Former Cross River State lawmaker Cletus Obun has expressed skepticism over Nigeria’s growing relationship with France.
The APC chieftain made this known on Monday, December 9, during an interview series with The News Chronicle.
Speaking to Prof. Jideofor Adibe, Obun argued that this skepticism stemmed from “France’s precedence and history.”
Recall that President Bola Tinubu recently completed a three-day state visit to France from November 27 to 29, 2024. This was the first official visit by a Nigerian leader to France in over twenty years, and the Tinubu administration explained that the visit aimed to strengthen bilateral relations, focusing on key areas such as agriculture, security, education, health, youth engagement, and energy transition.
Tinubu sought to attract French investment to address Nigeria’s economic challenges, particularly inflation and food prices and discussed initiatives to boost youth exchange and skills development.
However, according to Obun, it is important to remember that France had ambushed Nigeria in the International Court of Justice at The Hague to take Bakassi using the Campbon Agreement because of the Gulf of Guinea region. He also claimed that France went into the southwestern part of Cross River to instigate an insurgency, an issue the world is ignoring.
“Those of us that share boundaries with those communities that have an ancestral history with us do not feel that the world is fair to us, and France must be held culpable, Obun stated.
He further emphasized that Nigeria’s relationship with France “should be dealt with a long spoon.”
