The National Boundary Commission (NBC) says it has achieved significant results in resolving 15 interstate boundary disputes in 2023.

Its director-general, Adamu Adaji, stated this during the commission’s 2023 end-of-year media parley on Wednesday in Abuja.

Mr Adaji said the commission has intensified efforts in the resolution and definition processes on eight interstate boundaries.

The commission, he said, also conducted field investigations and demarcation of seven interstate boundaries, including boundaries of the Federal Capital Territory with its neighbours.

He equally said the NBC provided some infrastructural facilities, such as market stalls and motorised boreholes along corridors of some interstate boundaries, to promote trans-border cooperation and integration for peaceful coexistence.

On the Nigeria-Cameroon boundary dispute, the director-general said the commission continued works on the International Court of Justice decided international boundary under the auspices of the Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission.

He said 2,214 pillars have been placed along the boundary in a series of contracts awarded as Lots, with the last one concluded in 2022 as Lot 7.

Mr Adaji said the NBC had conducted a sensitisation campaign along the Borno State Sector, preparatory to executing the Lot 8 contract, which is expected to commence in February 2024.

“With respect to the Nigeria-Benin international boundary, the commission, in liaison with our Beninese counterpart, resuscitated the long-stalemated work with investigations along the Adjara River and the Igbokofi/Towe sectors of the boundary corresponding to the Ogun state axis of Nigeria.

“Additionally, we organised a cross-border cooperation activity in the form of a joint cultural and sporting activity amongst the communities of Baruten LGA of Nigeria and the corresponding Nikki Region of Nigeria and Benin, respectively,” said Mr Adaji.

He added, “This is intended to downplay the weight of the border and create integration of the people who are the same but only separated by the colonially imposed international boundary. With respect to Nigeria-Niger, the commission, in liaison with our Nigerien counterpart under the auspices of the Joint Standing Committee, carried out reconnaissance exercises to recover all the pillars placed between 1906 and 1908.”

The NBC boss said that 128 main pillars out of the 148 inherited pillars have been reconstructed along the axis. He added that 739 intermediate pillars have been constructed along the Nigeria-Niger boundary.

Mr Adaji said a platform was established for local border authorities and traditional rulers in the border states along Nigeria, Niger, and Cameroon international boundaries.

“This is for the attainment of peaceful coexistence between Nigeria and her proximate neighbours and facilitates cross-border cooperation and regional integration,” he said.

According to the NBC boss, another achievement in the outgoing year is the African Union Convention on Cross-Border Cooperation deposition at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The development, he said, placed Nigeria as the 9th of the 55 African to deposit the convention. He said these modest achievements in 2023 were recorded despite apparent challenges.

He identified some challenges as the uncooperative attitudes of some border communities, lack of proper sensitisation, misconception of the essence of boundaries, negative influences of elites, and limited resources, among others.

(NAN)