Nigerian Senate Rejects Obasanjo’s Bakassi
"Giveaway" Policy
Dateline: Abuja, Nov. 22, 2007
Nigeria’s Senate today declared that former President Olusegun Obasanjo acted illegally when he ceded the disputed and oil-rich territory of Bakassi to Cameroon.
It would be recalled that Mr. Obasanjo turned over Bakassi to Cameroon in a move many Nigerian legal experts described as unconstitutional.
The Senate’s action serves a resounding rebuke to Obasanjo who continues to face growing scrutiny and condemnation over some of his policies during his eight-year tenure.
The Senate said it was unconstitutional to give Bakassi, a constitutional part of Nigeria, to a foreign country without first approaching the National Assembly to initiate a constitutional amendment. “As far as the Nigerian constitution is concerned,” one of the senators told us, “Bakassi remains part and parcel of Nigeria. Obasanjo’s so-called cession of the territory to the Cameroon is a nullity and without effect. For such an act to be contemplated, we need to amend the constitution. Only then can such a move be deemed legal.”
Obasanjo’s Bakassi policy is already facing several legal challenges both from the residents of the area as well as a coalition of Nigerians at home and abroad. Last year, the coalition hired Barr. Femi Falana to file a suit asking that Obasanjo’s purported ‘gift’ of Bakassi to Cameroon be declared illegal.
The lawsuit, which is now vindicated by the Senate decision, also argues that the Nigerian constitution must first be amended if the territory is to be given away since Bakassi is one of the 776 Local Government Areas. The group also claims that the decision to give away a part of Nigeria’s territory requires a plebiscite by Bakassi people and the involvement of the Nigerian Legislatures. Furthermore giving away of Bakassi constitutes strategic security risk to the Niger-Delta region and presents 'clear and present' danger to Nigeria as a whole since it acts a gateway to Nigeria’s oil and gas resources and exports.
Reacting to the Senate’s decision, Dr. Baba Adam, a U.S-based Nigerian political activist and a member of the coalition suing the government on Bakassi, said he was delighted. "We’ve always said that Obasanjo had no powers to play benefactor with Nigeria’s territory. It’s heartwarming to find that the Senate has come to the same conclusion." Adam urges "President Yar'Adua and the Nigerian Armed Forces to affirm their constitutional duty of defending the territorial integrity of Nigeria".
Republic of Cameroon has already violated several clause of Obasanjo's 'Greentree Accord' - for example levying seven years back taxes on the Bakassi residents and deploying the Cameroonian Army when they agreed in the illegal accord on two to five years 'demilitarized zone'.
The Senate has asked for the Bakassi Treaty to be submitted to them for study. One senator told us that, after looking at the document, the Senate would then decide what steps to take next.
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