CROSS RIVER –AKWA IBOM OIL WELLS DISPUTE AND THE RECOGNITION OF WESTERN BAKASSI ISLANDS: MAKING A CASE FOR LEGISLATIVE COLLABORATION AND RESOLUTION. The lingering dispute between Cross River State and its sister state, Akwa Ibom, over maritime boundaries and oil wells remains one of Nigeria’s most delicate subnational tensions. More than two decades after the 2002 International Court of Justice (ICJ) judgment ceded the southern Bakassi Peninsula—including Atabong, Archibong Town, Akwabana, and the Akwayafe Estuary to Cameroon, critical questions surrounding the western Bakassi axis and associated oil assets remain unresolved. While the ICJ judgment ceded portions of Bakassi, it unequivocally retained the western Bakassi islands—Dayspring 1 and 2, Qua Island, Western Abana, and crucially, the Cross River Estuary within Nigeria’s sovereign territory. This distinction is not merely cartographic; it is strategic, economic, and geopolitical. The delineation of boundaries us...
Jimoh Ibrahim to the United Nations:Tinubu Will Resolve Generational Grievances, as UN Chief Guterres Expresses Confidence in Nigerian Envoy
Nigeria’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Jimoh Ibrahim, has said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu remains committed to resolving long-standing grievances driving insecurity across the country. Speaking in New York while presenting his letter of credence to the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, Ibrahim conveyed Tinubu’s message, underscoring Nigeria’s resolve to confront both domestic and global security challenges. He emphasised Africa’s strategic importance in global governance, renewing calls for a permanent African seat on the UN Security Council. The envoy said such a move would strengthen collective security and reflect current global realities. Ibrahim noted that Nigeria would continue to mobilise support to tackle insecurity in the Sahel and West African sub-region. He added that the country remains committed to advancing peace-building efforts across the continent. On the economy, Ibrahim highlighted key reforms by the Tinubu a...