassi indigenes

    Ita-Giwa urges resettlement of Bakassi indigenes

    Bakassi leader in Cross River State, Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, has described as unfortunate reports of maltreatment of Bakassi indigenes in the ceded peninsula in Cameroon, saying it is a wake up call for the urgent and proper resettlement of displaced persons in Dayspring.

    The former presidential adviser stressed that “all the Bakassi people need to do is to be united in our demand for where our people should come and be resettled.”

    Speaking with The Nation in Calabar yesterday, Ita-Giwa said it was regrettable that the Green Tree Agreement, a treaty by the Nigerian and Cameroonian governments, had not been adhered to.

    Last week hundreds of Bakassi indigenes who still lived in the ceded Bakassi landed Ikang jetty in Cross River alleged that almost 100 of them had been killed by gendarmes following incessant harassment by Cameroonian authorities.

    Ita-Giwa said: “That is very unfortunate. For years I have been saying that that the Green Tree Agreement has not been adhered to and in fact that for many years we have been crying that if Nigeria had developed Dayspring then these people would not have waited there long enough to be maltreated by the Cameroon government. They all would have come back. We are just saying they should just develop that land for the people because it is convenient for their way of life, which is fishing.”

     

  • Govt summons Cameroonian envoy over killings in Bakassi

    The Foreign Affairs Ministry has summoned Cameroon’s High Commissioner in Nigeria, Mr. Abbas Salahedine, on the reported maltreatment and killings of Nigerians in the Bakassi Peninsula by Cameroonian Gendarmes.

    Spokesperson for the ministry, Mrs Jane Adams, who expressed dismay at the incident said to have been sparked by alleged non-payment of tax on fishing activities said the ministry has “instructed the Nigerian Missions in Yaounde and Buea to investigate the report with a view to confirming their veracity and inform headquarters immediately.”

    Nigeria also asked Yaounde to exercise its duty of “care and protection over the people of Bakassi, including other Nigerian citizens in the area.”

    Reports from Bakassi on Thursday said  no fewer than 97 Nigerians were killed after  Cameroon Gendarmes attacked residents of Bakassi over failure to pay a N100,000 boat levy.

    The attackers sacked mainly Nigerians from Akwa Ibom, Cross River and Ondo State.

    Many others were however said to have escaped at midnight with their fishing boats and arrived at Ikang in Bakassi and Ibaka in Akwa Ibom.

    The killing and sacking of Nigerians in former Bakassi is believed to be a violation of the 2005 Green Tree Agreement (GTA) by the Nigeria-Cameroon Mixed Commission.

    The Agreement stipulates that the Bakassi returnees must be properly resettled to their natural habitat so that they can have a meaningful living.

    The GTA also states that Nigerians who choose to remain in Cameroon can do so without any molestation.

     

  • FG summons Cameroonian ambassador over killing of Nigerians in Bakassi

    The Foreign Affairs Ministry has summoned Cameroon’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, Amb. Abbas Salahedine, to give explanations on the report of maltreatment and killings of Nigerians in the Bakassi Peninsula by Cameroonian Gendarmes

    A statement by the Ministry’s Acting Spokesperson, Mrs Jane Adams, expressed dismay on the incident said to have been occasioned by alleged non-payment of taxes on fishing activities.

    “The ministry has instructed the Nigerian Missions in Yaounde and Buea, to investigate the report with a view to confirming their veracity and inform Headquarters immediately.

    “The ministry appeals to the Cameroonian authorities to exercise their duty of care and protection over the people of Bakassi, including other Nigerian citizens in the area,” the statement said.

    A report on Friday had stated that no fewer than 97 Nigerians were killed as Cameroon Gendarmes allegedly attacked residents of Bakassi over failure to pay a N100,000 boat levy.

    The report stated that the attackers sacked mainly Nigerians from Akwa Ibom, Cross River and Ondo state.

    Many others were however said to have escaped at midnight with their fishing boats and arrived at Ikang in Bakassi and Ibaka in Akwa Ibom.

    The killing and sacking of Nigerians in former Bakassi is believed to be a violation of the 2005 Green Tree Agreement (GTA) by the Nigeria-Cameroon Mixed Commission.

    The Agreement stipulated that the Bakassi returnees must be properly resettled to their natural habitat so that they can have a meaningful living.

    The GTA also states that Nigerians who choose to remain in Cameroon can do so without any molestation. (NAN)

  • Bakassi IDPs get N8.7m conditional cash transfer

    Rhema Care Integrated Development Centre in collaboration with the Cross River State Government, yesterday distributed cheques of N50, 000 each to 174 households of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) of Bakassi at their Government Secondary School, Akwa Ikot Eyo Edem camp in Akpabuyo local government area.

