• The two countries affirm to honour agreements

The Federal government of Nigeria has disclosed that 128 main pillars have been successfully re-constructed out of the inherited 148 that demarcate the boundary between Nigeria and Niger.
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The representatives of the two countries at a meeting of the joint standing committee of experts on re-demarcation of Nigeria-Niger international boundary, held in Abuja also retriatriated the commitment of the two countries to honouring agreements on their boundary disputes.

The Director-General of the National Boundary Commission (NBC), Adamu Adaji, who was on Nigeria’s delegation said: “There is no doubt that we are making commendable progress in our set goal of re-demarcation of the international boundary. Our aim is to make the boundary more visible to the border inhabitants and not to separate the people who share the same history and culture.”

He added: “There is no doubt that the relationship between Nigeria and Niger is about the best between any two neighbours.

“As the Technical Experts will inform us, a total of One Hundred and Twenty-Eight Main Pillars have been successfully re-constructed out of inherited One Hundred and Forty-Eight that demarcate the boundary. We, therefore, have just Twenty more outstanding.”

On his part, Peter Balla Permanent Secretary of Niger’s National Boundary Commission and representative of Niger at the meeting said, the two countries are committed to cooperating in efforts to justify the demarcation exercise.

“There are areas to be made in transborder cooperation and there is a need to maintain the peace in the demarcation process. Kindly allow me to express our sincere gratitude to the government of Nigeria in the effort to strengthen the cooperation between Nigeria and the Republic of Niger,” said Balla.

Adamu Namata, Acting Secretary General of Nigeria-Niger Joint Commission (NNJC) said, “the willingness of the two countries have not been betrayed. The stakeholders must play their own part to ensure amicable demarcation of the boundary and placement of the pillars.”
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