The federal government needs to adopt a policy on the equitable sharing of straddling resources between states and even local government areas to tame the tide of boundary crises in the country.
The Director-General, National Boundary Commission (NBC), Surveyor Adamu Adaji said the suggestion if adopted and implemented would not only drastically cut down on cases of interstate boundary disputes over claims and counter claims of ownership of areas where crucial resources are located but ensure lasting peace among border communities.
Surveyor Adaji, who made the call at a recent interactive session, said such policy if adopted would in no small way also facilitate development as well as makes demarcation exercise a lot peaceful and acceptable to all.
In particular, he said violent crises such as the Kogi and Anambra, Akwa Ibom and Cross River, Bayelsa and Rivers, among others over ownership of crude oil and other resource locations would be eliminated with the adoption of such policy.
“Nigeria should adopt a policy on equitable sharing of straddling resources between affected states, local government areas and communities as the case may be”, he said noting that this would be an amicable means of forestalling border conflicts.
Further, Adaji said the approach would ensure that “the concept of boundary as a line of divide must give way to the concept of boundary as bridge of opportunities, cooperation and line of contact between nations, peoples, and polities.”
Speaking with reference to the crises over ownership of the location of crude oil between Kogi and Anambra states, the tussle involving Ogun and Lagos, Ekiti and Kogi, Ogun, and Osun states respectively over ownership of certain locations where mineral resources are found, the NBC boss said such crises would be nipped in the bud by use of the policy on equitable sharing of straddling resources.
According to him, both technical and deliberate political considerations are inevitable if the resurgent cases of interstate border community conflicts especially due to claims over ownership of resources location must be brought under control.
