Plans by the indigenous of Bakassi to secede from Nigeria and create a sovereign State of Ambazania has been disclosed earlier today in Abuja. The plan which is being called SCAPO hopes to create the Republic of Ambazania and which will later apply for ECOWAS membership.

The roadmap for the creation of Ambazania has been sent to President Olusegun Obasanjo, the Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr. Kofi Anan, President Paul Biya of Cameroon, Prime Minister Jacques Chirac of France, Tony Blair of United Kingdom, the President of the United Nations Security Council, Chairman African Union,(AU) the Secretary General of the Commonwealth of nations, Executive Secretary of ECOWAS and the Chairman of Peace and Security Council of the AU.

What do you guys think about this development, and are you in support of it?

Link: http://www.tribune.com.ng/18062006/news/news1.html

By all means i fully support them, if the idiot in Aso Rock won't do the right thing in letting the people decide which country they want to be the people cannot be forced by a foreign court that has no idea where bakassi is to join cameroun. The people have a right to decide to form a nation on their own, they are more than rich enough! Wow, first in line to apply for citizenship of Ambazania. let nigeria take their hopeless green passport!

The leaders of the Bakassi community are afraid that when the region comes under Camerounian authority, they will become nobodies. For this purpose they are willing to sacrifice the lives of their subjects. It's shameful.

You know what is really interesting, they expect Bakassi to accept being Camerounian after almost 40 years of being part of a different naiton. It is as if they don't even look at Bakassi residents are people. They should hold elections and let the people there decide for themselves.

Screw the UN, screw the bloody colonialist. Let the people decide for themselves if they want to stay in Nigeria, form their own republic or join Cameroon.

Seun:

The leaders of the Bakassi community are afraid that when the region comes under Camerounian authority, they will become nobodies. For this purpose they are willing to sacrifice the lives of their subjects. It's shameful.

Sorry Seun, not everyone is willing to live in servitude to guarantee continuation of life like you are. By your reasoning, those that opposed the Military regime in Nigeria were willing to sacrifice the lives of the people so that they will not become nobodies.

My friend, you should try and incorporate some honor into your line of thought. As it sounds now, you come across as someone that is willing to do anything to ensure the continuation of your life. Not a good thing, my friend.

If death was so noble, why did Ojukwu not choose to die with the millions of Igbos he sacrificed? If I am going to sacrifice my life, which I won't do, it won't be for the sake of some corrupt power-hungry leaders.

Let us not be too gullible in this game which is playing out before our very eyes. I won't be surprised if Nigeria is behind the agitation for Bakassi to secede. I think the Nigerian politicians would rather see an independent Bakassi which they can ultimately re-absorb rather than see it go to Cameroun in which case the chances of getting back Bakassi are terribly slim. Cunny man die, cunny man bury am!

Africans at it again, We seem to love war and so called "freedom fighting". Pathetic isn't it?

Well the Bakassi leaders are behind this and they are Nigerians, so you are right in a sense. Also, the English speaking Camerounians are championing the cause. It's a laughable cause: a chief wants to become head of state!

No, actually it is not pathetic. If the rest of the world was put into fake borders, they will be a lot more wars than we are currently experiencing in Africa.

Seun:

The leaders of the Bakassi community are afraid that when the region comes under Camerounian authority, they will become nobodies. For this purpose they are willing to sacrifice the lives of their subjects. It's shameful.

Where they ever "ANYBODY" when they were part of Nigeria? If they were anybody, why then did we not consult them first before agreeing to hand over the land to the Camerounians, ostensibly at the behest of the US and Europe to gain access to strife-free oil!
Let them secede, if it works don't count on the niger delta not following suit! Time to start preparing my applicationg for Niger Delta citizenship!

