By Hugo Odiogor, Foreign Affairs Editor.
The Etinyin of Bakassi, Dr. Etim Okon Edet, is not only the paramount ruler of Bakassi but also chairman of the Cross River State Council of Chiefs.

A product of the University of Calabar where he studied political science, the articulate traditional ruler, was forced out of his palace in Atabong by the vicious intrigues of concession of his land, which is part of Efik Kingdom, to Cameroon by the Federal Government based on the war time policy of appeasement entered into by Gen.Yakubu Gowon and Late Alhaji Ahmadu Ahijo of Cameroon.

This was finally sealed by Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo and Mr. Koffi Annan, who accepted the ICJ verdict and rushed into implementation of the verdict with the endorsement of the controversial Green Tree Agreement.

Etinyin Etim Okon Edet and President Jonathan

With days to the final date for a possible appeal for the review of the ICJ judgment and reluctance of the Federal Government to hearken to the cries of Bakassi people, Dr. Edet tells Vanguard that those who ceded Bakassi and threw over three hundred thousand people into destitution should face trial for crimes against humanity.

 CAN you give us a good idea of what is happening in Bakassi and where we are today?

I thank you very much for your concern. I have seen quite a lot of what Vanguard newspaper is doing on the Bakassi issue. I think we have done quite a lot on the Bakassi issue, right from the onset of the judgment. We have condemned the judgment. I don’t know what we should do and where should go from here. We are approaching the final day of the decision and the country is still not doing anything.

What I want to say is that Nigeria should release us, Bakassi technically is included in Nigeria, but it is not in Nigeria. People say technically that it is included in Nigeria because we are listed as a local government in Nigeria, so, any action we want to take now would mean a violation of the constitution of Nigeria. But for sure, I, as a paramount ruler of Bakassi land that is in existence in this planet earth, we would take back our land. Just as the nation of Israel went back to their land in a miraculous way, I am so convinced and sure that with or without an appeal to the ICJ, there is another court that is beyond us all. We are all awaiting the judgment of that court.

So, Nigeria should be kind enough to release us. Some people went to the National Assembly to say that Bakassi is not part of Nigeria and, therefore, it should be deleted from the constitution. I support that call. We now know that we are not legally in Nigeria. We want to be free to confront whoever handed us illegally to anybody unknown to us. We will confront them and then we will be free to do so. May be at that point, the entire world would then look at us as crazy people. I don’t want a situation where any cobweb is still moving around us and nobody cares to say anything. But we are assuring everybody in this country that the Bakassi issue is going to be a serious case study of injustice done to people on this earth, and it is going to affect those who are pretending now as if the matter does not concern them.

Wonderful and miraculous way

When you don’t want to do something, he does it in a very wonderful and miraculous way. God cannot begin a project that He cannot end. God created us and put us where we are just like all of us. For instance if you were born in Maidugri in Borno State, perhaps you would have been a Muslim, not by your choice, not by your making but God wanted us to be there.

We are here and we are Christian because that is where we came to be. So God placed us there, gave us the land, named all those areas, the trees, the villages, the shrines, the food, etc,  and after several years, people are coming to make adjustments, people are beginning to be displaced from what God originally made it to be. So God will not start a project, and leave it like that. He has to complete it.

So I’m assuring you and everybody from the bottom of my heart, that we are taking back our Bakassi, I’m not worried at all. I don’t know the year, I don’t know the method, but I’m telling our people that we are going to get our land back, we will pray to the almighty. I want to be proved right or wrong whether it is the same God that did that miracle for the children of Israel and cannot do it for the children of Bakassi today.

So whatever the president is doing, or whatever the Nigerian nation is doing, he should know that he is from the Niger Delta region. The president should know that we voted for him. When the president came, I received him and campaigned for him, today he is not listening to what we are saying.

Denial of education

So that is what we are looking at, we are not looking at any man again; we are not looking at the president again. I think in the past years, people have died, people have suffered, nobody is going to school; their schools have been abandoned there.

