FCT/Kogi officials meet to resolve pending boarder issues »

A joint delegation of officials from Kogi State and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) met on Wednesday in Lokoja to further discuss pending boarder issues between the two parties in bid to forestall boarder conflict.

Leading the FCT delegation the Permanent Secretary Federal Capital Territory Administration/ Chairman FCT boundary committee, Mr. Olushade Adeshola noted that the commitment before them was to ensure that boundaries are clearly identified and made more visible on ground so that disputes among border dwellers would be minimized and lasting peace as well as economic and social wellbeing of border communities would be achieved.

He added that there were complaints from some Traditional rulers on disputes, specifically, between Naharati Community in Abaji Area Council, FCT and KotonKarfe Community in Kogi State, whom hitherto were brothers but now separated by man made boundaries.

He opined that if not urgently addressed, the simmering disaffection had the potential to snowball into a conflict, with consequences for livelihood, safety and security in both territories.

The Permanent Secretary stressed that although there had been several meetings conveyed in the past with recorded successes, the current special purpose JMO (Joint Meeting of Officials) was to ratify the work undertaken so far and to advance to the next level of a return to the site to emplace additional Boundary Pillars.

In his address, the Kogi State Deputy governor and chairman Kogi state boundary committee, chief Edward Onoja noted that the boundary issue between the FCT and Kogi State has been on for quite a while.

Represented by the Deputy Chief of Staff to the Governor, Hon. Sunday Faleke, the Deputy Governor said “I would like to commend the efforts made by the National Boundary Commission (NBC) office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation and FCT/Kogi officials for their efforts so far to bring this matter to a conclusion and keep peace at our borders”.

He pointed out that in the last meeting held in 2016, the state affirmed that boundaries were mainly for administrative purposes and not to divide us.

He added “We had also pointed out that reports have reached the State Government on encroachment by Abaji community, as well as the siting of structures into our territory by FCT administration”.

The Deputy governor also recalled that the state noted that the encroachment could be normalized by having such lands documented and registered with kogi State Land Bureau Services adding that those structures sited by the FCT administration could stay as they were beneficial to Kogi people at the boundary.

In addition, there was contention and differing on the position of pillar B16 at the meeting, he pointed out

He stressed that both community and states should see each other not as neighbours only, but brothers noting that faith has brought them together and that he believed that they would surely find light at the end of the tunnel.

Chief Edward expressed that he was proud to say that the Kogi State Government under the watch of governor Bello was highly passionate about boundary matters, and highly supportive, hence the delegation and everyone owed him a lot of gratitude in that direction.

The officials thereafter went into a meeting which involved a step by step analysis of documents and exchange of informations, after which a mutual agreement was reached and a communique containing details of the agreement and timeliness for implementation was issued.

Present at the meeting were; Permanent Secretary, FCTA, Mr. Olushade Adesola; Director of Internal Boundary, NNBC, Nicholas Eneyele; Ona of Abaji, Alh. Adamu Bala Yunusa; Representative of Ohimeg-igu Koton-Karfe, Alhaji Dauda Mukailu; Secretary, Kogi State Boundary Commission, Akowu John; Representative of the Surveyor-General of the Federation, Surveyor Duniya Magaji; SSA to Governor Yahaya Bello on Boundary Matters, Aiyelabowo Adebanji among others.