ABUJA – The Federal Government on Saturday urged the Cameroon to allow Nigerians living in Bakassi Peninsular to exercise their rights to pursue legitimate activities for their livelihood.
The Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr Mohammed Adoke, made the appeal in Abuja at the 32nd Session of the Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission (CNMC) meeting.
He said the Federal Government was ready to protect the interest of all Nigerians irrespective of their place of domicile.
“We also enjoin our compatriots living in Cameroon to continue to cooperate with the authorities in Cameroon, obey the laws and above all, live peacefully with their host communities’’, the minister said.
Adoke said that the CNMC was able to achieve the transitional regime of five years provided by the Green Tree Agreement on the Bakassi zone.
He also said that the commission had signed the framework agreement on joint border security patrol.
The minister said that the effort would help to curb the insecurity in the zone.
The AGF further said that the commission was able to execute the Needs Assessment and validation of the progress documents for the two countries.
He added that this was in respect of confidence building project for the communities along the boundaries.
Adoke held that the commission was challenged to ensure that the assignment would conclude expeditiously, in a manner that the national institutions would be strengthened.
According to him, the two countries must work to strengthen the commission`s cooperation and provide for the border component in its operations.
He said this was where relevant national institutions and experts from both countries would jointly address issues relating to the boundary.
Mr Said Djinnit, the UN representative of CNMC, said the commission had endorsed agreement on 1,893 km out of estimated 2,100 km.
Mr Amadou Ali, Vice-Prime Minister of Cameroon said the implementation of the international judgment of October 2002 was a success.
He said it also constituted an excellent model for the peaceful resolution of conflicts for the world.
“Our duty was to seek definitive agreement on the layout of our entire border, in strict compliance with the ICJ judgment. (NAN)
