Senate President David Mark yesterday said Nigeria will initiate discussion with Cameroon on the ceding of Bakassi Peninsula.

Mark spoke with reporters at the 127th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) conference in Quebec , Canada .

The conference’s theme is “Citizenship, identity, linguistic and cultural diversity in a globalised world.”

The Senate President said the Nigerian delegation would engage their Cameroonian counterparts at the conference to iron out knotty issues so as to create a forum for broader dialogue on the Bakassi issue.

He said the discussion would focus on whether to revisit the International Court of Justice (ICJ) decision on Bakassi or to ensure that the rights of Nigerians who live in the oil-rich peninsula are fully protected.

The Senate President noted that the National Assembly recognised that there is a subsisting judicial decision on Bakassi.

He insisted that once there is a judicial decision on any matter, “you must be careful.”

The judicial decision hanging over Bakassi, he said, made it imperative for Nigerian delegation at the IPU to open dialogue with their Cameroonian counterparts at the conference on the future of Bakassi.

He said, “Bakassi is a different story entirely. For Bakassi, there is a judicial decision and once there is a judicial decision you must be careful.

Revisiting the judicial decision on Bakassi whether it will bring any more profit or whether we should ensure that Nigerians who are in Bakassi have their human rights fully protected and that they are not maltreated in any way by Cameroonians, is one of the issues we will sit down and discuss with Cameroonian parliamentarians who are here too.”

In his address at the conference, Mark told the Union of the need for parliaments world over to protect and guarantee minority interests.

He said, “The National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is not just in total support of raising the stakes in management of diversities in a globalised world, we are already taking steps to ensure that every minority interest within the Nigerian State is well protected.

“We are working to remove all obstacles that hinder unity and harmonious co-existence.”

Harping on the ongoing constitution review by the National Assembly, Mark said that cardinal among the issues on the constitution review agenda is to revisit some constitutional issues which seemed to contradict one another and the spirit of the constitution on the rights and privileges of Nigerians.

In particular, he said that the National Assembly will take another look at the issue of “state of origin” as against “state of residence.”

Some parts of the 1999 Constitution, such as Section 147(3), he said, makes it compulsory for certain political offices to be for indigenes (not residents) of the benefiting States.

Such discriminatory tendencies, Mark insisted, tend to ignite indigene-settler rows.

He said that Nigerians feel that the problem can be best addressed by replacing the “State of Origin “ provision with “State of Residence .”

He assured that the National Assembly would work to actualise the replacement of “State of Origin “ provision with “State of Residence “ to enhance the rights and privileges of every Nigeria in any part of the country, irrespective of his or her state of origin, language, ethnicity and religion.

Apart from institutionalising “State of Residence “ he said that the National Assembly is working to ensure that “our women and other minority interests are well secured by entrenching in the constitution provisions that advance their course.

Mark noted that more than ever before, humanity has come to understand, both by reason and compelling needs of interdependence, that though language, ethnicity, culture, race, religion, gender, political inclination and economic status may differ “it is in brotherhood that we can all make progress.”

He posited that proper management of citizenship, identity, linguistic and cultural diversities in a globalising world is an international challenge, but with local solutions.

For him, if every nation plays its role creditably in the management of diversities within their local environment but with global outlook enshrined in various international treaties, declarations and conventions, “we would have made an impressive progress towards this end.”

 
http://thenationonlineng.net/new/news/nigeria-opens-dialogue-with-cameroon-on-bakassi/

Let them act fast.

A mere tactics to appease angry Nigerians.

Anyway nothing better could be done except military action.

If britain could go to war against Argentina because of 2300 british living on falkland island,then Nigeria is justify to implore military action coz of Over 100000 of her people living in bakassi.

Falkland Island is few miles away from Argentina but the britain claim it as one of her territory and went ahead to start war with Argentina.

Next >>>>>

Grammer

David Mark is definitely Presidential, no long ting. Oya Cameroon lets talk.

Unlike Jona, Mark went all da way to Canada to tell the internationalist that Nigeria will initiate discussion with Cameroon on the ceding of Bakassi Peninsula.

Now, dat is guts.

Me like!!!

