Worried over Federal Government intention to accept the world court judgment on Bakassi over relocating them to Cameroon, Captain (Dr.) Elechi Amadi (RTD) MFR described it as a slap on Nigeria stressing that if President Goodluck Jonathan fails to appeal on the matter, he should expect impeachment.
In a chat with journalists at his home town Aluu in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State Captain Dr. Elechi Amadi, the Nigerian renowned author said he expressed shock when the Minister of Information announced that the federal government intends to accept the world court judgment on Bakassi inspite of new historical facts that have been unearthed by historians and the resolutions passed in the National Assembly. He continued, “I cringe with sheer horror at the fact that the federal government can abandon without qualms a group of Nigerian largse enough to make up a local government area which is recognized in the constitution, saying that it can ignore the Senate and the National Assembly set up by Nigerians on the excuse that their resolutions have no force of law and go ahead to treat a weighty matter of this nature with such reprehensible levity”, he fumed.
According to him, “What if the president had come from Bakassi, would he be so non-challant about the ceding of Bakassi to the Cameroon? Are the people of Bakassi second class citizens? Are they not covered by the UN charter on Fundamental Human Rights? Whose interest is the president serving any way? Nigerians or his? Captain Amadi stressed that the greatest duty of any government anywhere in the world is to protect and defend its citizens, advance countries fight to the bitter end over the right of even a single citizen”.
Dr. Captain Amadi further stressed that if President Jonathan believes that other countries will think he is a gentleman and a man of honour because he has abandoned his people in Bakassi, then he is grossly mistaking people will think he is spineless and irresponsible.
In his words, “the federal government effort in this regard is feeble and perfunctory”, adding that financial or material assistance is not the issue noting that Bakassi is the ancestral homes of thousands of Nigerians, to uproot and relocate them forcibly for no just cause is brutal and sadistic, pointing out that the president should not merely order his minister of information to talk to the public rather, the situation calls for television broadcast in which he will look at Nigerians in their eyes and tell them why he is abandoning their compatriots.
Captain Amadi who is an active member of Ogbakor Ikwerre Cultural Organization Worldwide recalled that few years ago the press killed an attempt by a sitting president to introduce third term and right now the proposed N5,000 note by the CBN has been buried. He therefore called on journalists in the country to rise up to these challenges to save their compatriots, Bakassi Citizens from imminent modern day slavery by persuading President Goodluck Jonathan to defend and protect innocent Nigerian citizens as he promised to do in his oath of office, emphasizing that the decision to protect Nigerian citizens cannot be personal and arbitrary, rather should embrace other peoples inputs.
On if Jonathan refuses to appeal for the Court Judgment, Captain Amadi said he has no right to do anything because the Senate and other Nigerians had urged him to appeal, if not it will call for his impeachment. ###
Emeka Jilly Ejiowhor
