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The National Boundary Commission has reaffirmed key positions that strongly support Edo State’s commitment to the peaceful and lawful resolution of the Edo/Kogi interstate boundary.
This followed a Joint Meeting of Officials held at Lucy Hall, Bon Hotel (Elvis), Wuse II, Abuja.
The meeting, presided over by the Director-General of the Commission, Adamu Adaji, brought together representatives of the affected states and federal technical agencies to review progress.
It also aimed to facilitate the resumption of the stalled boundary monumentation exercise.
This is according to the statement by Dr Patrick Ebojele, Chief Press Secretary to Edo Gov. Monday Okpebholo made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos.
It said the Edo delegation, led by Dennis Idahosa, Deputy Governor and Chairman of the Edo State Boundary Committee, reaffirmed the state’s unwavering commitment to a peaceful, technically sound, and lawful demarcation of the boundary.
Idahosa noted that the mutually agreed boundary alignment endorsed in 2006 remained a critical milestone and provides a solid legal and technical foundation for concluding the exercise.
He emphasised the urgent need to address factors that previously hindered completion of the monumentation and called for its immediate resumption in the interest of affected communities.
The meeting acknowledged Edo’s constructive engagement and sustained cooperation with federal authorities in advancing the resolution process.
The technical briefings presented at the meeting confirmed among others that the Internal Boundary Technical Committee approved the Edo/Kogi boundary in 2006 using Legal Notice 126 of 1954.
Both states had earlier adopted the mutually agreed boundary alignment.
Idahosa said, “this includes the monumentation commenced in 2007 before being disrupted by community resistance in some sectors.
“These confirmations reinforce Edo’ s long-standing position that the boundary framework already existed and only required completion of the monumentation process.
The resolutions reached at the meeting further strengthened the pathway toward final demarcation.
“Notably this includes that the Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation and the National Boundary Commission will provide Edo State with large-scale maps of the agreed boundary.
“The Commission will interface with Edo State to make arrangements for the early resumption of monumentation.
“Edo State will undertake targeted enlightenment and sensitization of affected border communities in collaboration with traditional institutions.”
According to him, “federal government and the states will jointly identify pillar sites ahead of full resumption.
“Adequate security will be provided to ensure smooth field operations,” he said.
Source: News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
