Ndoma Egba
From: Diana Okon-Effiong, Calabar
The Semnate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba, says the report on boundary issues between Nigeria and Cameroun at Biajua and Danare communities in central area of Cross River State will soon be presented before the Senate.
Ndoma-Egba (SAN) who disclosed tin an interview with journalists in Calabar, said the report to be presented by the joint Senate Committees on Local Government and States and Judiciary is ready.
Ndoma-Egba, currently representing the Central Senatorial District stated this in response to a question on the outcry of resident of Danare community in Boki Local Government Area that their community was about being ceded to Cameroon.
He said: “Back to the Danare issue: I took a motion in the floor of the senate that resulted in the matter being referred to a committee; in fact, to a joint committee. Our committee is Local Government and states and judiciary. The report is ready for consideration by the senate; it is just a question of scheduling”.
Ndoma-Egba explained the issues at stake at the boundaries under contention saying, “But, essentially what are the issues? From the Federal Government side, you hear they talk of international boundary; that international boundaries are sacred and sacrosanct. From the villagers’ side, they talk about their traditional boundaries, and their traditional boundaries are some distance away from the international boundaries which means that the traditional boundaries and the international boundaries don’t coincide. Now, if you use the international boundaries, the people of Danare will be losing their farmlands to the Cameroun, but if you use their traditional boundaries, their farmlands will be within Nigeria, and when you have situations like this international law allows you to negotiate. And my simple position is, look we have an opportunity to negotiate for the international boundary to move to the traditional boundary so that nobody loses land. And somebody says there is no such issue just because we are in a political environment. Essentially, that is the situation; we are waiting to debate the report of the joint committee.”
Ndoma-Egba said he has never been silent on issues concerning any dispute that has to do with the territory of Cross River State.
“When I begin to hear stories in this day and age of technology that you can google any subject or you go to U-Tube and the electronic version is reproduced; that I kept quiet on the Bakassi issue, I am just amused, you know!
“You recall that after the alarm was raised, I took a motion on the floor of the senate, just like we did in the case of Bakassi ; when the Bakassi issue came up, Senator Bassey (Ewa) and I took a motion to the senate and that resulted in a joint committee of the senate being set- up. We were here in the state; we all visited the Obong of Calabar (Edidem Ekpo Okon Abasi-Otu), interacted with stakeholders and even went to Ikang where there was a refugee situation.”
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