President

Ndanyongmong Ibanga

president@okopusem.org

Vice President

Usenobong Bassey

vpresident@okopusem.org

Secretary

Dr. (Mrs.) Francesca Umoh

secretariat@okopusem.org

Assistant Secretary

Clement Ikpatt

secretariat@okopusem.org

Treasurer

Eno Adams

treasurer@okopusem.org

Information Officer

Ukpong Ekam

info@okopusem.org

Date July 10, 2006 Ref. ULC/Presidency/Letters/06-003

Fellow Nigerians,

The Okop Usem Leadership Council (OULC) wishes to draw your attention to ongoing plan by the Federal Government to cede the Bakassi Island to Cameroon and invites you to join in efforts to legally challenge the unconstitutional effort of the federal government regarding the ceding and planned relocation of Bakassians.

We urge you to identify and stand with us in this way to establish the supremacy of the Nigeria Constitution in order to strengthen democratic institutions that will sustain our beloved country, Nigeria.

On June 12, 2006, President Obasanjo signed the Greentree Accord with Cameroon in New York to cede Bakassi peninsula (a Local Government Area in Cross River State of Nigeria) to Cameroon. Efforts are underway to relocate the residents of Bakassi to other parts of Nigeria against the UN Declaration of Indigenous Rights (Part II Article 10 and Part VII Article 32) that forbids the forcible removal of indigenous people from their ancestral lands.

OULC's investigation has revealed that Bakassians overwhelmingly want to remain in Nigeria, are not in support of the planned relocation and have never mandated any of their leaders to accept relocation or forced ceding of Bakassi to Cameroon.

We note that it is unconstitutional to enforce a Treaty or Accord signed with any foreign country unless ratified by the National Assembly; the Greentree Accord has not been ratified by the National Assembly according to Section 12 of the Constitution. In addition, the ceding of a Local Government area in Nigeria requires the amendment of Section 3 of the Constitution, which has not been done.

If and when presented, we call on the National Assembly to deny ratification of the Greentree Accord as it would set a very bad precedent for Nigeria. We note that ICJ rulings are advisory and may not be enforced especially when such rulings violate the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Nigerians must now weigh in on the side of due process, the rule of law and defense of the constitution as was recently and successfully done in stopping the third term agenda. Therefore, we call on students, ethnic and professional organizations, labor unions and other well meaning Nigerians to be very vocal and vehement in their rejection of the ceding of Bakassi to Cameroon.

We also call upon the South-South Peoples' Assembly (SSPA) leadership in Nigeria and the Diaspora to join and support the law suit, thus affirming one of the five cardinal points of the "Calabar Declaration" that expressly rejects the ceding any part of the South-South geo-political zone to any other geo-political zone or country.

OULC supports and joins some residents of Bakassi in filing the law suit that seeks to stop the Federal Government from carrying out aforementioned unconstitutional acts. We invite you to join and support this effort.

Signed

N. H. Ibanga

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