The Director-General of National Boundary Commission (NBC), Mr Adamu Adaji, has called on Bauchi and Gombe States not to allow the discovery of crude oil in the Kolmani River region to cause rivalry between them.
Adaji spoke at a parley with newsmen to mark the end of the commission’s activities for the year 2022 in Abuja.
“I want to appeal to Bauchi and Gombe States to avoid any move that would destroy the already peaceful coexistence between them before the discovery of crude oil in their border communities.
They should know that boundaries are created for administrative conveniences and not separation. Bauchi and Gombe use to be same before the creation of Gombe State; and I feel they are still one and same.
“It would not be good if the two states start fighting each other because of the oil resources that have been discovered in the Kolmani River Region.
“However, let it be clear that the NBC’s mandate do not extend to management and distribution of mineral resources between border communities,’’ Adaji warned.
He appealed to the Governments of Bauchi and Gombe States to sensitise their indigenes residing in the border communities to embrace cooperation and peaceful coexistence.
Adaji said they should continue to enjoy peace that they had long before the creation of Gombe State and they should also learn to enjoy their resources together as brothers and sisters.
According to the NBC boss, there are about 86 interstate boundary issues across the country, out which 40 had been resolved.
“However, we have fixed pillars to demarcate most of the borders where discrepancies have been resolved. We are still making effort to resolve more.
“But one of the challenges we are facing is the lack of cooperation from some states in the country.
“I want them to understand that we do not create boundaries, but rather work on already existing documents and evidences to ensure that boundaries are demarcated without bias.
“Governments should sensitise their border communities to imbibe the spirit of peace and cooperation. This will make our work of demarcating the borders easier,’’ Adaji said.
On the issue of Bakassi Peninsula, the NBC boss said that the commission, with the Nigeria-Cameroon mixed Commission, has implemented the rulings of the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
He, however, said that there were three areas of disagreement between Nigeria and Cameroon that the mixed commission would take back to the ICJ soon to get more clarifications.
Adaji said that his commission collaborated with International Seabed Authority to build capacity of African countries in the exploration of the seabed mineral resources.
“We are grateful to President Muhammadu Buhari for funding the Commission to deliver on its mandate. We also collaborate with the Office of the Surveyor General to achieve our mandate.
“We have always encouraged international border cooporation with countries like Niger Republic, Chad, Benin and Cameroon, including interstate border communities in the country,’’ Adaji said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the media parley was attended by management and staff of the Commission. (NAN)