BAKASSI PALAVER: ‘Obasanjo
gave our land to Cameroon because 3rd term failed’
From JOE EFFIONG, Uyo
Saturday
July 8, 2006
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•Children
splashing at a borehole
•Photo: Sun News Publishing
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Behind a thatched-house in one of the Bakassi islands, two
young boys were bitten by the World Cup bug. One naked, the
other dressed in tatters, they kicked a rubber ball around,
oblivious of the tension in the air.
Somewhere nearby, their parents were involved in a battle
to save not just their history, but the future of their children.
In what appeared like a political meeting at the village square,
the adults argued on. One moment, they spoke in low tones;
then the voices rose in anger and anxiety.
For the people of Bakassi peninsula, June 12, has suddenly
become more than a day the freest Nigerian election was annulled
in 1993. It is a day the governments of Nigeria, Cameroon,
the International Court of Justice, in connivance with the
United Nation shaved the heads of the Bakassians in their
absence.
Now they are living like corpse embalmed in their owners houses
but which would sooner or later be evacuated, willy nilly,
for the new occupant of the house. Bakassi residents most
of who are Ibibio, Oron and Efik are trying to live in a dream
world that Obasanjo-biya signatures to cede their birth place
Cameroon was a cruel nightmare. But the refusal of the day
to break and wipe away the night has heightened their fears
that the reality is here. They would soon be transported to
other peoples land to leave like refugees in their country.
Or they would remain in Bakassi as second-class citizen, tax
milking machines and socio-political and lingo-cultural appendage
to Cameroon.
But they say they would fight back or die in the peninsula
because “this is our land”. From the youngest
to the oldest, the refrain is the same, “kill us and
take the land or leave us alone to remain where we are”.
The 80-year-old Chief Okon Edet Etim said so far the Bakassi
people are not aware of what the federal government is talking
about as they have never asked them to go to any court on
their behalf.
“If you have a child and send him on an errand, after
accomplishing his mission he would come back to you to tell
you how he had done the job. But here we never sent the federal
government on any errand, and they have never sent us. All
that we have heard is that judgment has been entered against
us. Who did we take to court; whom did we quarrel with? So
we don’t believe what they are saying. President Obasanjo
has never been here; Donald Duke has never been here so that
we can even know their faces. Yet they said they have ceded
our land to Cameroon. What have we done; how can we just belong
to Cameroon overnight?”
Chief Etim who ironically is the father of the paramount ruler
of Bakassi, Chief Etim Okon Edet, said the most painful aspect
of the drama was that even when the active players decide
to come to address the people of Bakassi, they would use English
language despite the fact that 98 percent of the inhabitant
of the islands are illiterates; thus they are further pushed
into darkness and confusion.
“The place is called Abana Ntuen. Since the beginning
of time, our great grand parents were born and buried here.
So we are living her; we have resolved that even if it means
death, we will all die here. We cannot leave our inheritance
to become refugees outside.
“This place is called Abana Ntuen; the Bakassi is a
new phenomenon that we know nothing about. We can never be
Cameroonians; instead of answering Cameroonians, we would
not mind to belong to another country all together if Nigeria
is tired of us. But we can’t leave our father’s
land to be refugees in another person’s father’s
land. And we will never send any legislator to represent us
in Cameroon”.
The octogenarian also said no amount of money would entice
him or any true child of Bakassi to go and live in a new place
because that place would not be like their home. He debunked
the rumour that the Cameroonian government may make life better
for them than Nigeria, exclaiming “even if my mother
is a rat, as long as she was the one that gave birth to me,
she remains my mother. I won’t assume that someone else’s
mother’s food is sweeter than my mother’s.’
The 66-year-old Nyong Etim Efa spoke in the same tone of disbelief
and anger. “Nobody had ever mentioned it to as in the
past that the place belongs to Cameroon. We have never had
any relationship with Cameroonians since I was born. Cameroonians
came here offer the civil war claiming that they were asked
to come and take charge by Nigerians. But we told them that
we have those who guard our community; so we told them to
leave us and they left.
