President Goodluck Jonathan said Nigeria will remain committed to all rulings of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in resolving international disputes.


Addressing the first-ever High-Level Plenary Session of the United Nations on the Rule of Law yesterday in New York, President Jonathan said Nigeria will continue to obey ICJ rulings while calling on nations not to pick and select rulings to observe.



His commitment to the UN Assembly came in the wake of growing calls for the Federal Government to reopen the case on Bakassi following fresh fact that may have been unearthed.

Nigeria has barely 17 days to re-open its case under Article 61 of the ICJ statute of 1946 in respect of the Bakassi Peninsula which the international court ceded to Cameroon on October 10, 2002.

Presidential spokesman Reuben Abatiin a statement quoted Jonathan as saying “Nigeria recognises the important role of the International Court of Justice and other international tribunals in the peaceful resolution of international disputes.

“The work of the ICJ and other international criminal tribunals has contributed to the promotion of world peace and security as well as ending impunity around the globe by holding accountable, those responsible for grave violations of international and humanitarian law.

“Member States should therefore continue to provide support for these international adjudicatory mechanisms to enable them discharge their respective mandates.”

The Minister of Information Labaran Maku had said at a programme organised by the Nigeria Union of Journalists in Abuja last week that Nigeria’s position on the Bakassi Peninsula was still in conformity with the outcome of the International Court of Justice.

But many individuals and groups have called on the federal government to reopen the case believing that the country still is in possession of fresh fact to reclaim the oil rich territory, now under Cameroonian sovereignty.

The Nigerian Bar Association, at the end of its 52nd Annual General Conference which held in August in Abuja, issued a communiqué in which it recommended that the Federal Government should revisit the judgement by applying to that court to review the judgement under one of the provisions in the statute that set up that court.

The said provision states that an aggrieved party can re-apply to the court for the review of its judgement on the grounds that fresh facts have emerged which necessitated the review.

But such application for review needs to be done within 10 years of the delivery of the judgement. At the time the NBA gave its recommendation on August 31, Nigeria still had only six weeks before the expiration of the 10 years of the judgment.

“That the NBA is aware that there are grounds upon which the Government of Nigeria may legitimately apply for a revision of the ICJ judgment of 10th October 2002, and having adjudged those grounds (or fresh facts that were not considered by the ICJ earlier on) as being worthy of reconsideration: Consequently, the NBA calls on the Government of Nigeria to, without further delay, apply under Article 61 of the ICJ statute of 1946, to the ICJ for a revision of what is an unjust judgement over Bakassi,” the NBA communiqué read.

President of the NBA Wale Oke could not be reached for comments yesterday regarding the latest commitment by President Jonathan.

Chairman of Cross River State traditional rulers’ council and paramount ruler of Bakassi of LGA, HRH Etim Okon Edet also expressed sadness that the federal government has refused to appeal ICJ ruling on Bakassi as the opportunity runs out in about two week.

Speaking to Daily Trust in reaction to the statement of the Minister of Information Labaran Maku, the traditional ruler said that if the federal government is not willing and interested in appealing the judgement, it is important for them to free the people of Bakassi and grant them the right to control the natural resources available there in order for them to actualize their self-determination.

“We know how to confront CameRoun. We can stand on our own. My people want to take their destiny in their own hands”, he told our reporter on phone.

Jonathan in his statement said countries must honour international obligations, “including the obligation to refrain from the threat or use of force, the obligation to settle disputes through peaceful means, the obligation to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms and abide by international humanitarian law.”

He said the rule of law at international level must be based on the core principles of the United Nations which were further reaffirmed in the 2005 World Summit Document.

Jonathan told the gathering his Administration will, continue to encourage the Nigerian judiciary to play a pivotal role in the advancement and elaboration of the rights of Nigerians through effective oversight over the actions of the executive and legislature.

The session which was opened by United Nations Secretary General, Mr. Ban Ki Moon, was also addressed by the President of the Security Council, the President of the International Court of Justice, the Head of the United Nations Commission for Human Rights the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme and other participating Heads of State and Government.

Jonathan is totally correct here. Nations cannot take an arbitrary approach to ICJ rulings. They should abide by the rulings of the ICJ because doing such is expected as an implication of disputing Nations subjecting themselves, in the first place, to the arbitration of the ICJ.

Addressing the first-ever High-Level Plenary Session of the United Nations on the Rule of Law yesterday in New York, President Jonathan said Nigeria will continue to obey ICJ rulings while calling on nations not to pick and select rulings to observe.