IGBO-SON:


^^^Nuclear deterrent ke! See how it's rolling off your tongue with ease.....bros, you think say nuclear deterrence na beans?

Our bumbling officials being what they are......they'd probably press the wrong button on the day and end up blowing up the whole country back to the ice ages!

gare:

Thanks for that if Duke can come out and say he is afraid of France then he is not fit to rule us, I learnt he had presidential ambitions this is how he would give this country out to super powers all in the name that they are so powerful.

It shows that they read and they gather themselves with thieves and are there to loot and give out part of our country.

Sukosam: If my memory serves me correctly, Nigerian forces occupied the peninsula from the Abacha regime to when it was finally handed over... If that be the case, that would mean the military threat was issued after the icj judgement.. The question is where were french during those years? What rili happend was dat during the shagari regime, a security document detailing how nigeria would capture younde in 2 wks was leaked to the french. With this document, the the french govt threatened shagari with military action if cameroum was attacked, hence, the proposed military campaign against yaounde was cancelled.. This and coupled with the chadian boarder dispute were sum of the events at the time that undermined shagari's govt(by angering the military), hence setting the stage for a military coup.. But the question remains; where were d french when nigeria occupied majority of the community making up bakassi under the abacha regime?

One_Naira:

What is this one saying? My whole comment illustrates the comedy witnessed on this forums a lot. Nigerians on this website yarn up and down how it's so called "superior" military defeated Biafra despite France supporting Biafra. in other words, saying how nigerian military defeated France. Now the same France threatened the country, what happened to the so called "superior" military? Oh yeah that's right Too afraid to do anything without asking for others to back it up. It's just pure comedy. Every war USA had it seeked approval, they thank and admit their allies helped them, they never boast it's their military that did it all nor do they disregard the massive help they received from others. Nigeria is the opposite hence my first illustration.

As for the ending of your comment, dude you have no ounce of empathy at all? Nigeria selling out a portion of it's region just because they desperately want to win a war and need more allies is nothing to you. The leader at that time disregarding the feelings of the indigenous of that region he sold out is nothing to you hence the comment "you want to eat your cake and still have it". The bakassi indigenous were and still are unhappy with the decision, they wanted the nation to fight for them or find another alternative to appease Cameroon but no, the government gave them away like modern day slaves. SMH

papparatzzi2013:

So Ojukwu forgot to enter into such pact with France or what exactly are you driving at?

Your a$$$e$ were whooped alongside France Israel SA and Sweden that supported you and leave with it for the rest of your life.

papparatzzi2013:

So Ojukwu forgot to enter into such pact with France or what exactly are you driving at?

Your a$$$e$ were whooped alongside France Israel SA and Sweden that supported you and leave with it for the rest of your life.

centje: trust me,those countries are regretting not siding with that region they tagged 'rebels'

gratiaeo:
Ok! We have notice you. Next person

ACM10:

You can't repel external aggression without the assistance of Britain. All your internal policies must be approved at 42 Downing Street. You are eternally dependent on your Britain. Tell me how you are different from the countries you berate?

Symphony007: So france made such a threat against the federal republic of nigeria and "total" continued to drill our oil...how idiotic!! The nigerian government is amatuerish.

papparatzzi2013:

So Ojukwu forgot to enter into such pact with France or what exactly are you driving at?

Your a$$$e$ were whooped alongside France Israel SA and Sweden that supported you and leave with it for the rest of your life.

Caleboha: Its stupid to even contemplate a war with France. See how Boko haram, few uneducated, poorly trained riff raffs slaughter Nigerian soldiers daily. Naija will no longer exist on world map if we try that. War isn't mere talk, its war!!!

solomon111: Morøns on this thread comparing boko-haram insurgency to conventional war.
Idiots.
America has not been able to defeat the talibans for many years now,yet the same america will destroy any country in a conventional war in a matter of weeks.

Ojobojo1: If it was the time of General Sani Abacha, dem born france well??

