By Alex Emeje
Determined to put a permanent and finding a lasting solutions to the boundary conflicts across the country, the Director- General of the National Boundary Commission (NBC) Surveyor Adamu Audu Adaji says the commission has commenced physical boundary demarcation and resolved sections of the Gombe-Bauchi and Enugu-Ebony interstate boundaries.
In an Interview with our correspondent, he said the commission has worked hard to give issues of physical definition and demarcation of boundaries more priority, noting that the commission has equally placed some pillars in Benue – Cross River State boundary before some communities in Benue State obstructed the work.
“Because of the unfortunate development, we had to call it off and have since appealed to the state governments to sensitize the communities to enable us to go back to work” he said.
He noted that the physical demarcation of those boundaries were quite paramount because claims and counter-claims of encroachment and non – encroachment could arise as the boundaries were very visible.
According to him, people can cross the boundary without knowing and that could create tension.
He stressed that the commission is focused on ensuring that any boundary issue it resolves must be properly defined and made visible in the form of demarcation
The young and dynamic D-G disclosed that recently there was a meeting on the boundary between Katsina and Jigawa States, which ultimately was resolved the impasse taken of.
In the same vein the boundary disputed between Kano and Kastina, he added have been brought to an end. “All these boundaries that have been resolved which have single lines will now be demarcated. The outcome of our field exercises shows in some cases two or three lines but when we have single line it means the two state have agreed with the instruments for resolution” he said. Sometime, the two states could offer with the instrument to be used or may align and have a single line different from the instrument we try to interpret and as a matter of fact, he said some of these instruments may be vague and ambiguous and in such cases, we try to see how we can balance that.
