Peeved by the lack-lustre handling of the resettlement of the Bakassi people years after the October 10, 2002 International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling, which ceded the oil-rich peninsula to Cameroon, the Cross River State government is readying a mouthwatering N3trillion suit against the Federal Government.

Besides, the state wants to be compensated in perpetuity for the loss of Bakassi, and the consequent loss of 76 oil wells to neighbouring Akwa Ibom State, a development that has left it with skint finances.
Twelve years after that landmark verdict, the distraught people are particularly irked by the fact that despite a groundswell of promises made by the Olusegun Obasanjo-led government to resettle them at a befitting location, which would support their lifestyle and occupation, as well as the interest shown in the matter by the international community, they are still living as Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in different camps, with scant attention from the Federal Government.

Consequently, they are also considering suing the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which they believe did not follow due legal process in arriving at the verdict.
Chairman of Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), Aliyu Mohammed, during a recent visit to the state, said as part of efforts to assuage the pains caused by the ruling, about N38b has been paid as special allocation to the state by the Federal Government over a period of 11 years, as compensation for the loss of Bakassi and by extension the wells.
But the state government insists that this amount was grossly inadequate, considering the enormity of the dislocation suffered by the people, and the attendant economic loss to the state.
Chief Press Secretary/ Special Assistant on Media to Governor Ben Ayade, Christian Ita, in an exclusive interview with The Guardian said the state was not satisfied with such a paltry sum.
He said: “We have 12 months in a year, so multiply that by 11 years and divide it by N38b, that is when you will know whether that money was meant to achieve anything or not. By the time you finish the calculation per month, you would know that the amount would have become pittance. It is nothing. We are thinking that we should be compensated in perpetuity; we should be compensated heavily. I know that the governor is even considering taking the Federal Government to court to ask for over N3trillion damages over the loss of Bakassi Peninsular and its oil wells because no laid down procedure in international law was followed in ceding the area.”
Ita, who said the ceding of Bakassi was an issue between two sovereign nations- Nigeria and Cameroon, and Cross River State had no hand at all added, “Even when you look at the Green Tree Agreement, it has nothing to do with Cross River State, so there is no need to beg the issue because I think we are begging the issue. The truth of the matter is that the little element of comfort that the people of Bakassi are enjoying is coming from the state government even after the state suffered what can be described as double jeopardy. After the peoples’ land was ceded without their consent, the state also lost over 70 oil wells as a consequence, and it is the same Cross River State, which now has less money that is being left to cater for the wellbeing of the people.”
He stressed: “Is there no justice in the land anymore?”

Counsel to the Bakassi Strike Force (BSF), a militant group in the area, Ozinko Ozinko, also threatened that the group would sue the ICJ on behalf of the Bakassi people saying, “If care is not taken in this matter, this will be the first matter that we will even be suing the ICJ. They are not sincere. There are lots of interests and politics that come to play at international level. With the new evidence we have, it is clear that the judgment was obtained by fraud. When you obtain judgment by fraud, it is one of the grounds that one can appeal.”
The counsel added that: “Consent of the direct parties in the matter was not obtained. The direct party in this circumstance is the Bakassi people. In law, we have proper parties, nominal parties, desirable parties and necessary parties. So which of the parties did they give the judgment against? As far as we are concerned, when former President Olusegun Obasanjo went there to sign that document, he was only a nominal party. We are serious about it. If you check the treaty, you will see. We will approach the court of law and we will test our ammunition there.
more at http://www.akelicious.com/2017/05/cross-river-to-sue-fg-for-n3-trillion.html

3 trillion?


That's half of our budget na

Interesting.

These people never seizes to amaze me.

Hehe.

All problems that couldn't be solved over the years are now coming up, and most, amusingly from the 5%.

I felt really hurt by that Bakassi ruling. The FG has no reason to cede a square inch of our land to any country, fvck the ICJ.

If I were to be the president today, one of the first actions I'd take is to pull all the stops within my powers to repossess those lands. How many times do those Western countries respect such court rulings?