This is a grave injustice to a people that was denied education by colonial powers, a people who are in a hurry to produce educated people to catch up with their kith and kin. I think I am the only man standing, may be because of the law. In fact it is only the constitution that is saving us. I want to appeal to Nigerians to continue to pray for us so that we can come out of this issue.

How would react to the issue that the National Assembly did not bother on issue like sovereignty, lives, security of the country?

I am even surprised that after their long vacation, the Bakassi issue which which they have condemned over a period of time, is not seen as a serious issue to deserve their attention. This is a matter they condemned, said the treaty has not been domesticated by them.

In spite of that, they moved motion and I have personally witnessed two motions, moved in the House of Representatives stopping proceeding and another one of this year, asking the government to go to the ICJ to review the judgment because of the overwhelming little things that they have seen.

In other areas in the world, such resolution will not be taken lightly as it is done here. You will know a leader in times of crisis not in times of when things are good.

I am talking as a leader of Bakassi; I don’t mind whatever it will lead to because I am hurt. Nigerians too should be hurt that a part of this country has been lost. I have never seen a nation giving out a territory instead of that they should continue to extend their boundaries forward. So the National Assembly is not doing well. Why didn’t they impeach Obasanjo for breaching the constitution? Why are they talking now? I have received so many visits on Bakassi. They just come around to collect money and play with us. I have to stop one of them from coming to me because I am not ready to receive them. The information they are seeking for is all over the internet.

They know that the people of Bakassi went to court, a court in this country. May God bless that judge? Judgment was given, injunction was placed that the Green Tree should not be implemented but they went ahead to do it. So what are we talking about? Where would we get justice? But let’s wait. I am completely disappointed on the National Assembly that they are not using the powers they have.

As it is now the National Assembly cannot fail Jonathan, yet they favors were made, yet they took an oath to correct many errors, to do justice and get thing corrected. Look at the power project, correction are being made at all levels to put things aright. Look at our constitution, reviews are being made and yet they cannot review a judgment that was made, why can’t they make an attempt and let it be on record that attempts were made to review the judgment of the ICJ,  then we would all see.

What I want to also say is that, we have all been talking about the Bakassi, the treaty in 1893,1913, 1975 etc. The British authority themselves would face us. The Bakassi people at that time did not have access to Education. they were not exposed to the white people that came, so they gave that power of attorney to the Obong of Calabar, the father of Efik people since he is already use to this white people, so that they would not come and play some tricks on us. So they said they want us to sign a treaty of protection, not ownership.

The power that the people of Bakassi gave to the Obong of Calabar was attorney that is the Obong should help them to sign the agreement. Which means there is an original owner who has now mandated that you act on their behalf? So the Obong acted on behave of the people of Bakassi and signed that treaty on their behalf.

Now, the third party who is the British people, they also signed another treaty. Just like the Obong of Calabar, what he did not have, he cannot give out. So we are going to ask the British authority why they did that to us. Why they say the land belong to them? They have to tell. The world would come to know what part they played. Was it their land? Were they right in giving it out? Which is now a topic of controversy today? So we are going to face that.

The Federal Government said if they ask for a review, the world would laugh at them, do you agree with, and what do you expect in such a situation?

You can even see that Gowon is silent on this issue up till today. Obasanjo joined or the two military people have not made any statement about the mistakes they have made.

Like I said, I will continue to pray to God to prolong life for them to see the end so that they can tell the story. Now we have heard that Nigeria will be laughing stock over the going back of the review of the judgment by the ICJ. Is it that Bakassi is now made a sacrificial lamb? They swore an oath to protect the destiny and integrity of this land. They have not done so. But they should understand that as it is now life of people are involved. Both Gowon and Obasanjo should be tried for war time and peace time atrocities visited on Bakassi land. Our oil and land they have given to Cameroon and made us refugees for ever.

