Nigeria gave its oil to Cameroons – the Bakassi oil – and this deterred one of the most able Government visionaries, the Cross River Governor, from developing Cross River into a prosperous state. Cross River contested the claim but lost out in the Supreme Court which gave the balance of oil in its territory to Akwa Ibom. If we had followed the Equatorial Guinea formula, in the Cameroon, Cross River would have reserved some oil. Our then talented Government may have triangulated harder for Cross River. The plebiscite of 1959 – Southern Cameroon left Eastern Nigeria to join Cameroon– Sardauna Province/Adamawa joined Nigeria.

Source: The Guardian March 15, 2021 02:48 UTC