[s]

omenkaLives:
I felt really hurt by that Bakassi ruling. The FG has no reason to cede a square inch of our land to any country, fvck the ICJ.

If I were to be the president today, one of the first actions I'd take is to pull all the stops within my powers to repossess those lands. How many times do those Western countries respect such court rulings?

[/s]

hmmm just like Buhari that always refuse to obey court orders
it's in their DNA

Tufiakwa!

[s]

LionDeLeo:
Hehe.

All problems that couldn't be solved over the years are now coming up, and most, amusingly from the 5%.

[/s]
Nonsense trash

Ubanaese1:
[s][/s]
Nonsense trash

Oh, the mechanical engineering phone repairer, I can see you now follow me, good. The "nonsense trash" comment always give you away.

How was hustling yesterday and how is today gonna look like?

[s]

LionDeLeo:


Oh, the mechanical engineering phone repairer, I can see you now follow me, good. The "nonsense trash" comment always give you away.

How was hustling yesterday and how is today gonna look like?

[/s]

keep deceiving yourself

nonsense trash
Lalasticlala seun oam4j

Truth is mine

Ubanaese1:
[s][/s]

keep deceiving yourself

nonsense trash
Lalasticlala seun oam4j

Truth is mine

Calling them for what exactly?

An account registered less than 2 hrs ago is already following four members, how?

Cc
Mynd44, OAM4J, seun,

LionDeLeo:


Calling them for what exactly?

An account registered less than 2 hrs ago is already following four members, how?

Cc
Mynd44, OAM4J, seun,

and so?

any problem with that?
nairaland is still open for registration for new members

Ubanaese1:
[s][/s]

keep deceiving yourself

nonsense trash
Lalasticlala seun oam4j

Lies are mine

Until you cause another international war b4 you would understand when Russia were already selling weapons to Cameron other bigger country wanted to watch the match but Nigeria was smarter than that

[s]

tollyboy5:

Until you cause another international war b4 you would understand when Russia were already selling weapons to Cameron other bigger country wanted to watch the match but Nigeria was smarter than that

[/s]
Nonsense trash

Ubanaese1:
[s][/s]
Nonsense trash

Olodo rabata! I know you must be from the flattinos 90% of them fail to understand simple logic. I only respect those one that would learn to unlearn

[s]

tollyboy5:

Olodo rabata! I know you must be from the flattinos 90% of them fail to understand simple logic. I only respect those one that would learn to unlearn

[/s]
Bloody typical cone head
always talking trash

nonsense

Very unfortunate situation we find ourselves.

Cross river people una "GOOD MORNING" ooo

To Cross river,I say "GOOD MORNING"

agadez007:
To Cross river,I say "GOOD MORNING"

There is no need to taunt them. Cross riverians like Mbu remained pro Igbo till his last day on earth.

The Bakassi issue is a very sad one that every human being with sympathy should feel angry about.

Nigeria is bind by the agreements reached between Ahijo and Gowon, and there after between Obj and His Caucasian masters, Biafra isnt. It was so easy for the Northern- Odua gang up in 1967-70 to give away Bakassi just to keep the rest of the Eastern region, after all, they have no links or attachment whatsoever to Bakassi, such is the hypocrisy of those who scream one Nigeria and feign patriotism.
Neither India nor Pakistan would give away Kashmir, over judgement by colonial masters in Hague.

A future Biafran country, if Cross River and Bakassi be part of it, will just like Pakistan on Kashmir, not leave Bakassi to Cameroun, we would not be bound by agreements reached between Gowon and Ahijo and those reached between Britain and France in Hague and heaven won't fall.

agadez007:
To Cross river,I say "GOOD MORNING"

Say it again.... GOOOOOOODDDDDDDD MMMMMMOOOOORRRRNNNNIIIINNNNG. Good morning to you Cross River. Day don break ooooooo

PFRB:



Say it again.... GOOOOOOODDDDDDDD MMMMMMOOOOORRRRNNNNIIIINNNNG. Good morning to you Cross River. Day don break ooooooo

Stop this kind of attitude already, it helps no one.

Such suffering.