THE issue of boundary disputes between neighbouring communities has been a thing of concern to various arms of governments and stakeholders considering its implications and losses in terms of lives and properties.
These disputes have been linked to the desire to possess natural resources such as rivers for fishing, fertile lands for farming, mineral or petroleum resources, future expansion, purposes of selling for monetary gains etc.
From records, border communities in Nigeria have suffered colossal and unprecedented losses in human and material resources since the colonial era as a result of boundary disputes and efforts made to tame the causative factors have defied various solutions applied in this regard.
Reports indicate that between January 2018 and August 2022, 676 people were killed in various communal and boundary clashes in Nigeria. This number has increased since then with many living in Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps.
This instigated the recent gathering and focus of stakeholders at an event organized by the African Union Border Governance Strategy, as they brainstormed on the need for peaceful co-existence among boundary communities, especially in the coastal areas of Nigeria, with specific collaboration on proffering solutions to protracted boundary disputes in the South-South and South-West geopolitical zones.
At the event, held in Asaba, Delta State capital, with the theme: ‘Towards a secure, peaceful and prosperous borders’, the negative impact of boundary dispute was brought to the fore as the Governor of Delta State, the Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori declared that boundary disputes militate against the peace, security, and prosperity of communities across the country.
The current campaign, if genuinely pursued, will ensure the protection of territorial boundaries and give the people the opportunity to enjoy peace with enough freedom to go about their normal daily activities without fear of molestation within their land space.
We consider the drive for a secure, peaceful and prosperous border as timely and apt in the wake of the retinue of boundary disputes that have plagued the country since the colonial era. Obviously, the founders of Nigeria took little consideration about the ethnic and geographical spread of the population while demarcating boundaries from the colonial to the military era.
From on set, some communities were arbitrarily and unjustly ceded to other local government areas or states without considering the language or cultural links.
No doubt, such unholy marriage as set up by the founding fathers has pitched neighbours against each other and put them in precarious situations over claims of land space, resulting in physical confrontations, bloodbaths, fears, distrust, insecurity, several deaths and loss of properties and displacement.
It is, therefore, not surprising that boundary communities in Anambra, Delta, Edo, Abia, Cross River, Kogi, Ondo, etc are usually locked in intra and inter-state conflicts and violent clashes.
This places a huge burden on the National Boundary Commission (NBC), which has the mandate to determine, intervene and deal with any boundary dispute that may arise internally within Nigeria and internationally between Nigeria and any of its nighbours to settle such disputes and ensure good governance.
Unfortunately, the commission has presently been budged by political and ethnic considerations in performing its onerous task of marking out an acceptable boundary between neighbours either within a state or between two states.
We welcome the initiatives by the African Union Border Governance Strategy towards looking into good border governance and the attainment of sustainable development in the areas of focus by stopping displacement, death and destruction.
But the organisers must concretise their vision by embarking on enlightenment campaigns to sensitize the people on the gains of living together. Such forum, as organized in Delta State, is required in other states with traditional rulers, community and opinion leaders, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), faith-based groups etc invited to participate
We commend the Delta State government for the achievements recorded in the area of creating awareness of boundary feud through the office of the Deputy Governor and call for its sustenance to ensure peace in various boundary communities.
The NBC should also live above board by pursuing its mandates with vigour, in addition to ensuring peace and security to boundary communities.
