Feeling like fish out of water

A year after 300,000 Nigerians had to leave the Bakassi Peninsula following its handover to Cameroon, the BBC's Sam Olukoya for African Perspective travels to one of the areas where the Nigerian government resettled the former Bakassi residents to see how they are coping.

The village of Akpabuyo is a two-hour drive west of Bakassi.

It is a flat forest area dotted with farmlands and the very opposite of the fish-rich 3,000km-long Bakassi Peninsula.

Since my husband died I have no-one to help me Grace Asuquo, Akpabuyo village

It is a tough new way of life for the thousands of resettled families.

Chief Achibong Edem speaks for his former fishing community when he says: "I am starting my life all over. I have left my livelihood which is fishing to come and stay here where there is no fishing port and no river to fish. It is exactly like removing a fish from river to upland."

Reminiscing: "Fish, fish, fish, fish all my life, since I left school, I tell you, 40 years ago. It is difficult in fact. I miss it a lot."

No alternative

Chief Edem acquired a small piece of land in February to farm. It is 30 sq m and costs $30 to rent for the year.

Chief Achibong Edem struggles to cope with farming

He had never farmed before.

"It's like a mechanic going to do carpentry work. But there is no alternative. You have to do it for survival," the chief explains.

He wishes he had a bigger plot but to buy is too costly for him and the other former fisherman because they do not have any money.

Land owners are cashing in with the influx of new residents.

This has in turn driven up the cost of accommodation - an extra problem for Grace Asuquo.

Back in Bakassi, Grace and her family owned their own home but when they had to leave they could only take what they could carry. Nor could they sell their home before being relocated.

Grace is newly widowed and now has the responsibility of paying the rent.

Life is very difficult for newly widowed Grace Asuquo

Her husband, formerly a fisherman, tried to learn how to harvest palm fruits to sell for an income.

But his new occupation took his life. Grace laments the tragic accident: "The man fell down and died."

She does a variety of small weeding and gathering jobs to try to provide for her family but she only makes enough for them to eat. To keep a roof over their heads, her children had to drop out of school.

"Since my husband died I have no-one to help me. So life is very difficult for me with children as a widow," she says.

New skills

Some of the former fishing families do not even have homes.

The world rose for tsunami. We believe the world should also rise for Bakassi Fidelis Ugbo

Bassey Akpeyong, 38, left Bakassi with nothing but a few personal possessions.

"We are just homeless. Right now I don't have a house. I am staying in a primary school. What we miss cannot be quantified. It's just like war comes, you run away leaving everything you had behind."

The government wants to introduce schemes that will provide the former fishermen with new skills.

Inside a small tin shop at the Akpabuyo village market, sit three sewing machines.

They are part of a delivery of tools and equipment by the Cross Rivers State Emergency Management Agency - the body responsible for empowering the Bakassi people in their new environment.

Chairman Vincent Aquah says: "We are actually preparing to empower them, to ensure that those who could not return to the sea have some upland occupation to do."

Marsh area

Another plan the government has is to resettle some of the fishermen in a marine environment similar to their Bakassi homeland.

BAKASSI BACKGROUND Nigeria ceded the Bakassi peninsula to Cameroon on 14 August 2008 The handover of the territory ended a long-standing dispute The International Court of Justice ruled in Cameroon's favour in 2002 The ruling was based on an early 20th century colonial agreement between Britain and Germany Nigeria challenged the ruling but agreed to relinquish the territory in 2006 90% of the territory's 300,000 population were Nigerian fishermen Bakassi's offshore waters are thought to contain substantial oil fields

Fidelis Ugbo, who is secretary to the Cross Rivers state government which is responsible for resettling the Bakassi people, explains it was complaints from some of the former fishermen that brought about this consideration.

"When they looked at the new settlement area, they told us that they cannot live in that place because it is like removing a fish and putting it on land; that they need to live close to their means of livelihood. So we have identified two locations that are close to the riverside.

"We are supposed to build resettlement homes in those areas which will take care of those fishermen whose duties have been fishing and nothing else."

But because it is a marsh area the plan presents challenges.

Huge sacrifice

"It will require a lot of resources to be able to even create access roads to the area. The houses that are to be built will be built on swamp and these are special houses," outlines Fidelis Ugbo.

However the biggest problem is finding the funding and it is imperative, as Mr Ugbo explains: "We have acquired the land, we have done the surveys, but we do not have the financial resources to move on to get to the next stage."

Nigerians say they want recognition for the huge sacrifice they have made for the sake of peace in the region.

And according to Fidelis Ugbo, the time to demonstrate that commitment is here.

He calls on the international community to donate to the cause to help the people resettle properly: "The world rose for tsunami; yes, it was a disaster. We believe the world should also rise for Bakassi."

But for some of the former Bakassi residents, like Grace Asuquo, who could not give her husband a proper burial, that sacrifice has come at high personal cost.

"No coffin to put him in. No money to buy a coffin. They took him out and tied him and put him in the grave. They said forget it, he's dead, he's dead. He's gone."

---

Tune into the BBC World Service to listen to African Perspective on Saturday at 1106 GMT. The programme is also available as a podcast.