There are three Nigerian Diplomatic Missions in Cameroon. The Nigeria High Commission in Yaounde, The Consulate General of Nigeria, Buea and the Consulate General of Nigeria, Douala. The Consulate General of Nigeria, Buea, established in 1961, stands as one of the oldest Nigerian Diplomatic Missions in Cameroon and in the world.
The English speaking part of Cameroon (South-West and North-West Regions) was formerly administered from Nigeria during the colonial era until 1961 when this part of Cameroon became independent. During the plebiscite of 1961, majority of Southern Cameroonians voted to join French Cameroon which had already gained independence on 1st January 1960. Following this referendum, many Nigerians especially those in post and telecommunications departments, labourers in cocoa, plantain, banana, palm, and rubber plantations in Southern Cameroon, especially with the Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC), preferred to remain in Cameroon where they had established strong economic and socio-cultural ties with the Cameroonian people. Other Nigerians engaged in petty trading, subsistence farming and fishing along the coastal areas in the South-West Region and the Bakassi peninsula.
Many of these Nigerians have over the years established Nigerian settlements in Cameroon with population figures running into thousands, especially in riverine areas of Bamusso, Bekumu, Njangassa, Enyenge, Betika, Kange, Mabeta, Mboma Mboko I, II & III, Ngombe etc. Other villages in the South-West Region like Kongwe, Muanda, Missaka, Mudeka, Munyenge, Banga Bakundu, Konye, Mbonge and Ekondo titi also serve as home to large Nigerian communities. Meanwhile, some of the big traders can be found in major towns in the South-West and North-West Regions like Kumba, Limbe, Tiko, Mamfe, Bamenda, Kumbo, Wum and Nkambe.
These Nigerian communities, since 1972, in accordance with the laws of Cameroon, have organised themselves under Nigerian Unions that are recognized and authorized by the host country, Cameroon. These Unions, which are over 60 in number in the English speaking part of Cameroon have been assisting the Consulate General of Nigeria, Buea to identify Nigerians and address some consular challenges affecting them.
The increasing population of Nigerians in the Southern Part of Cameroon necessitated the establishment of a Nigerian Consular Mission in this part of Cameroon to render consular services to these Nigerians and carter for their welfare.
The Consulate General of Nigeria, Buea has jurisdiction over South-West and North-West Regions of Cameroon. The Mission was first established as a Consulate, headed by a Consul and was later upgraded to the status of a Consulate General in 1986, in order to reinforce its capacity in responding to the welfare needs of Nigerians in the Regions. The Mission is currently headed by a Consul General, assisted by other Consuls heading various departments. They include the Head of Chancery, Consul (Consular), Consul (Economic and Political Affairs), Consul (Admin) and the Consul (Finance). This team of home-based officers is further assisted by other support staff who are mostly locally recruited.
