Govs sue for peace
The FEDERAL Government will soon resume demarcation of the boundary between Benue and Nasarawa states. The exercise was temporarily put off on April 6, 2022 due to security challenges that rocked the two states.
Director-General of National Boundary Commission (NBC), Adamu Adaji, noted that the Federal Government and the states had, many times, intervened in the interstate boundary, over the years.
Adaji recounted that NBC’s first intervention was in the boundary in 2016, adding that a joint meeting of officials in December 2021 recommended field demarcation, and only some pillars were emplaced before work was stalled. He, however, regretted that out of the pillars emplaced, three were reportedly destroyed.
“Today’s (Wednesday) meeting is, therefore, to consider all issues that affected the progress on the boundary, and to come up with appropriate measures to fast-track the boundary definition and demarcation process,” he added.
In his remarks, Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue appealed for amicable resolution of the boundary issues at the Joint Meeting of Officials, to pave the way for the resumption of the demarcation in earnest.
According to the governor, who was represented by the Commissioner for Lands, Survey and Solid Minerals, Matins Shaagee, there can be no development without peace, appealing to his Nasarawa counterpart for amicable resolution of the dispute.
Deputy Governor of Nasarwa, Dr Emmanuel Akabe, who represented Governor Abdullahi Sule, in his remarks, urged the two states to collaborate towards the eradication of trans-border crime, rather than engage in boundary conflicts.
According to him, the two states are brothers and would better function if they collaborated, but regretted that talks on boundary had to go back and forth. He noted that discussion on the emplacement of certain pillars were reached at the last joint meeting between the two states were being revisited.
