Abuja: The National Boundary Commission (NBC) says it has concluded plans to strengthen the capacity of state and local government boundary committees across the country on boundary management. The NBC Director-General, Mr. Adamu Adaji, disclosed this while assessing the impact of President Bola Tinubu's administration after two years in office.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Adaji emphasized that the goal was to ensure that the committees were not only established but functional. He explained that the Act that established the NBC made provisions for the establishment of the State Boundary Committee at the state level and the Local Government Boundary Committee at the local government level. This provision is intended to ensure that states and local government councils play critical roles in defining boundaries between them and their neighbors.
The Director-General noted that the three tiers of boundary management are expected to work in synergy by involving the affected communities, local government areas, and states. This approach contrasts with previous practices where documents were interpreted and boundary maps drawn without consulting the affected communities, local governments, or states.
Adaji highlighted plans for the year to organize training workshops for members of the state and local government committees across the country. 'We will bring them together and explain to them their roles and the synergy expected among them and us, and how they will go about getting documents that will help to facilitate the resolution of some boundary issues,' he stated. The aim is to ensure that every state and local government council across the country has a functional boundary committee, with encouragement provided to states to establish these two levels of boundary committees.
Adaji acknowledged that although the Federal Government has improved funding for the commission's activities, additional funds are still necessary to achieve desired results. He pointed out that boundary issues are part of the causes of insecurity, underscoring the need for more funds to enable the commission to resolve numerous boundary issues as swiftly as possible. (NAN)