Cross River Government Worry About Neglected Bakassi People

By Sylvia Akpan, Government House Correspondent

The Deputy Governor of Cross River State, Rt. Hon. Peter Odey, has decried the long-standing neglect of the Bakassi Peninsula and its people, describing their condition as an “International, African and National abandonment.”

The Deputy Governor made the assertion during the inaugural meeting of the Nigeria International Coastal Border Platform held on Friday, August 8, 2025, in Akwa Ibom State.

This is following the ramp up efforts to establish a unified framework for border governance, maritime security, and coastal development which gathered deputy governors from various states.

Deputy Governor in his address posited in talking about international cooperation, the people of Bakassi have been left behind, forgotten by both the international community and the Nigerian State.

“We have our people living as strangers in their own country since 2012 with the ‘unjust and unholy’ ceding of the Bakassi Peninsula. As we speak, that area has been abandoned without any form of international, African or national government support. I hope and I pray that part of our deliberations here will look into the plight of the impoverished and forgotten people of the Bakassi Peninsula. May these deliberations here inspire innovative solutions, foster unity and pave the way for a lasting partnership and protect our oceans, respect our borders.”

The summit which was earlier declared open by the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Umo Eno, had in attendance the Director-General of the National Boundary Commission, Surv. Adamu Adaji, a representative of the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral EI Ogalla, members of the National and State Assemblies of coastal states, top government functionaries, traditional rulers and other stakeholders, and featured paper presentations from notable speakers.

It featured the presentation of a 10-point communiqué by the Chairman of the Platform and Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Sen. Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo. The communiqué was jointly signed by the Deputy Governors of Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Lagos, Ogun, and Ondo States.

The key resolutions at the summit included: the harmonization of Nigerian laws, including the Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offences (SPOMO) Act, for more effective implementation, establishment of a community-based surveillance and intelligence-sharing framework involving traditional rulers, women leaders, youth groups, and religious institutions, promotion of awareness on maritime safety and compliance with national and international maritime laws, strengthening maritime border governance to address pollution, protect mangrove ecosystems, and prevent economic and environmental degradation, leveraging the African Integrated Border Governance Strategy and the African Continental Free Trade Zone to enhance cross-border trade.

Also, dedicating a portion of revenue from maritime taxes and crude oil exports to funding coastal security, investing in maritime transport services to spur economic growth in coastal communities; integrating climate change resilience into maritime border policies; expanding social infrastructure in coastal communities and establishing a cross-border platform for continuous engagement between coastal communities and their neighbors also made the list in the resolution.