Reps task Nigeria-Cameroon Boundary Commission on alertness

The Nigerian House of Representatives, on Thursday, urged the Nigeria-Cameroon Boundary Commission to be alert to errors that could be made in the demarcation of the borders.

It also mandated its Committee on Special Duties to oversee the Nigeria-Cameroon Boundary Commission as it carries out the assignment.

This, the lawmakers said, was to ensure that decisions made by the commission do not prejudice Nigeria's national interest.

The decision of the House was sequel to the adoption of a motion moved by Robinson Uwak, which was unanimously adopted without debate when put to vote by the Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal.

The motion is entitled: 'The ongoing exercise to demarcate the borders between Nigeria and Cameroon Republic'.

Uwak, in his motion, brought to the awareness of the parliament that surveyors employed by the United Nations (UN) and the Nigeria/Cameroon Boundary Commission are currently conducting survey exercise.

He said the exercises was in accordance with the order of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at the Hague, Netherlands, that required a final demarcation of Nigeria's borders with Cameroon.

Uwak said the demarcation had caused an uproar and agitation in communities that border Cameroon due to the new boundary lines created by the surveyors.

According to Uwak, the surveyors created the new boundary lines from boundary pillar 110 to 113 after a failure to find and identify boundary pillar 113A.

He expressed concern that the surveyors did not bother to visit the archives to obtain the 1913 Anglo-German Treaty to ascertain the exact location of the boundary pillars.

The lawmaker said the new boundary lines are important to Nigeria economically, as it hosts more than 76 oil wells.