    The development funded by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, also witnessed the registration of the people for their national identity cards by the National Identity Management Commission, as well as birth registration for the babies by the National Population Commission.

    Executive Director, Rhema Care Integrated Development Centre, Mrs Kelechi Okoroji-Ejemson, said 25 members of the host community, Akpabuyo also benefited from the conditional cash transfer, while the remaining went to the IDPs.

    “Our relationship with the Bakassi IDPs dates back to 2013 when we brought the National Commission for Refugees to do a needs assessment here. From there we have been intervening with the people . We also take care of host community because they have been faithful to host the IDPs. So for peaceful coexistence, we have to carry them along. What we want to see is that at some point, every displaced Bakassi person has a means of livelihood. That is the vision for us. For this year we are doing a transfer for 174 people. Our dream for the Bakassi people is to see that we achieve durable solution. For us, we have put forward the issues if shelter, livelihood, education for the people.

    “We thank the United Nations High Commission for Refugees and the Cross River State Government who through its agencies have supported this agenda. What we are doing is like lighting a candle to help us quench the darkness of poverty and fear. We beg all beneficiaries to maximize the use of this money. It is not for you to pay back. But please invest it for your families and benefit of humanity. We want things to change for the Bakassi people.”

    State Coordinator, Rhema Care, Mr Lucky Ajuzie, said the money was for the beneficiaries to invest in farming and business to be able to provide for their households.

    He said Rhema Care is a faith based, pro poor, not for profit, non governmental development organization established as a direct social response to the challenges of poverty, illiteracy, diseases, discrimination, conflicts, disasters and lack of opportunities plaguing the developing world in general and Africa in particular.

    He said they are committed to the vision of an equitable society with socially transformed, economically empowered and environmentally sustainable communities in Africa, where everyone has the opportunity to experience care, peace, dignity and good quality of life.

    The Camp leader, Mr Etim Okon Ene, said Rhema Care had been assisting them in the past.

    “They have trained us on various sources of livelihood like hairdressing, soap making, and livestock farming among others. With this fund, the people would able to go fully into livestock farming and other businesses. As they collect this money, we will try to ensure it is well invested so they can be developed for their benefit and the benefit of everyone.

    If other people would help us like this it would be better, by training us and helping us stand on our own. It’s not just by coming to donate rice. This is the right way to sustain the people. It would help the people regain dignity. We so much appreciate it,” Ene said.

    Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of International Development Corporation, Mr Gabriel Akpeke, said the state government is committed to the welfare of the IDPs.

    He urged the beneficiaries to be cooperative, and ensure the money they receive is properly invested.

    A beneficiary of the CCT, Mrs Bassey Ita said, “this token will help us farm and do other things to develop ourselves and we are very grateful to them. For me I will invest this money into cassava and yam planting.”

  • C’River: FG pledges full support for 275km superhighway, deep seaport

    C’River: FG pledges full support for 275km superhighway, deep seaport

    The Federal Government has pledged full support for the proposed Cross River 275km Super Highway and the Bakassi Deep Seaport.

    Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, made the pledge on Thursday in Calabar at a Town hall meeting with the people of the state.

    President Muhammadu Buhari in October 2015, performed the groundbreaking ceremony  of the Superhighway, which is one of Gov. Ben Ayade of Cross River’s signature projects.

    He said that the federal government would support any genuine project by any state government for the benefit of the people.

    He said: “We are fully in support of the Super Highway and we will work with state the government to ensure its fruition.

    “The project will drive the state’s economy and Nigeria in general will benefit because the route will link other states of the federation,”.

    Osinbajo, who also inaugurated the Calabar Garment Factory in the course of his official visit, described it as a clear way of providing jobs for the unemployed.

    “ The garment factory is a clear example of how to provide jobs for the people and I urge other state governments to replicate the same in their states,” he said.

    He said that the federal government placed much emphasis on job creation and called for patience by the citizenry.

    He commended the beneficiaries of federal government’s Small and Medium Enterprises (SMES) in the state, adding that government would do more to encourage young entrepreneurs.

    Osinbajo also said that the federal government would work with all stakeholders to ensure that the displaced people of Bakassi were adequately taken care of.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Acting President also performed the ground breaking of ceremony of Ayade Industrial Park/Rice Seedling factory and inaugurated the Calabar Mono Rail during the visit.