As a lawmaker from Cross River State and a key stakeholder on Bakassi issue, what is your take on the committee set up by President Goodluck Jonathan?
I think it’s a first step. I think it’s also recognition that there is a problem there and the problem has to be addressed somehow. So, I hope the committee will look at it in all its ramifications, not just a legal approach-all the ramifications to address the problem of Bakassi. It’s a right step. I think initially they were just looking at it from the legal perspective, but with a committee like this, you can look at it even beyond the legal perspective.
What do you expect?
We expect that the issue of Bakassi will be given enough attention. The law and the review of the judgment is one aspect. The human rights abuse is another aspect. The collapse of the security situation, the demilitarization, militancy and criminality-these are all problems that need to be addressed. So, we expect a more robust engagement by Nigeria and Cameroon on this issue.
In recent times, it seems there is a kind of collaboration between the Senate and the House of Representatives on the Bakassi issue…
It’s not collaboration. From the very beginning, the National Assembly has never accepted the judgment of the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Go and look at the issue, they had always rejected the ICJ ruling and the Green Tree Agreement (GTA). This is just a growing voice after many years. We are coming to the end of the road. It has always been there.
Does it mean Nigeria has erred some how on this issue of Bakassi?
It is not whether it erred or not, whatever might have happened was not adequate contribution. That is why the problem still persists.
Sometimes ago, you spoke about the geopolitics or security implication of Bakassi Peninsula to Nigeria, what exactly is your concern?
Our concern is that there are human rights abuses. Our concern is security problem. Our concern is criminality-bunkering, theft, killing and kidnapping have grown because it’s like a place where nobody rules- everything happens the way it wants to happen. That is the real situation. But more importantly, by giving Bakassi away, it’s like dividing the Effik people into two. I’m an Effik person. Half of the Effiks are in Cameroon and half of them are in Nigeria. I think that is not very pleasant to anybody. There are many other problems apart from this.
Let’s talk on local government administration in Nigeria. In your view, what do we really need to do to ensure good governance at the third tiers of government?
Democracy is a form of governance. You have to deliver on something. What is it delivering on? That is why I think we cannot talk about democracy without talking about development. When we remember that local government or creation of local government is because we want to deliver development, then there is need for more synergy among stakeholders. We have to come together and that togetherness is like another form of civil society. We see people struggling with issues in Nigeria. We need to democratize. You remember that we have legislature at the three levels. How do we build democracy at these three tiers? At state level, legislature is almost like an extension of government. They rarely ever check what is going on where it is supposed to check.
How can we ensure those checks and balances?
That is the role of civil society groups. They have to hold them accountable. But the point is that civil society groups need create more democratic means to do it. We need citizenship organizations. In our communities, are there no churches, mosques or associations that can go to council chairman and request for the reasons why he has not done certain things for the people? We need to wake up.
But some people may oppose this reformative move…
They will want to block it.
Block it?
Yes. Definitely, in every situation, there will be people who do not agree with you. You need to lobby. You need to bring superior argument. You need to use every persuasive word and persuasive skill. You need a whole lot of things to make people listen.
