Jutha Gupah, Maiduguri
The United Nations (UN) has proposed to carve out a new country to be known as the United Nations Organisation (UNO) State of Cameroon.
The territories of the new country comprise Southern and Northern Cameroon in West and Central Africa.
The UNO State of Cameroon has a landmass of 28, 214 square kilometre with an estimated population of 20 million.
This was disclosed recently in a May 26, 2020 letter on the UNO State of Cameroon by Prof. Martins Chia Ateh.
He is the UN appointed workshops coordinator in Cameroon and Nigeria that share border areas from the Bakassi Peninsula in Cross River state to Lake Chad in Borno state.
According to him, the former President Olusegun Obasanjo and President Paul Biya of Nigeria and Cameroon, signed the approved UNO State of Cameroon.
While the demarcation of the international boundaries by the Nigerian Boundary Commission (NBC) and the Attorney General of the Federation, Justice Abubakar Malami for the proposed new Country has reached 75 per cent.
“We’ve completed the most difficult terrains of the Mandara Hills that covers the three affected states in Cameroon and Nigeria,” said Malami.
On the ceding of their disputed territories, UN invited Obasanjo and Biya by the former UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan in March 2003 and signed the documents to cede their disputed territories.
He said Nigeria could lose 24 local Councils, by way of ceding to the new country, the UNO State of Cameroon.
In a breakdown of the ceded Councils, he disclosed that in Borno State, five councils are to be ceded including Bama, Dikwa, Kala-Balge, Ngala and Gwoza,
While in Adamawa State there are 12 councils including Michika, Madagali, Mubi North and South, Mayo-Belwa, Toungo, Ganye, Serti, Hong, Maiha and part of a council area.
“The proposed new country could lead Nigeria to cede 24 local councils in the Northeast region, comprising Borno, Adamawa and Taraba states,” he noted.
Continued; “Nigeria, particularly the Northeast region with 13-year Boko Harm insurgency is sandwiched between the territory and Cameroon, with Bakassi Peninsular and the Lake Chad located south and northeast of the UNO State of Cameroon.
Meanwhile, the UN had kept Northern and Southern Cameroon under watch since Obasanjo and Biya signed the documents under the UN treaty before the announcement of the new State
“The Secretary General of the UN, Antonio Guterres has begun the process of sensitisation towards the date for creating the new State,” he said.
Prof. Ateh stated that the new country sandwiched between Nigeria and Cameroon is for the Anglophone separatists in Cameroon.
“Ateh was quoted as saying; “Greetings and thank you very much for the attached list of those who were detained in the Nkembe prison of Cameroon in August 2008” he said.
End.