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABUJA 003036 SIPDIS LONDON FOR C. GURNEY -- PASS TO A/S KANSTEINER AND AMB. JETER E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/04/12 TAGS: PBTS?[National Boundaries, Territories, and Sovereignty], MOPS?[Military Operations], PGOV?[Internal Governmental Affairs], PREL?[External Political Relations], PREF?[Refugees], EPET?[Petroleum and Natural Gas], NI?[Nigeria], CM?[Cameroon] SUBJECT: NIGERIA: MOD DANJUMA ACCUSES FRENCH OF ARMING CAMEROON REF: ABUJA 02933 CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR HOWARD F. JETER; REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D)

¶1. (C) During a private moment at the October 30 Australian National Day, I asked Minister of Defense T.Y. Danjuma if he could confirm reports of a GON military build-up in response to the ICJ decision on the Bakassi. Danjuma did not deny the reports as I thought he would; rather he said that Nigeria's recent military hardware acquisitions were in response to arming of Cameroon by France. This clandestine French program had been going on for 18 months, according to Danjuma. The arms supplied by France, the Minister said, included aircraft, amphibious crafts, and munitions.

¶2. (C) When I reported that the French had denied these allegations, Danjuma said that Nigeria was certain of its information because the GON had intelligence agents in Cameroon who gave eye witness accounts of the arms transfers. Moreover, these agents had also reported the presence of French military advisors in Cameroon who were working side- by-side with the Cameroonian military and training them on the use of the new equipment.

¶3. (C) COMMENT: Danjuma has a fixation on the French, and his certainty of French machinations is unshakable. Whether real or imagined, Danjuma's perception, likely shared by other senior GON officials, is helping to drive current GON military acquisitions and policy. ANDREWS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ABUJA 002165 SIPDIS LUANDA FOR A/S KANSTEINER E.O.12958:DECL: 1.6X1, 1.6X6 TAGS: PREL [External Political Relations], PNAT [National Independence], MARR [Military and Defense Arrangements], NI [Nigeria], CM [Cameroon], FR [France; Corsica], UK [United Kingdom], PTBS SUBJECT: NIGERIA: BAKASSI -- ON THE MINDS OF MANY CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR HOWARD F. JETER; REASONS: 1.6X1, 1.6X6.

¶1. (C) Summary: The GON is feeling a sense of urgency regarding a possibly adverse ICJ judgment on the Bakassi within the next few months. The GON is groping for a face-saving exit before finding itself boxed in a corner. The GON wants avoid the dilemma of having to accept an adverse judgment that deeply wounds their national pride and provokes jingoistic repercussions or of having to fight Cameroon, launching an attack that might be popular at home but would irreparably harm Nigeria's standing abroad. However, Nigerian officials are frustrated by Paul Biya's refusal to talk. HMG is endeavoring to lower GON expectations of international support for its position, and the GOF says it is not taking sides but the Nigerians do not believe Paris. The GON will raise Bakassi with A/S Kansteiner. While avoiding active USG involvement for now, we also should continue to talk to the British and French while weighing the utility of encouraging other African states to engage in some preventive diplomacy. End Summary.

----------------------------------------- NIGERIANS FEAR STORM CLOUDS ARE GATHERING ----------------------------------------- ¶2. (C) Nigerian observers believe the ICJ will announce its decision on Bakassi later this year. Concerned their legal position is weaker than Cameroon's, GON officials have been fretting about the domestic fallout of a negative ruling. While the Embassy does not actively seek to discuss Bakassi, GON officials have begun to impress upon us the difficulties Nigeria would face abiding a decision that awards Bakassi to Cameroon.

¶3. (C) In a recent exchange with Ambassador Jeter, Defense Minister T.Y. Danjuma declared that he "could not predict" his country's reaction if the ICJ ruled against Nigeria. There were 200,000 to 300,000 Nigerian citizens living in Bakassi, the Minister noted, and "very few Cameroonians." Danjuma took the same line in a conversation with British Deputy High Commissioner Charles Bird.

¶4. (C) Minister of State for Justice Musa Abdullahi Elayo, who led the GON delegation at the most recent round of hearings in The Hague, told DCM that Nigeria's interests were its people and access to the port of Calabar. The GON "would not care" if oil and natural gas were the only issues at stake. Elayo said the GON understood the GOC concern for direct access to international waters (i.e., without having to pass through Equatorial Guinean waters) and recognized that most of Cameroon's oil production was from fields located in the offshore zone affected by an ICJ ruling on Bakassi. However, Nigerian attempts to negotiate a settlement had foundered on Paul Biya's stubborn refusal to talk. Biya has rebuffed several approaches, Elayo stated. In the end, Nigeria would defend the interests of its citizens, who make up the overwhelming majority of Bakassi's people.

