Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River has been described as a committed leader who has shown that he has the overall interest of the displaced people of Bakassi Peninsula at heart and is ready to work toward making life comfortable for the Bakassi Returnees.
The National Coordinator of the Bakassi Returnees, Prince Astin-Joseph Inyang, stated this yesterday at the camp of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) of Bakassi returnees at Ikot Efiom/Obutong, Bakassi, at the occasion of the visit of Governor Ayade’s four media emissaries to the IDP camp.
Inyang said that by sending four of his media aides to visit with them to see and hear their plights was a clear indication that Ayade truly has the interest of Bakassi people at heart, coupled with the fact that he has personally heard Governor Ayade in many forums spoken passionately about Bakassi people and the injustice that was meted out to them.
He stressed the need for the Nigerian Government and the International community to cause Cameroon to respect the Green Tree Agreement signed in 2006, asserting that right from day one the Government of Cameroon has consistently violated the Green Tree Agreement to the detriment of the people of Bakassi.
The National Coordinator of Bakassi Returnees used the occasion of the visit to passionately appealed for the immediate restoration of the Five Thousand naira Conditional Cash Transfer to the people to ameliorate their sufferings as many can no longer afford to send their child to the public primary schools, adding he also requested that two transformers be given to the IDP camp to give electric power to the camp.
He disclosed that no Bakassi returnee has been trained on any skilled and appealed for the training of the youths of the Bakassi returnees in various vocations and trade and empower them to enable them provide for themselves, while calling on Ayade, the Federal government and the International community do urgently do something to address the injustice that has been meted out to the people of Bakassi.
Speaking, the Village head of Efiom/Obutong Village, Chief Efiom Bassey Efiom, passionately appealed to the three tiers of government and the International community to come to their aid, while disclosing that Bakassi Returnees are not troublesome as is being peddled and that there are no militants among them, stressing that all that the people need is to live normal lives as every other Nigerian.
Also speaking, the camp General coordinator, Moses Bassey Asuquo, also reiterated the need for the governments at all levels including the UNO to pay adequate attention to addressing the plights of the people of Bakassi, who according to him have been used as sacrificial lambs to keep the peace between Nigeria and Cameroon, and the need to call Cameroon to order to stop killing Bakasians fishermen and to release all Bakassi people and other Nigerians illegally detained in Cameroon prisons.
A woman leader, Ekpo Asuquo Eyo, reiterated the fact that there were no militants among the returnees in the camp, the need for the immediate restoration of the conditional cash transfer and training of their youths in various trades and vocations, while thanking Governor Ayade for sending people to come and hear from them.
On his part, Chief Okon Asuquo Okon thanked the governor for sending people to come and her from them and pleaded that greeter attention be paid to their welfare while at the same time stressed the need for government to do something Bakassi people detained by Cameroon government.
In his address, the President, “De Voice of Displaced Bakassi Youths of Nigeria” Mr. Linus Asuquo Essien lamented the abuse of the human rights of the people by the Cameroon government and the neglect by the government of Nigeria for the past eight years right from 2008 when the territory was handed over to Cameroon, asked that a monthly stipend of at least Twenty Thousand (N20, 000.00) Naira only be given to each of the returnee to help them pay their children school fees.
He called on the Nigerian government to liaise with the Camerounian authority to protect Nigerian fishermen in the ceded territory as well as help secure the release of those in prisons in Cameroon, and that government should provide scholarship or the displaced Bakassi youths to continue their school at various levels, provide skill acquisition to those living in the IDP camp as well as the provision of pipe borne water, electricity and adequate accommodation including recreational facilities, health centre among others.
Essien also called on the Federal government and the UN to expedite action at resettling of Bakassi returnees and the need for the state and federal governments to take the complaints of the people of Bakassi seriously, adding he thanked governor Ayade for taking a personal interest on the people of Bakassi.
Earlier, the Special Assistant to the governor on Electronic Media, Miss Beatrice Akpala informed the people that the media team was sent by the governor to interface with the people to hear their complaints and to assure them that the governor and the entire state are standing by the Bakassi returnees.
Akpala said that the present administration in the state led by Senator Ben Ayade is committed to pursuing projects and programmes that would help to add value to the people of Bakassi and the state in general, and charged them to be patient and avoid any act that is not in line with the tenet of peace and harmony in the state.
Speaking also, the Special Assistant to the Governor on Media, Solomon Asha, assured the Bakassi Returnees that Governor Ayade is passionately committed to making life bearable within the limit of the state resources and that he has the passion to fight for their due to be given to them, asserting that the governor feel the way[M_1] they, the Bakassi returnees feels, he is touched by the current plights of the people
Asha told them that Ayade is fully aware of the global injustice meted to the people by the October 10, 2002 ICJ judgment and the final handing over in 2008, but that there was every need for the people to remain strong and in high spirit and be supportive of Ayade’s administration, his programmes and projects, bearing in mind that they were in their darkest hour of their night which is a clear indication that the day will soon break.
On his part the Special Assistant to the Governor on Media, Emmanuel Ulayi informed the people that at different forums Governor Ayade has spoken in clear term that he was not comfortable with the conditions of the people of Bakassi and how they were treated, and that Ayade is committed initiating programmes and projects that will be of immense benefit to the people of Bakassi.
Ulayi assured them that Governor Ayade possess the passion and the drive to make things change for the better for the people, adding that the Bakassi Deep seaport will bring a lot of positive changes to people in that area, and charged them to continue to support the government of Ayade.
Also another Media aide to Governor Ayade of Cross River, Paul Ojeka commended the people for being peaceful and supportive of the programmes and projects of Senator Ben Ayade, stressing that with the deep seaport, the living conditions of the people will be positively enhanced and thanked them for coming out in their numbers to welcome the governor’s representatives. visit to Bakassi returnees IDP camp was as a result of Governor Ben Ayade’s avowed commitments to ensure that challenges of the Bakassi people are adequately addressed. To this end, they called on federal government and United Nations to pay attention to their plights.
~Emmanuel Ulayi