The Americans should know that the lives of people are involved. All those who witnessed the signing of the Green Tree Agreement should now that the lives of people are involved and when you joke with the lives of people you are joking with God. So let Nigerian continue to play the game.

If we are the sacrificial lamp for Nigeria to be one, are we not entitled to compensations, are we not entitled to other good things of life. If I am giving out my life for you to be free, I am also entitle to any other thing that you are taking out of my land, but you have not done so. You have not given me another life to live, I am still roving around, and you think it would be well such people. It can never be well because when there is no internal justice and you are looking for external justice you can’t find it. God is going to superintend over this matter and his judgment is going to be final.

When Bakassi people talk about resettlement, what is it that comes to their mind of the government?

As far as I am concerned, we want back our land. At the initial point we were deceived we were told that for us to be obedient servant, we have to obey our president. For your president of your country to call you one on one and pleaded with you.

Obasanjo deceived us

There are other implications that you are not aware of now “Please you guys should leave the place, we are going to put you somewhere and almost a similar place that you were before.”

We believed him and we moved. First year, second year what they did was to go and give account and I told them it was not the resettlement. They think it was an emergency situation as at that time, when will they handle the resettlement issue.

We have lived in a particular where most of the people are fisher men, they have waited and they continued to wait, now we know that they are not serious, we know that our president lied to us, lied to me in particular. He called me, held me by the hand, my own president of my own country held my hand and we discussed.

I told the people to be clam, but up till this moment we don’t even need resettlement, we don’t need anything called resettlement because we don’t know what they are going to do. Like you rightly said that money was given and up till now this country has not called on the person who collected money.

Getting people to stay in a camp is a resettlement? You are talking about putting people in the camp, these were people who had their own tradition, everything was fine, they did not complain. Now you are coming to build a camp and you want to displace the other person.

I told Donald Duke who started this process that if you want to take this people and you take them to another populated area; it means that you want to displaced those people who are the original owners who will not allow you to change out their name. So he compounded the issue.

Your majesty, you mentioned Donald Duke that he was in government. You also mentioned that the president as that time called you that they should meet with them but why is it that since this problem came up; Cross River has kept quiet for very long?

Thank you very much. In other areas it is not so but they are playing politics with the lives of people but the almighty God himself will definitely visit all those who took part in the Bakassi problem one after the other. Today nobody is saying anything that he/she did this and it was done wrongly and that he was sorry and nobody is asking any question which means there was coherence from top to bottom.

If you are a minister and you gave out job and the job was not properly done and the people are complaining and whatever the decision they write to the minister, he suppresses it. The minister that did not take part in it would want to know if at all the job was not properly done if at all it was done. But you see the whole thing he just gave out the money. He did not do anything and he has not done anything. He has not even cared to know what he used the money for and nobody has asked any question, so, there was connivance.

You are talking about the N4 billion set aside for resettlement, well I don’t know about that. All of them are playing politics but for how long will they continue to play politics.

Today, let me say it clearly it is Bakassi today, tomorrow it may be Bekwara, the day after tomorrow it may be Bayelsa. And it would go on like that. So when they view what is happening here as the end, it is not so. So it can happen to any person. Let’s look at our own example to be a case study.

When you become a refugee you become an immigrant in your land

There is nothing we have not done. We have written to the United Nations General Assembly likewise others. Nigeria today is a global village. Going to the court is a serious matter and taking judgment is a very serious matter. Nigeria in the world today is a global village. Nobody can say he is ignorant of the Bakassi problem and that injustice that has been done to a community in Nigeria.

Well, maybe the Court is thinking that if justice was done …… or that area was giving out was a no man’s land, whatever they were looking at.  But we never participated in the war. We never knew what was going on at the ICJ.  In fact even when the war was on, we did not know because we never participated in it. It was in 2001 that I started hearing about the case in ICJ because we never took part in it we were not taken along.