¶5. (C) Going beyond Elayo's unpersuasive soft-pedaling and even his own superior's (Danjuma) calculated uncertainty, Minister of State for Defense (Army) Lawal Batagarawa spoke bluntly to PolCouns. He stressed that the GON did not want to fight; yet, in the same breath, Batagarawa strongly implied that domestic considerations might compel a military response to an unfavorable ICJ judgment.He asserted no government could long survive if it passively accepted the "loss of Bakassi." Given that most civilians would be jingoistic, elements in the Nigerian military, a fortiori, were itching for a fight. Bakassi evoked strong emotions, stressed Batagarawa. Despite the emotions, the GON realized its international standing hung in the balance. Nigeria's reputation as a peacekeeper, its role in NEPAD and Obasanjo's image as a statesman would be dealt stinging blows if Nigeria were seen as an aggressor, the Army Minister lamented.

¶6.(C) If fighting came, he predicted Nigeria would be disadvantaged initially and would suffer more losses than Cameroon. However, trying to send the message Nigeria would not back down once fighting started, Batagarawa asserted the disparity of men, material and money would give Nigeria the upper hand in time. He maintained the Cameroonian army was reinforcing its positions around the Bakassi. He also claimed evidence the French had several advisors helping the Cameroonians. Batagarawa stated that, on the margins of the G-8, Obasanjo asked Chirac if the French could help. Chirac was dismissive, stating since it voluntarily submitted to the Court's jurisdiction, Nigeria now must accept the Court's judgment

¶7. (C) Like Elayo, Batagarawa claimed Biya had rebuffed several overtures from Nigeria, including an attempt to arrange a secret Obasanjo-Biya tete-a-tete in the latter's hotel room during the Durban AU summit. Batagawara groused that French support fed Biya's obduracy. He also alleged the presence of French and Francophone jurists on the ICJ had given Biya undue confidence. Batagarawa stated that Nigeria, while able to accept the primacy of Cameroon's legal claims, wanted to negotiate a "political solution" palatable to both the Cameroonian and Nigerian publics. The Minister of State mentioned he would raise Bakassi with A/S Kansteiner during their July 25 meeting. (Comment: Batagarawa likely will urge the U.S. to press France to be more receptive to Nigeria's position and ask the French not to encourage Biya's stubbornness. End Comment.)

------------------------ WHAT OUR ALLIES ARE DOING -------------------------
¶8. (C)In a low-keyed manner, the British are attempting show the Nigerians that their legal case is weak and that no one is likely to intervene heavily on their behalf. Deputy High Commissioner Bird recently showed President Obasanjo the High Commission's copy of Nigeria's 1978 national atlas that begins with a dedication signed, "Olusegun Obasanjo." The maps of the affected region show Bakassi in Cameroon. President Obasanjo merely shrugged Bird off, contending the atlas had "no official status."

¶9. (C) French Ambassador Jean Mare Simone told Ambassador Jeter recently that President Chirac and Obasanjo briefly discussed Bakassi on the margins of the G-8. Asked how Paris might assist, Obasanjo responded, "Help me control my military." (Comment: Weighing Batagarawa's statement against the French Ambassador's, the French and Nigerians have vastly different interpretations of what their two Presidents said to each other. End Comment.)

¶10. (C) The French Ambassador hoped to talk with the ICJ President (a French national) on the margins of a lecture the ICJ President will give in Paris next month. The French Ambassador said Biya was complicating the situation by his refusal to meet Obasanjo. In fact, Biya was systematically avoiding venues where he thought even a chance encounter with Obasanjo might occur. Given this awkward situation, Mare Simone contended the French were taking a low key position and, like us, did not plan to raise Bakassi formally with the GON until the ICJ rendered its decision. He stated Paris wanted to work closely with us to prevent an armed conflict that would have serious consequences for Africa. Nigeria and Cameroon were not in the same sub-region. There was no effective regional organization to mediate a potential conflict. Moreover, Biya was isolated, stubborn and unpredictable. Chirac might have some limited influence with Biya and the U.S. might be able to influence him as well, the French envoy thought.