Sigh! How long are we going to get hung up on this issue of fake borders The sooner we get our sh%^T together and move on the better. In the same Africa, while some are whining about fake borders, other countries which were birthed in the same circumstances are getting their act together fast! What? When will we grow up, get off our whiney butts and GET GOING

The whining will stop as soon as the borders are fixed. Trust, the overwhelming amount of good-will that will be in the hearts of the people once the borders are fixed will be enough to make up any lost time that was spent negotiating or fighting for the re-alignment of our borders. The people will for once actually have pride in their country. For, it will be theres. Not some remnant of European imperialism.

All very nice and ideal. Sadly, not very likely. Face reality and move on! This is what I would suggest. By the way, dont get the wrong impression that I do not appreciate the argument you make for secession, I do. However, rather than work with a romanticized fantasy, I choose to work with reality. Its time to quit dreaming and start doing!

alarinjo:

All very nice and ideal. Sadly, not very likely. Face reality and move on! This is what I would suggest. By the way, don't get the wrong impression that I do not appreciate the argument you make for secession, I do. However, rather than work with a romanticized fantasy, I choose to work with reality. Its time to quit dreaming and start doing!

Stop making empty statements. What is this "reality" you are working with and what actually are you doing about it? Bakassi people intend to secede and you call that "romanticized fantasy"?
What of the balkans, USSR? Romanticized fiction too?

Bakassi people intend to secede and you call that "romanticized fantasy"?

Biko, cool down and read the stream of posts well before you respond. I never called the plan to secede by Bakassi a romantized fantasy. I would take the time to repeat the posts one after the other to you so you can see that I am not exactly against Bakassi seceeding and so that you can see exactly what my comment was refering to, but I believe you can do that by yourself.

It is amazing that you ask what I am doing about "the reality on hand." I am assuming you didnt understand that the reality I was refering to are the arbitrary borders of African countries which Afeni in the previous posts refered to. If you are asking me what I am doing about that, then that is not a very good question. If you meant to ask what I am doing about progress in Nigeria, I would answer that I am indeed doing what lies between my power. Within my feild of expertise, I have projects at home that I return to as often as I can. It makes me feel good that I am making positive contributions. What are you doing

I see situation where some Nigerians will go to Bakassi to contest election,well ie if they achieve the independent

can they withstand the firepower of france?

otokx:

can they withstand the firepower of france?

YES THEY CAN. Have more questions?

People must allowed to become what they want to be.

The people of Bakassi are not agitating for a new Republic. It's their selfish leaders that are leading them down this trecherous paths. But it is the ignorant people that will suffer most from the consequences. People are stupid.

Seun, if the people were the ones leading in new decisions, then what do they need leaders for?

And lastly, I seriously doubt they are going to get massacred like the barbarians in the Nigerian Army massacred the Igbos in our civil war. Especially not with the rest of the world looking closely. I mean, they might not listen to the will of the Bakassi indigenous people because they are only Africans that live in little villages of 1000 or less and are lacking in culture. But there would still be some outrage if the Cameroonian or Nigerian government stumps out opposition for sovereignty.

And where were/are they [the West] when the myriad conflicts across the African continent were brewing? Congo, Somalia, Ruanda, Angola, Dafor, Sierra Leone, Liberia Stoking the flames of destruction around which the African is always more than ready to dance his macabre dance of death! Face it, there is only one reason the "West" is taking such keen interest in the Bakassi issue: OIL! A breakdown in Nigeria/ Cameroun dialogue would not exactly be outside the interest of the West. Bet you, you will see the whole history of colonization repeat itself before your eyes. It will begin with a swift intervention by the US,; an intervention which will excuse the stationing of hundreds of troops in the Bakassi region. These troops will never leave. Already the US Marines have been on constant guard at the Gulf of Benin for a long time, for what? Waiting, waiting, waiting patiently for the right opportunity to invade? As long as we continue to squabble within ourselves as a people, we may yet, in our life time, experience the Colonization of Africa Part 2. This time they will not only draw arbitrary borders etc etc, they will exterminate ya'll for good!

alarinjo, leave it to a Yoruba man to promote cowardice. Seriously, stop it! You are making us look bad. Think about the image you reflect on other Yorubas before you embark on your "I don't want to die campaign".