All this problem started with Gowon and OBJ. Now they've left their sh.it for some one else.
I'm not sure whether military action would be the best option. What happens if they start bombarding Abuja and Lagos?

Who are they trying to deceive. Nigerians are not fools. This are mere propangada. Bakassi is gone and gone for good. Afterall, the deadline for re-visiting the case has expired since they decided not to press charges. So the senate president should just admit that Nigeria is a failed nation with a failed government rather than bombard us with hopeless hope.

Brave and wise decision. We must talk to reach an agreement. Political solution remains the only panacea.

Elueme: Brave and wise decision. We must talk to reach an agreement. Political solution remains the only panacea.

political solution with Cameroun Let us pray!

Wetin i no go see and hear for naija?CAN SOMEBODY TELL ME WOT THEY WANT TO DIALOGUE FOR?BAKASSI?or can we assume that the period given by the ICJ for the appeal was quite oblivious to them?THIS IS WHAT WE CALL ARRANT NONSENCE.

Akbee: Wetin i no go see and hear for naija?CAN SOMEBODY TELL ME WOT THEY WANT TO DIALOGUE FOR?BAKASSI?or can we assume that the period given by the ICJ for the appeal was quite oblivious to them?THIS IS WHAT WE CALL ARRANT NONSENCE.

.

dialogue after how many years?
a judgemnebt was delivered on this issue but our Country's leadership refused to appeal it.

This is what we call medicine after death period.

Akbee: Wetin i no go see and hear for naija?CAN SOMEBODY TELL ME WOT THEY WANT TO DIALOGUE FOR?BAKASSI?or can we assume that the period given by the ICJ for the appeal was quite oblivious to them?THIS IS WHAT WE CALL ARRANT NONSENCE.

Spot on. ARRANTICUS NONSENSICUS!!

D

The only viable option is WAR.
Paul biya is not someone you can dialogue with.
It seems we are about to have our own 'palestinian' situation in Africa.
And like the iranians will say;
DEATH TO CAMEROON.
Lol.

They were not protected as Nigerians in Nigeria....not to mention as 'minorities' in Cameroon.
Abeg tok beta mata!

This supposed to be the first option but now last.

[/quote]Who are they trying to deceive. Nigerians are not fools. This are mere propangada. Bakassi is gone and gone for good. Afterall, the deadline for re-visiting the case has expired since they decided not to press charges. So the senate president should just admit that Nigeria is a failed nation with a failed government rather than bombard us with hopeless hope.[quote]

I thought the dead line for appeal was october 10th 2012. Which kind package be dis nah?

If bakassi were to be an earthquake prone area both nigeria & cameroun wud hv disowned it

Medicine after funeral...If I were God, I would have directed all the heavy floods in Nigeria to sweep Bakassi away and both government will forget about it.

Madecine after death. Nigeria, una good morning o!!!

U guys are advocating for military option.gud idea.its quite evident dat if Nigeria embarks on one she would crush cameroun like a lion.judging from her military might which is the best in Africa and one of the strongest in the world,cameroun stands no chance of being the victor at the end of the day.infact she would give up fighting or surrender after a week of intense figthing.
However,Nigeria is scared of one country,France,a former colonial master of Cameroun.as u alredy know,france did sign a military defence pact with her former colony and could do anything to protect her sovereignty.even if it means going to the battlefield(catching a grenade for her).Nigeria could have signed one with Britain if not for criticism from the elites and student of the country who saw it as an extension of colonialism.according to them such move could have jeopardised Nigeria's dream of being and independence country,free from all forms of external control.
Since Nigeria failed to appeal the ICJ judgement wen she was given the chance to,she is now left with the military option.However she is scared of France involvment in the proposed war.
The proposed talk with the cameroun authority wont produce any positive result.to this end,it is my opinion that the Bakassians should be given a chance to decide where they belong.let them make their own choice since the FG ccould not do so for them.let them make their choice since The once well known lion of Africa has suddenly gone to bed and reduced to a mere rat.NO TALK MR SENATE PRESIDENT,NO TALK MR PRESIDENT.posterity shall judge.

good decision !!

With dialogue we are more optimisric about bakassi.

b