The Cross River State government has called on the National Boundary Commission (NBC) to revisit the ancient mapping done by the colonial masters which has over the years failed to maintain peace as this was done for economic benefits rather than in the interest of the people.
This call was made yesterday, when His Excellency, Sen. Prince Bassey Otu received a delegation of the National Boundary Commission led by the Director-General, Surveyor Adamu Adaji who was accompanied by Directors, Assistant Directors and Surveyors on an advocacy visit to the state.
Sen. Bassey Otu, was ably represented on the occasion by his deputy, Rt. Hon. Peter Odey (PhD), who is also chairman of the State Boundary Committee.
Odey called on the NBC to develop new mapping instruments and strategies to benefit Cross River State and the inter-state boundaries. He added that as indigenes, it is possible to define our own boundaries but proper mapping will prevent the frequent outbreak of wars and destruction of lives and property.
Odey presented the Director-General with a brief on the ‘lssues On The Cross River Sector Of The Nigerian- Cameroun International Boundary and inter-state Boundary Disputes’. He gave the team the assurance that Cross River State Government will work with NBC to ensure lasting peace.
In his remarks, the Director General, NBC, Surveyor Adamu Adaji first congratulated His Excellency, Prince Bassey Otu for being the person ordained by God to pilot the affairs of the state, wishing him a successful tenure.
Adamu noted that ‘It is a fact that clearly defined and demarcated boundaries are essential for peaceful co-existence and cross border co-operation’. He cited several inter-state interventions carried out by the NBC with slow progress due to an increasing quest for land, water and grazing rights as a result of demographic and climate change. He also attributed the negative influence of the political class and elites, vague and imprecise boundary instruments amongst others as impediments to their work.
The Director-General appealed to the state government to adequately support the State Boundary Committee to participate actively in all their joint activities as the NBC has put plans in place to organize engagements of the State Boundary Committee in planing for appropriate activities on each of the boundaries of the state.