Cowardice? Far from it. I want us to prove how brave we are actually. Go to war and annihilate ourselves. It wont be the first time, in fact our history proves that we are good at it. Not at all o! We must fight the good fight. While the rest of the world is developing we must continue to bicker and fight and spill our blood! Perpetuate genocide and maintain our global status as the epitomization of disease, poverty and warfare. This, of course, is the only way to avoid "making us look bad" in the eyes of the world! ITS TIME TO FIGHT!

They should think before they act. Nigeria won't support them, definitely Cameroon would attack them. Recipe: disaster.

Seun, if the people were the ones leading in new decisions, then what do they need leaders for?

They merely need spokespersons who will promote the inerests of the people, and not their own selfish agendas.

@ Chxta

Excellent article indeed. I particularly like the last paragragh in which the author emphasizes the idea of Bakassi as a people and not a faceless geographic entity. I believe they and they alone should determine where they want to belong. Scr*w the ICJ; Scr*w France; Scr*w ALL the former colonizers; and Scr*w our double tongued politicians!

Exactly.

But I don't understand the ICJ. Why shift a people?

At the end of the day though, if we want to be truthful, the blame lies at the doorstep of a certain Jack Gowon,

But I don't understand the ICJ. Why shift a people?

The ICJ or any foreign body for that matter does not have the interest of Nigeria or any African country at heart. And why should they? In this dog eat dog world, each man guards his own interests and rightfully so! This was the point I was trying to make in an earlier post where I denounced the idea that some Western country or organization would jump in to mediate any altercation that develops in Africa in order to restore peace or equity. if they jump in at all, it will be to stake their own individualistic interests.

The only reason France helped Cameroon to seek an ICJ ruling over Bakassi, instead of encouraging a plebiscite is so that once Cameroon claims the oil rich region, France can gain unlimited access to the booty! The proof of this is that when the Northern British Cameroons decided to join Nigeria in 1961, a plebiscite was brokered without any qualms. Naturally, since there was no oil there to contend for. The unfortunate thing is that we Africans (our leaders in particular) are more than ready to wager the future of their people at the global market for their own selfish gains. Like I said earlier, the West continues to dictate the tune while we dance to our own peril! This pattern will not change until we begin to look within ourselves and not to the West for the resolution of any internal conflicts we may have. Put differently, if we think that its ok to agitate violence as a means of resolution of internal conflicts with the hope that some peace keeping body will be on hand to help us resolve that violence, THINK AGAIN. History has proven time without number that this is exactly what WILL NOT happen!

At the end of the day though, if we want to be truthful, the blame lies at the doorstep of a certain Jack Gowon

Perhaps, who knows! The issue has a long history of complications that it is difficult to assign blame to a single individual. More interesting details about the history of the Bakassi palaver can be found here: http://www.vanguardngr.com/articles/2002/cover/june06/18062006/f618062006.html

The author of the article takes an interesting position that may not be popular with some of us. I myself have mixed feelings about the whole issue. I can only say that Nigeria should have never agreed to go to the ICJ.

It all started when a group of mediocre SANs decided that it would uplift their CV if they went to the Court of Justice at The Hague.

http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/B/Bakassi.asp says: "The judgment was largely based on the 1913 Anglo-German agreement that defined the borders of those nations' colonies"

Who elected or mandated the Anglo-German occupiers to speak or sign agreement on our behalf? Any above average SAN would have noticed this piece of information and advised the government of the day to ignore the original case.


This is not jingoism: I would make the same argument for Cameroon if the indigenous people of Bakassi were opting to relocate to Cameroon. If the indigenous people of Bakassi are opting to relocate to Nigeria, how can you give up their land to Cameroon? Now here is a campaign issue if any presidential aspirant wants one.