The National Boundary Commission has called for genuine and comprehensive solutions to end the boundary disputes.
Director General National Boundary Commission Mr. Adamu Adaji made the call in Abuja, during a Joint Meeting with officials on the Benue/Nasarawa interstate boundary issues.
The DG explained that the reason for the meeting is to deliberate on Nasarawa/Benue boundary issues with comprehensive and effective solutions to the lingering problems that have been affecting the social co-existence of the people in the two States.
“This meeting is therefore to consider all issues that affected the progress on the boundary and to come up with appropriate measures aimed at fast-tracking the boundary definition and demarcation processes. The Technical Committee of Experts met on the boundary yesterday to carry out a comprehensive analysis of the works on the boundary. We will receive and consider the recommendations advanced and come up with the best way forward”. Mr. Adamu Adaji said
Working on collaboration to address boundary disagreement
“As we are aware, the National Boundary Commission (Establishment) Act, 2006 provides that there shall be established by each State of the Federation a State Boundary Committee. It also provides that, there shall be established by each Local Government Area in a State a Local Government Boundary Committee. Accordingly, the Boundary Management system that comprises the National Boundary Commission (NBC), State Boundary Committee (SBC) and the Local Government Boundary Committee (LGBC) must work in synergy for the resolution/definition of our boundaries”.
”It is a fact that some of the issues on the boundary can be handled effectively through bilateral engagements of the Committees if they are properly constituted and made functional at the state and Local Government Areas levels. I therefore urge the States to kindly ensure that these Committees are made functional for effective collaboration on all boundary cases,” the DG explained
On Government role
“Federal Government and the States Governments had intervened on the interstate boundary severally over the years. The National Boundary Commission first intervened on the boundary in 2006 and had cause to have worked severally thereafter. A Joint Meeting of Officials held in December 2021 recommended field demarcation exercise be undertaken and only two pillars were emplaced before work was stalled”.
“The fieldwork that was resumed in February 2022 resulted in the emplacement of another eight pillars before it was again stalled due to insecurity. Regrettably, out of the pillars emplaced, three were reported to have been destroyed shortly after they were emplaced and action on the boundary has been stalled since then”.
On Demarcation
“The Benue/Nasarawa interstate boundary is not fully defined on the ground yet. It is a fact that that until this boundary is made visible on the ground by way of permanent demarcation to be respected by the affected communities, the boundary definition process cannot be said to be complete and issues of claims and counterclaims cannot be ruled out” Mr. Adaji stated
On his part the Deputy Governor of Benue State and Chairman of Benue State Boundary Commission, Mr. Sam Ode, represented by Commissioner for Land, Survey and Solid Minerals, Mr. Marfin Shaages
“I appealed to the National Boundary Commission that the demarcation exercise on the Benue/Nasarawa and Benue/Cross-River Interstate Boundaries which had been suspended due to one reason or the other should be resumed as soon as possible, which the National Boundary Commission has graciously responded to this request by organizing this Joint Meeting of Officials (JMO)”.
“One of the cardinal points of the Governor Alla’s administration is to ensure that peace returns to the unsecured areas of the State so that Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) will return to their ancestral homes Benue State Government will therefore not leave any stone unturned to ensure that this objective is realized. In this regard, on behalf of the Benue State governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia and the Benue State Boundary Committee, I wish to pledge our total support to the National Boundary Commission in ensuring that Benue/Nasarawa Interstate Boundary as well as other Benue Interstate Boundaries are fully demarcated. For there can be no development in the state, without peace”. Mr. Ode ensured
In his remarks the Deputy Governor of Nasarawa State, North-Central Nigeria and Chairman Nasarawa State Boundary Commission, Mr. Emmanuel Akabe, while urging members of the interstate boundary committee to be sincere and just in executing their task also called on people to live in peace to develop the two States.
“Benue and Nasarawa are brothers, we see Benue as an elder brother that existed as a State before Nasarawa and therefore we must continue to see each other as brothers, I remember that so many of us in Nasarawa and Benue still have connections to Jos Plateau up till today, because of what they existed as Benue /Plateau”. The Deputy Governor explained
“Boundaries are just geo-graphical entities purely for administrative purposes, if you look around there are a lot of Tivs in Nasarawa State and vice versa”.
“These issues of boundary demarcations have been on for years but if we consider ourselves as brothers, I don’t think boundary demarcation should be a big issue we keep coming and continue talking about the same thing over and over we begin to wonder what kind of human being are we, Pillars were erected and agreed to this is the point was to erect the pillars some people will come and break the pillars down, for how long are we going to continue to do that to ourselves”. Mr. Emmanuel Adake lamented.
RESOLUTIONS
The meeting accordingly resolved as follows:
The States are given up to the end of February to study, plot the 1916, 1919 & 1924 Gazettes and come up with their positions;
The National Boundary Commission/Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation will look at all documents and come up with a position that shall be harmonised with the views of the two States for consideration;
That a Technical Meeting of Experts will be convened at a later date to be communicated to the States to harmonize the positions of the States and the Federal Government; and,
That the report of the harmonised views shall be forwarded to the two States for study after which a JMO shall be convened to consider and direct as appropriate.
Dominica Nwabufo
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