establish a military base in Bakassi Peninsula to the strategic and
socio-political disadvantage of Europe, Nigeria would not have lost
Bakassi to Cameroon.
The fear, according to a new book; "Fraud at the Haguei: Why Nigeria's
Bakassi was ceded to Cameroon," was worsened by the then closeness of
Nigeria's President Olusegun Obasanjo to his USA counterpart,
President George Bush. Thus "keeping Nigeria out of Bakassi is
securing the area against the American military base under the AFRICOM
initiative."
Author of the 138-page book, Mr Adebayo Adeolu, told Vanguard that the
October 10, 2002 judgment of the International Court of Justice (World
Court), The Hague, ceding Bakassi to Cameroon was pre-determined and
fraudulent.
Insisting that geographically, historically, linguistically and
politically, Bakassi had always been part of Nigeria, he described the
ICJ decision as imperialism at its worst.
Ownership of Bakassi
Ordinarily, he argued that there should not be any doubt concerning
Nigeria's ownership of Bakassi because "Nigeria had been in physical
control throughout the many centuries as the place is home to the Efik
people. Nigeria administered the region.
There were hospitals, police stations, post offices – everything you
can see in a modern state was provided by Nigeria. Cameroon never had
possession…The 1884 Anglo-Efik Treaty (which supersedes other
treaties) is a binding agreement between Britain on one hand and the
Obong, chiefs and people of Calabar on the other.
Accordingly, anything done by either party in breach of the terms of
that treaty violates not only Article 26 of the Vienna Convention on
the law of treaties but also the fundamental customary international
law principle of pacta sunt servanda.
"During the case concerning Bakassi and Cameroon, in the advisory
opinion in relation to Western Sahara case, the International Court of
Justice pointed out that in the period of 1884, before, during and
after the advent of the colonialists from Europe, neither the Bakassi
Peninsula nor any other part of Efik territory was virgin land that
belonged to anybody or state.
The Bakassi Peninsula and other parts of Efik territory had long been
under effective occupation, and this granted ownership to the Efik
people who for centuries had formed social and political organizations
that were controlled by the leadership of the Obong."
In spite of the flaws that might have arisen from the legal team
representing Nigeria at The Hague, and non-consultation of Bakassi
indigenes and security agencies in the prosecution of the legal battle
with Cameroon, Adeolu argued that the facts before the court showed
that Bakassi Peninsula belonged to Nigeria.
He urged the Federal Government to utilize the remaining 33 days out
of the 10 years window allowed for an appeal to appeal the judgment.
The time allowed for appeal will expire on October 10.
According to the book, the ICJ was presented with a number of
treaties, points and arguments, which led to the final decision of the
French Judge, Gilbert Guillaume.
It should be noted that France colonized Cameroon and both countries
are still bonded socio-economically and politically. It was the French
government that prompted Cameroon into taking the matter to the Hague,
where British, French and German judges decided. the case.
The treaties and points of arguments include:
* The 1884 Anglo-Efik Treaty;
* The 1885 Anglo-German Treaty;
* The 1913 Anglo-German Treaty
* The 1975 Maroua Declaration between Nigeria and Cameroon
* The law of treaties
* The Vienna Convention, 1969 (Article 26).
The book read in part: "The European superpowers have known for over a
century the strategic importance of Bakassi, as a region.
The region is a danger to the nations of the world if any superpower
controlled the region with military bases. The region was forbidden
for military bases and garrisons because it could be used for
intrigue.
It could cause a blockade for commerce and shipping of any kind and
could also be used as military outpost for striking other nations
around and far away. "The British, French, Belgian and German
governments are well aware of this fact. The European continent as a
whole has this information.
"It was because of the Germans and their expansionist and
militaristic stance and approach to its neighbours and other nations
that it was barred after the First World War from the region. This was
the decision reached by the League of Nations. African military bases
would not be tolerated by members of the League of Nations, as it
would pose a danger for all Europe and Asia and the world at large.
"The military posture of President George W. Bush in his fight against
terrorism, which he promoted globally after the terrorist attack on
the United States on September 11, 2011, and his unilateral decision
to invade the sovereign state of Iraq without the full approval and
support of the United Nations brought about the international
conspiracy.
International conspiracy
"The European Union had to keep him out of Africa, especially Nigeria,
which the Europeans saw and still see as their 'colony.' Britain did
not want America meddling with its former colonies, especially Nigeria
where a wonderful relationship had existed for years and was being
rekindled.
"The president of Nigeria at the time was very close to George Bush.
In fact, he was like Bush's 'African cousin' since former President
Obasanjo of Nigeria was a regular guest in the United States.
"The Europeans felt that if he gave the nod for a military base to be
established, Bakassi could be used. This prompted the judgment
against Nigeria from all evidence that was presented and further
discussed… President Obasanjo had consented to prejudgment conditions
in a closed-door meeting convened by the French President, Jacques
Chirac and this did not imply the collective will of the people of
Nigeria."
No comments:
Post a Comment