Since then they have not come here again. Now that Obasanjo
wants to take us to them, does he say that Cameroonians and
we have any relationship? So if he wants to bring Cameroonians
to come and behead all of us, we are ready, but this is our
land. We cannot leave it. This is the only thing we have in
Nigeria. If he wants to hand over Bakassi to Cameroon, let
him do so but our town is called Abana Ntuen. So we can’t
leave the place for anybody”. Ironically, Abana is the
headquarters of Bakassi local government area.
Sakrangynang
It is not only the men that are spitting fire, Obonganwan
of Bakassi, Mama Edet Ekpa Abana, who said she was 10 years
during the World War 11, said she would not leave her property
to go to Cameroon or any other part of Nigeria apart from
Bakassi. In fact she is very particular about two things –
the Cameroonian French language which she derogatorily dubbed
sakranyang and the N37,000 worth of wooden house she has just
built at Abana.
“I am from Abana Ntuen Umoh, Calabar, Nigeria. I have
no business with Cameroon, I don’t know their language
and I won’t be able to speak sakranyang. This house
I’m building is costing me N37,000. How can I then leave
this kind of house for a stranger to come and occupy. I can’t
leave this land. Every man, woman and child from Bakassi is
unanimous that they won’t leave the land. Will president
Obasanjo leave his family land to live in another place like
a refugee? We won’t leave this place. Every Nigerian
has right to his place”.
She said Cameroonian gendarmes would only come like rogues
when the Nigerian army has been withdrawn because roguery
was the lifestyle of the gendarmes. “They had come before
like thieves and we sent them packing. Since then, they have
not come again. So we don’t want them. Nigerian army
is better because we understand their language but we won’t
be able to speak sakranyang.”
3rd Term Failure Hangover;
The only person who spoke in English , Mrs. Rose Okon Etim,
also hammered on the language differences, stressing that
the whole Bakassi was shocked with the development. “If
Baba (Obasanjo) were in our shoe, how will he feel to sell
his father’s land to another country. It is very sad.
We lose our military people and a lot of Nigerians here because
of Bakassi so we didn’t expect this from Baba.
Is it because third term was not in his favour so he decided
to sell us out to Cameroon? This is not fair. We supported
him during election, but look at us now, we have been turned
into refugees in our own land. Because of that we cannot travel
to where we normally travel. Gendarmes have started harassing
our people saying this is their own land now. We are all fishermen.
Minus the water, we don’t have any job. We have youths
who since they were born; they have not been to school. This
is their business. What else do they know how to do apart
from fishing. Without Baba coming her to take us to Aso Rock,
we will not have this place.”
Talking of harassment, Emmanuel Effiong Bassey said he has
got enough from the gendarmes who in 2004 seized his outboard
engine until he paid N150, 000 in Cameroon to redeem it. “But
that same week, I paid them N25, 000 again, else, they would
have seized it again. Our fishermen now pay N10, 000 a day
to fish. If they refuse, they gendarmes would destroy their
engine. Things are very difficult these days because of the
federal government decision. But the army can go, but will
stay on our land”
For the clan head of Ibibio community Obong Ekpe Oku, “whatever
power he (Obasanjo) will bring, we’ll resist him because
if a termite bites someone, it will leave its head on the
person. So we’ll leave our head on Obasanjo’s
body.
We are fishermen. What else can we do? Cameroonians have never
done anything good for us; rather they exploit us. The federal
government should rather ensure that there is peace in Bakassi.
We should not give Cameroon trouble and they should not harass,
because there is a natural boundary between Nigeria and Cameroon
out Ibuot Utuenikang, very far away from here. If they want
to force us out, we’ll fight back”.
Our forebears’ graves
If everybody could be persuaded to leave with their property,
Chief Ita Okon, is asking “how can we carry our grandfathers’
graves? Let them kill us let us die here because if a son
dies in his father’s house he’ll have a safe exit.
If they have a better job than fishing let them bring it here
to us to do instead of taking us to the assumed Canaan. But
one thing is sure, we won’t pay tax to Cameroon.”
Everyone spoke like they had met to resolve to approach the
issue from the hard line angle. But Nigerian army is withdrawing;
the Cameroonian gendarmes are advancing towards Bakassi; the
people say they would rather die than be subjects to Cameroonian
authority because they are Nigerians living in their Nigerian
land where the forebears were buried. Maybe, federal government
should award contracts for the movement of graves in Bakassi
to the proposed Canaan, or better still let the people stay
and teach them some sakranyang.
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