Davidson Njoku
1 July 2009
(Page 2 of 2)
What do you feel about the ceding of Bakassi peninsula to Cameroon?
Before we talk about the ceding of the Bakassi peninsula to Cameroon, let me tell you that by right and history, the entire Southern Cameroon ought to belong to Nigeria. We did not need to lose that territory for any reason. We lost terribly in the East by allowing Southern Cameroon to go and join Northern Cameroon. The area should have been one of the Eastern Nigerian States because it was administered by the same British government that administered Nigeria when the mandate of the League of Nations was given to the British.
As l am talking to you now, if you go to Southern Cameroun, you will see many of the indigenes bearing the same name, Mbu, as myself as well as other names that are peculiar to my people. Many of them are originally part and parcel of the Manfe's in my area and are similar to us in every way including dressing, culture and world view. The largest river in Southern Cameroon is known as Mbu River. So you can see what lam talking about. We shouldn't have allowed them to go but the Nigerian government did just that due to nonchalance. And today history is repeating itself and we have also allowed Bakassi to be taken away from us.
At no time was Bakassi Peninsula - the estuary of Bakassi, a no man's land. It has always been occupied by the Efiks and a treaty between the Queen of England and the Obong of Calabar confirmed this. The king of the Efiks, the Obong, was the king of the Bakassi. Therefore when Cameroon decided to challenge us over the ownership of Bakassi, we should never have gone to court. We are in possession and in occupation, what we could have done is to defend the territory against any physical encroachment.
Secondly, we went to court blindly. The statute of the International Court of Justice suffices in optional clause 36. If we have decided not to abide by the decision of that court, such decision could not have been binding on us, whether by ruling or advisory. I can spend a whole day giving you instances where affected nations reneged on the on the ruling of the ICJ and nothing happened. America reneged over Honduras, Panama, and until today all the judgments have been overlooked by US. What of Israel and the Palestinian question, till today Israel ignored the rulings, insisting that it is only Israel that can interpret what is good for Israel. There was the case of Britain and Iran in which Iran have ignored a world court ruling since 1951.
But Nigeria jumped at the judgment of the court and accepted it without a second thought even though the court said under statute 61 that you can challenge our judgment by appealing against it within six months. Again under statute 60 of this same court, sub section 1,2,3,4,5, we have reliefs that we could have sought to used against that judgment. But our man ran to America and signed the so-called Green Tree agreement. Why must he do so when the court itself said that we can appeal against their judgment within ten years. The question is why must our President be in too much hurry to ratify the court's judgment and hand over Bakassi to Cameroon.
Secondly, the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria provides that for any part of Nigeria to be ceded to another country, two-third of the votes of the National Assembly must be obtained. Why did our former President, Olusegun Obasanjo not have the patience to follow due process in handing Bakassi to Cameroon. He said he wrote to the National Assembly, but the procedures are thoroughly spelt out and he can't claim to be ignorant of those constitutional provisions.. The National Assembly ought to debate the decision exhaustively and vote on it. Even if they agree to cede the peninsula, such agreement cannot become law until it is approved by at least two-third of at all the state House of Assembly in the country.
Does Obasanjo hastiness in ceding Bakassi to Cameroun have anything to do with the Nigerian civil war?
The truth is that Gowon signed away Bakassi to President Ahmadu Awdgo over Cocktail in 1975. It was a military era and the constitution have been suspended but I wrote an extensive position paper on it, telling Gowon that the action is improper. That was how we gave Bakassi away and Cameroun used the agreement against us during the court processes.
What do you consider the highpoint of your political career?
I consider every office l find myself a highpoint and uses it the best of my ability to serve the nation selflessly and will continue to offer my services whole heartedly and selflessly.
What is your assessment of the Yar'Adua administration?
He has set a 7-point agenda for himself. Let him work on it and let people stop talking of second term and third term for him until the first term is successfully carried out. Let him concentrate on what he is voted in to do by Nigerians. At the end of the first term, people's assessment of his achievements will determine his political future.
How do you relax yourself?
I chat with friends, and when I get home I settle down with palm wine.
Which day do you consider the happiest in your life?
I felt highly elated when I was called to the English Bar. I was very young at that time it was a great dream come true.
Which day was your saddest?
The loss of my two sons was the saddest thing that has happened to me. You can see their photographs all over the room. One died in his sleep in London. I tried to wake him up but couldn't and I felt he's dead. It looked as if he was just taking a nap and nobody that saw him could believe that he is dead. The other one fell down here in Lagos, hit head on hard floor and sustained a serious injury that led to his death.
Tell us about your marriage.
I am very happily married. One of my friends was using me as a go-between to deliver messages to a lady he was wooing and who happened to be my wife's friend. It was in the process that I met her for the first time.. During our initial encounter, I remember she told me that I am very rude the way I talk to her. We eventually ended up as husband and wife and it has been a very happy marriage.
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