11 months after, Bakassi Refugees at FG’s Resettlement Camp Wants Permanent Resettlement

Top to bottom: Faces of despair…Bakassi refugees in pictures as seen by our Regional Correspondent at the refugee camp.

Diana Okon-Effiong, Calabar

Eleven months after their displacement and placement at a refugee camp in Cross River the Bakassi returnees have restated their appeal to the Federal Government to resettle them permanently.

They stated this in separate interviews with our Regional Correspondent who visited their resettlement camps in Akpabuyo, Akpabuyo Local Government Area of Cross River on Wednesday.

According to them although the State and Federal Governments and appropriate government agencies have met their welfare needs at their camp their needs would be better served if they were resettled permanently.

According to Mrs Imaobong Albert Sunday, a nursing mother, government has provided her with toiletries, beddings, food and medical attention since she delivered in 2013 at Camp 2, Government Secondary School, Akwa Ikot Eyo Edem.

She said through an interpreter that there is no fulfilment than being resettled at a permanent place where she can fend for her family.

“They gave us food, medications, clothing and all our needs but I will be very happy if they take us to the place where they promise to build for us permanently so that my family can do our fishing and other things to take care of ourselves.

Mr Okon Ene, the leader of displaced people from Efut Obot Ikot camping here in Saint Mark Primary School/Secondary School, Akpabuyo, also reiterated the call for the displaced people to be moved to a permanent environment.

“The State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) has been taking care of us through the state government who provided for us and also sent our children to schools and provided them with school needs free of charge.

“Some have registered for WAEC. We thank them for that. We have 964 families in this camp. We have various committees here to take care of our needs, medical facilities, feeding, water and light are constant here.

“We have been here for more than 11 months. The handing over of our land to Cameroon is everlasting pain to our parents. We are not happy even though we are provided with heaven and earth, we cannot call this place our home because we cannot enjoy our heritage here.

“We want government to employ our youths at the federal level, empower our women and get our children to go to school and move us to Dayspring, provide us with fishing materials so that many of our families will cater for themselves.

“We need urgent resettlement so that we will be able to enjoy our heritage,’’ Ene said.

The Director-General SEMA, Mr Vincent Aquah, also said that the state government had been very committed to those displaced from their former abode in the Bakassi Peninsula and resettled in camps in Akpabuyo about 11 months ago.

“We  have ensured that these Nigerians, these Cross Riverians are properly taken care of in the area of food, shelter, health, security and all that the need to  keep fit awaiting when the Federal Government will properly relocate them to better environment.

“We have about 2,000 of them here. We cannot stop them from procreating. Stopping procreation is not a comfortable thing as far as humanity is concern.

“ What the government is doing is to inject the knowledge of procreation management through maternal care, birth control and all that. That is on-going. We cannot stop procreation on account of saving money.

“We cannot say how long they will stay in these camps but the state and the federal government and the United Nations are collaborating. Dayspring Island 1, 2 and 3 have been identified for permanent resettlement of displaced persons soon,’’ Aquah said.

Aquah spoke through Mr David Akate, Deputy Director (Information) SEMA in Calabar Wednesday.

Also speaking with our correspondent Mr Bassey Edet, former Chairman of Bakassi and President of Bakassi Peoples General Assembly, said the resettlement programme should be effected to reduce the problem they are having.

“No matter the extent the state government will take care of you there is no way a displacement camp can be as comfortable. The State Government have tried but it is the duty of the federal government to take care of these people.

“The United Nations and federal government was involved in the ceding of Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon, so the early they take these displaced people to the resettlement environment the better.

“And if they can allow them to go to an environment where they can do their fishing and foster marine livelihood and so on, the better,’’ he said.