THE BAKASSI PENINSULA DISPUTE AND ITS IMPACT ON NIGERIA–CAMEROON RELATIONS: A HISTORICAL REAPPRAISAL

Abstract

Nigeria’s relations with her neighbours cannot be said to be more conflicting than cooperative. Apart from the easily mended row with Chad in 1983 and the seemingly intractable border skirmishes with Cameroon over the ownership of the Bakassi Peninsula, Nigeria has generally cooperated more than conflicted with her neighbours. However, the Bakassi Peninsula crisis with Cameroon appears to have tarnished the otherwise impressive record of Nigeria’s relations with her contiguous neighbours. Nonetheless, Nigeria’s border clashes with Cameroon have deep roots in various imperialist designs by European powers—notably Britain, Germany, and later France—facilitated in many ways by a plethora of colonial treaties. With the emergence of a monolithic, oil-driven economy in Nigeria, and given the significance of oil in the global political economy, the discovery of vast oil and natural gas deposits in the Bakassi Peninsula intensified the struggle between Nigeria and Cameroon over ownership of the territory. This struggle, which began following the independence of both countries in the 1960s, continued intermittently and dangerously over the decades. Bilateral and regional arrangements proved inadequate in resolving the crisis. Sensing a disadvantaged position in the event of armed confrontation with Nigeria, Cameroon took the matter to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague in 1994.After several years of litigation, judicial deliberation, and international pressure, a judgment was passed in favour of Cameroon in October 2002. By 2006, an international framework known as the Green Tree Agreement (GTA) had been established to finally lay to rest the contentious Bakassi Peninsula crisis. As timely as the ICJ judgment and the accompanying Green Tree Agreement may have been, several issues remained unresolved—chief among them, the status and rights of the indigenous people of the Bakassi Peninsula, who were not adequately considered in the entire process of crisis resolution. This study, therefore, attempts to bring to light this often-neglected dimension of the Bakassi Peninsula crisis. Utilizing the historical method, it examines the plight of the indigenous people, particularly the Efik, whom the Nigerian government appeared to have abandoned to Cameroon, while the Cameroonian authorities treat them as foreigners. Plausible recommendations are offered at the end of the study to address the injustices, hardships, and marginalization faced by the Efik people, who have inhabited the region for centuries.