Governor of Cross River, Prof. Ben Ayade receiving a UN refugee situation in Cross River from country Rep on refugee, Mrs. Angele Atangana in Government House, Calabar,
From: Diana Okon-Effiong, Calabar
Gov. Ben Ayade of Cross River has blamed the United Nations and the Federal Government for ceding the oil-rich Bakassi Peninsula to the Republic of Cameroon.
Ayade stated this when he received the Country Representative of United Nations High Commission for Refugees, Mrs. Angele Dikongue Atangana in his office in Calabar.
Ayade stated this when he received the Country Representative of United Nations High Commission for Refugees, Mrs. Angele Dikongue Atangana in his office in Calabar.
He said the territory was ceded without seeking the consent of the people of Cross River through a plebiscite.
He said the cedinfg of Bkassi had unjustly deprived the people of their ancestral home and turned them into refugees in their own land.
According to him no amount of dollars can assuage the Government and people of Cross River who are still angry over the ceding of the peninsular.
The governor, who struggled to hold back emotions, said: “Your Commission is undertaking a worthy and noble cause. I thank you for your humanitarian assistance and expression of emotion.
“But the people are angry in the way and manner they have been treated. They have been deprived of their heritage and livelihood. The people of Bakassi were not given the opportunity to choose where they would want to belong and I am telling the United Nations that this is an unsettled issue and no amount of dollars can settle the issue. The people have now been split between Cross River and Akwa Ibom as well as Nigeria and Cameroon. As the agony of the people continues, their plight cannot be wiped away by dollars.
“Take it that the people feel very disturbed and unhappy and if this had happened in any other part of the world, there would have been war today. This is totally unacceptable and is not done in the modern society. Today, Cross River is traversed by internally displaced persons, who are refugees in their own state,’’ he said.
Ayade restated that the displaced people of Bakassi were suffering, adding that if the United Nations had anything in mind, it should have treated the issue as an emergency because the Bakassi people live in sub-human condition.
He also assured that the Cross River Government would “work hard to strengthen things and partner the commission to achieve its aims’’.
Earlier, Atangana, who commended Cross River for accommodating refugees from Cameroon, said the Commission was touched by the plight of the displaced persons of Bakassi. She said that everything is also being done to ensure the resettlement of Cameroonians who were also affected in their country.
He said the cedinfg of Bkassi had unjustly deprived the people of their ancestral home and turned them into refugees in their own land.
According to him no amount of dollars can assuage the Government and people of Cross River who are still angry over the ceding of the peninsular.
The governor, who struggled to hold back emotions, said: “Your Commission is undertaking a worthy and noble cause. I thank you for your humanitarian assistance and expression of emotion.
“But the people are angry in the way and manner they have been treated. They have been deprived of their heritage and livelihood. The people of Bakassi were not given the opportunity to choose where they would want to belong and I am telling the United Nations that this is an unsettled issue and no amount of dollars can settle the issue. The people have now been split between Cross River and Akwa Ibom as well as Nigeria and Cameroon. As the agony of the people continues, their plight cannot be wiped away by dollars.
“Take it that the people feel very disturbed and unhappy and if this had happened in any other part of the world, there would have been war today. This is totally unacceptable and is not done in the modern society. Today, Cross River is traversed by internally displaced persons, who are refugees in their own state,’’ he said.
Ayade restated that the displaced people of Bakassi were suffering, adding that if the United Nations had anything in mind, it should have treated the issue as an emergency because the Bakassi people live in sub-human condition.
He also assured that the Cross River Government would “work hard to strengthen things and partner the commission to achieve its aims’’.
Earlier, Atangana, who commended Cross River for accommodating refugees from Cameroon, said the Commission was touched by the plight of the displaced persons of Bakassi. She said that everything is also being done to ensure the resettlement of Cameroonians who were also affected in their country.
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