Bakassi citizens win IMG’s Man of The Year award

Ijaw Monitoring Group, IMG, has declared the Bakassi citizen as the Person of Year 2012.

In a statement by Comrade Joseph Evah and Comrade Timi Igoli, Coordinator and Secretary General respectively of IMG, the Ijaw said: “The recognition was necessary to assure the people of Bakassi, whose land and people were ceded to Cameroun, that the rest of Niger Delta salute their courageous spirit and resolve to determine their own future.

“The people of Bakassi suffered injustice this year and they were declared as stateless people in the 21st century, a time Niger Delta produced Nigeria’s president as well as elected indigenous  governors. Yet, part of Niger Delta and its citizens were sold to a foreign country as slaves.

“The Bakassi citizen is our Person of the Year, as a mark of South-South solidarity and a clear warning to the international community that Bakassi remains part of Niger Delta, despite the attempt to separate us. The uncommon strength of faith displayed by Bakassi people to fight against this injustice against their generation and generations yet unborn, points to the fact that Bakassi people deserve this honour. This award is meant to expose man’s inhumanity to man on the issue of Bakassi and stop every attempt to erase the identity of the people of Bakassi from  the world map.”