In any case those people do not have the right to decide for us where we want live. But I will tell you that our area is not going over to Cameroon. The ICJ has finished their work; the Attorney General of the federation recently said so to the president and the foreign affairs minister that they are not going back to ICJ.

But there is nothing in this world that is not subject to review. Even the world…. is subject to review. From time to time it is been reviewed. Nothing is permanent. Therefore he has told the president that they should not revisit the matter. But God will visit all those who are part of this wrong doings.

So they have finished their work, we are now looking at the work of the Almighty God. When the work of the almighty is done it will be perfect indeed. So let them continue to do what they are doing and let the National Assembly continue to say and do what they like but when God will visit He will visit all and nobody will be free.

Why has the issue of Bakassi only centered on oil and its resources and not the people?

That is the question we should ask the people and the entire world. You know people are just looking at where they can make money even when they steal money but the money they are already making in Bakassi is blood money. Whoever is making money there now or is trying to make money there in the nearest future is making blood money except the proper thing is done, except justice is done and except the people are no more dying. People are no more interested in the human factor but the oil money. They are looking for blood money.

Well the situation is the same. We built about three secondary schools in Abana including several primary schools. But these schools are no more there again. Each time I attend May 27 Children’s day and October 1 Independence day I kept on telling the political leaders that I would not attend these ceremonies again if I don’t see the primary school at Abana and children passing.

The schools are no more, the people are scattered. The people you only see there are the councilors, chairman without a local government. The largest local government has just five councilors and above all I am the only man standing. Iam just standing on the law. I want that law to be taken away so that I can stand firmly on the ground the only law holding Bakassi is just the …….

Apart from that law in the constitution there is nothing else. It just exists by name. But must human beings just continue to exist just as names and there is nothing to fall back to that are on ground

The allocation given to Bakassi is not a hidden thing. It is on the internet. Bakassi is still existing on that law and the allocation Bakassi is getting is because of that law. So I don’t know anything more than that. That is why I said theymust be removed for us to be able to conduct issues because we existed before Nigeria, we existed before Cameroon and we existed before the local government.

We have been there before the local government was attached to Bakassi. We were known as the Bakassi people and not Bakassi local government. So why have they refused to leave us alone with their laws and allow us to stand how we used to stand? Cameroon had never entered there before. They know they can never enter there ordinarily. We are riverine people and in that time, to leave Bakassi to Calabar is a long journey that takes days. They know how we cater for them then.

Even when there were no mobile phones that connected people our eyes were open. We can leave alone, so let them leave us alone. Nigeria is saying no more going back on the issue, Bakassi is gone. Then leave us if that is the case.Nigeria is still keeping Bakassi because of the oil. If they leave us alone will they exploit what they do not have? You say these people are not there but you are using these people to collect money and to save resources because it is a legal issue now . Come to look at it the… in Nigeria is determine the …between this matters on the oil issue because of legality.

Because Bakassi is still in the constitution,  If Nigeria removes Bakassi from the constitution, the Republic of Bakassi cannot be by Nigeria and the Republic of Bakassi cannot be…. By Cameroon because the ICJ cannot give the land to Cameroon because they don’t know anything about the land. So we need freedom.

We need to be left alone. Nigeria, please leave us alone. You don’t need us again. You don’t need the people but you need their resources. Come to think of it where are the Bakassi people that were in the Peninsula. They are not there. So if they do immunization Bakassi local government is not there to do immunization. Where would they live, they are not there. So let them release us. If they release us Cross River will be willing to release us.

So what is the message for Bakassi people?

The message is that very soon, the problem would be over.We have 20days to go and if God will perform His miracle, 20days is nothing. He can use one day to change event. He would allow you to flourish in your stupidity and ignorance and just like He told that rich man in the bible that today that was the end.

I am assuring all our people that this whole situation will come to an end and I that they should be constant in their prayers that He should do for them just like He did for the children of Israel.

Today, Bakassi people is leaving with enemies surrounding them. So they should pray constantly.