Lesson from Bakassi: Cameroon should usefully occupy all its border areas and be seen to be in full possession of all it claims belongs to it

The final retrocession of Bakassi to Cameroon, last August 14 provides good auspices to revisit our nation’s boundary policy. Cameroon has never really had a boundary policy. This is manifested in numerous ways: there is hardly any attempt to see to the effective demarcation of boundaries; there is a crying absence of basic and essential facilities at boundary areas, leading to nationals looking over the borders for such services; there is no clear policy of making our border locations attractive to neighbours of foreign countries in such a way that such neighbours see Cameroon as a more interesting destination compared to available facilities in their own countries. And so on and so forth.

Cameroon claims to be, and it is indeed, the economic pace-setter for the Central African sub-region just as Nigeria is for the West African realm. But Nigeria’s frontier policy and that of Cameroon are simply like comparing day and night. At the principal border posts between Cameroon and Nigeria, one observes a determined policy on the Nigerian side to leave the impression that life is pleasurable on the Nigerian side. At the Ekok-Mfuni border posts into Nigeria one discovers a well-kept asphalted road on the Nigerian side after a tedious journey on the Cameroonian side from Mamfe. The same image can be transposed for the other border posts in the northern parts of the country.

Because of this well-managed border policy, adjoining populations always easily make an informed choice: if there is any choice to make at all, they would rather keep aside patriotism to embrace those with handy facilities. School and health facilities, roads and social security have no peculiar national colouring because people are, above all, in search of better life.
As at today, Cameroon has scores of entry points into the neighbouring countries of Central Africa, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Nigeria. Many are formal entry points materialized by check points and attendant customs or immigration services. But many others are simple routes which link populations across the official divide. In none of these locations are there any symbols which make our country stand out distinctively or which particularly attract visitors into our country.
The issue here is not about securing our boundaries and identifying them in a manner as to stave off visitors. It is about making our land a distinctive destination in such a manner that anyone coming into it feels that there is something different from his or her home country.
Because of the belief that the pasture is always greener in the neighbour’s yard, there are millions of Cameroonians and Nigerians who mutually cross borders into each other’s territory. But while the Nigerians make an effort at border posts to attract Cameroonians by positively advertising their country, Cameroonians have rather relied on their legendary hospitality, neglecting the useful initiative of improving the condition of life in the border areas which, in the first place, is a diplomatic tool in improving the image of the country.
The definitive settlement of the Bakassi palaver has provided us the auspices to address the pressing question of border management. If we had so much trouble regaining our Bakassi, it was because – as jurists helpfully argued – possessory title is subservient to legal title. We were absentee landlords in Bakassi and it is not because others occupied Bakassi and made good use of it that they became rightful owners. Lawyers, in their attempt to un-build this legal principle, also argue that “occupation in ninth-tenth of the law”. And this is probably why the Bakassi palaver dragged on for such a long time.
To avoid such legal labyrinths as we observed in the Bakassi issue, it is necessary for Cameroon to usefully occupy all its border areas and be seen to be in full possession of all it claims belongs to it. There is a lot of work to be done.

Originally published in Cameroon Tribune.