President Muhammadu Buhari has assured that Nigeria would abide by the ruling of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the Bakassi Peninsula.
The president who is in Cameroon on special request from President Paul Biya, Wednesday, in Yaoundé, said in an interactive session with Nigerians living in Cameroon during his two-day working visit, according to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina.
The President said his administration would ensure the faithful implementation of the Green Tree Agreement, which regulates the ceding of Bakassi to Cameroon. “Since Nigeria allowed the case to go to court (ICJ), and we lost, we have to abide by it”, the President said in response to a question from a Nigerian on the issue.
Buhari said his administration had yet to articulate a foreign policy for Nigeria beyond what was captured in the All Progressives Congress’ (APC) manifesto. “However, we will make our embassies more efficient and improve our relations with other countries’’, he said. The President urged Nigerians in Diaspora to be law-abiding in their host countries.
He told representatives of the more than four million Nigerians living in Cameroon to continue to live in peace and harmony with their hosts. On the plight of some 40,000 Nigerian refugees in Cameroon, who were forced to flee their homes due to Boko Haram terrorists, the President said the Federal Government would ensure their safe return and rehabilitation in the shortest possible time.
“We also have about 1.5 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), in Nigeria and we have a programme of rehabilitation and reintegration, which involves providing shelter and schools for them.’’
On voting rights for Nigerians in Diaspora, the President promised that his administration would revisit the issue, which would require legislation from the National Assembly.
On the fight against Boko Haram, the President assured Nigerians that the current security challenges were not insurmountable. He said Nigeria was working with all her neighbours, including Cameroon, to fight and stand firmly against all forms of terror and trans-border crimes. He appealed for patience and vigilance from Nigerians to ensure that youths were not lured into joining misguided groups.
“We are determined to end this callousness against our innocent citizens. The defense of the territorial integrity of Nigeria and the protection of lives and property of Nigerians and all those who live in the country are our top priorities.
“We shall explore all reasonable options to enable us to bring this rebellion to an end,” he vowed.
