President Goodluck Jonathan said yesterday that Nigeria deliberately refused to appeal the verdict of the International Court of Justice which ceded the Bakassi territory to Cameroon in 2002 in order to protect Nigerians residing in that country.
According to him, because of the controversy that trailed the ownership of the oil-rich peninsula then, there was tension between Nigeria and Cameroon.
"You all know what happened in Bakassi. There is no need to go back on why we couldn't appeal. We had no new evidence within the period of time that was given that will make a difference in the judgement. Our people should live a good and decent life in Cameroon. The forces of animosity are gradually dying down and the relationship is improving," Jonathan said.
He spoke at an interactive session with the Nigerian community in Yaounde, Cameroon, Sunday night on the side-lines of the summit of heads of states and governments of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Gulf of Guinea Commission (GGC).
The summit which commenced yesterday is focused on maritime safety and security in the Gulf of Guinea.
After the ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ)which awarded Bakassi to Cameroon in a 2002 ruling, the Nigerian government chose not to contest the ruling and ceded control.
Responding to the questions raised by Nigerians at the interactive session, the president assured that his government was totally committed to their welfare and that their concerns bordering on high cost of residence permits, high cost of tuition fees for students, among others, would be tabled before his host, President Paul Biya, to find amicable solution to them.
He commended Nigerians in that country over testimonies about their conduct and assured that concerns raised bordering on security, power, infrastructural deficits back home in Nigeria were all being addressed, noting that in two years, though short, his administration had made significant impacts in key sectors.
Jonathan implored Nigerians in the diaspora to ignore negative reports aimed at magnifying the challenges at home out of proportion, even as he urged them to take time out to look at the parameters, GDP growth, foreign direct investments, all of which indicate that "the economy is strong".
He told them that investors do not take money to countries where nothing is happening, revealing that out of every $10 that comes to the continent, $4 comes into Nigeria.
The president said his administration was almost through in fixing power and that once privatisation was completed, the sector "will take a life of its own".
On road infrastructure, he said work has been ongoing after the flood of last year, adding "we are not where want to be but we are not where we used to be".
On agriculture, he said the non-importation of rice has impacted on the country's revenue but added, "We cannot be a giant of Africa when we keep importing rice; we must put a stop to that. The way we are going, we will soon be exporting rice in a few years. We are now exporting cement -- about 20 million tonnes."
Jonathan said Nigerians in diaspora voting was an issue he was addressing already, noting that while he was personally advocating for it, he cannot use executive fiat to veto it, urging them to be patient until the constitution is amended.
"On diaspora votes, I advocated for it but before we can have it the constitution will have to be amended. I cannot use executive fiat to do it. I would have, but we have to follow the constitution. We have a very vibrant diaspora that should be heard. You should send your petition to the National Assembly so that they will know it's not only Mr. President that is interested in it," he stated.
Admitting that insecurity in the country was challenging, Jonathan commended the Nigerian security operatives for living up to expectations.
On the state of emergency declared in the three northern states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe, Jonathan said going by the successes of the Joint Task Force (JTF) it may not take the six months constitutionally backed to bring the insurgents under control and lift the state of emergency.
Other concerns raised by the Nigerian community included continuous attack on Nigerian territorial waters by pirates and the frustrations in getting the e-passport, all of which the government promised to quickly address.
Nigeria's high commissioner to Cameroon, Hadiza Mustapha, in her opening remarks said the Nigerian community "is the best community any ambassador could ask for. They are hardworking, patriotic, law-abiding and have good working relations with the Mission".
She said the good working relationship existing between Nigeria and Cameroon has brought about reduction in harassment of citizens living in the host country.
She said the complaints of Nigerian citizens have been tabled before the Cameroonian authorities and "so far we have no reason to doubt the commitment of our host government to address the issues".
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