------- COMMENT -------

¶11. (C) As far as we can tell, Nigeria does not want a war over Bakassi. However, Nigerians do feel a strong attachment to that territory. These conflicting sentiments have caused some deep soul-searching within the GON over how to respond to a possible negative ICJ ruling. While many senior officials recognize the weakness of their position, the GON has not prepared the public for an adverse ruling. With elections slated for late 2002 and early 2003, such a ruling will spark calls "to protect fellow citizens" in Bakassi, and most observers generally agree the overwhelming majority (90-95%) of Bakassi's inhabitants are Nigerian. Obasanjo's remark to Chirac reported by the French envoy suggest the Nigerian Army would initiate action on its own. It would be difficult for the Army to make such a momentous decision by itself. However, as Army Minister Batagawara asserted, Obasanjo will come under extraordinary pressure to do something forceful to reassert Nigeria's claim to Bakassi.

¶12.(C) While Biya may win the case before the ICJ, Nigeria may find itself politically unable to accept a ruling that completely rejects Nigerian claims. Thus, GON officials are currently making the effort to emphasize to us the straits in which Nigeria would find itself due to an adverse ruling. The GON likely hopes that we (and France and the U.K.) will believe Nigeria is ready for war and, therefore, urge Cameroon to negotiate.

¶13. (C) The USG should make no public statements on the Bakassi dispute as long as it remains sub judice. Our private conversations with both parties should focus on reminding each of the dangers of overplaying its hand. Nigeria must recognize the strength of Cameroon's legal claims and Biya's domestic constraints. Cameroon should not be insensitive to Nigeria's political imperatives. Neither side should give serious consideration to the military option. Also, we should continue comparing notes with London and Paris while also weighing the potential utility of broaching the issue with African states that might be able to mediate effectively between Nigeria and Cameroon. JETER

musiwa1l: I question the ownership of bakassi. It is wrong to believe Nigeria own bakassi. Bakassi is own by cameroon.

There is a tribe call Bakassa people inside cameroon. and there is a Bakassa mountain inside cameroon. The Bakassa people are the owners of bakassi. And they are inside cameroon.

So the world court was right in its decision. Even while this information was not available at that time. Satellite pictures shows it is not own by nigeria.

Symphony007: It's so shamefull that most of this francophone african countries are just independent in name only. They can't sneeze without the permission from paris. Yet the world and indeed anglophone countries keep berating britain from colonialism, they have washed their hands off your country. But france is still actively practising colonialism and no one is saying anything. It's just stupid.

ACM10: Can you imagine?

Paul Biya kept Obasanjo waiting for 3 hours.

When he later met Obasanjo, he started LECTURING him on Bakassi?

Not only that, he consistently took a hardline stance in his negotiations with Obasanjo.

Now tell me WHO IS DA BOSS?

Idoma Likita: Germany Ceded Alsace-Lorraine to France in 1918(Treaty of Vienna)..What happened on 4th August 1939? They reclaimed it when opportunity presented itself!

If America believes Taiwan would remain Independent of the Chinese Mainland forever, then it is a Pitiful Grandiose Delusion!
The Complete Reunification of China is merely a matter of Time!

The Unification of the Korean Peninsula is also a Matter of Time! Both Koreas have Unification Ministries! America is merely Polarising the Peninsula because it serves her Strategic Interest in SouthEast Asia!

Nigeria by Ceding away the Bakassi Peninsula did the Right thing considering the Circumstances! We have ceded it, but have NOT forgotten it!
Soon, Tables would turn, Alliances would Shift, Opportunity shall present itself, and we will reclaim what is ours!

Do Not Despair my People! In International Diplomacy, Patience is an indispensable Tool!

Happy Independence True Patriots!
May God bless your Families

My Mouth: would they hv made that treat if it were Abacha? guys go and read ur history, france is a world power bt hw many wars have they won in History? They are onu good in starting wars and pullin out wen it gets hot. e.g vitnem

IGBO-SON:


^^^Nuclear deterrent ke! See how it's rolling off your tongue with ease.....bros, you think say nuclear deterrence na beans?

Our bumbling officials being what they are......they'd probably press the wrong button on the day and end up blowing up the whole country back to the ice ages!