The National Boundary Commission has organized a one-day workshop in Maiduguri for the creation of a platform for Local Border Authorities and Traditional Rulers of Borno residents along Nigeria-Chad International Boundary.
In his welcome address on Tuesday at the workshop for the creation of a forum for local border authorities along the Nigeria-Chad International boundary, the Director-General of the commission, Surv. Adamu Adaji, said that Borno State occupies a strategic position as the only state that shares boundary with three nations of Niger, Chad and Cameroon.
Adaji said that Borno, which stood as a gate-way state, conveniently played its role on behalf of Nigeria by the hospitality and accommodation nature of the Government and its people.
He said that the state pioneered the desired integration of Africa through the promotion of the cordial relationship between Nigeria and her neighbours.
Adaji, said the essence of the workshop was to improve the cross border relations between the local border authorities and traditional authorities of Borno with their counterparts in Chad.
“This is a follow-up to the workshop that established a National Consultative Forum for constructive engagement, collaboration and effective coordination of border policies and programmes.
“The engagement will in no doubt provide avenues to promote security and economic prosperity of the border regions,” Adaji said.
In his remarks, the Executive Secretary of the Border Communities Development Agency (BCDA), Capt. Junaid Abdullahi, said that the agency has executed 2,151 capital projects in border communities since inception from 2010 to date.
Abdullahi said that the projects cut across the social and economic sectors and were intended to positively impact on the lives and livelihoods of people in rural communities of border areas.
Abdullahi, who listed some of the projects sited in Borno, lauded governments of border states for their support and cooperation to the agency while executing the projects.
“Indeed, some border states have gone beyond collaboration during project implementation to provision of office accommodation and donation of land for the building of permanent offices which now serve as our zonal and area offices .
“This action has resulted in the agency establishing fully operational Zonal offices in Maiduguri (North East), Katsina (North West) and Yenagoa (South South),” Abdullahi said.
In her message, the Comptroller-General of Nigeria Immigration Service, Ms Wura-Ola Adepoju, said that as the leading organisation in border management, the service was ready to partner with other stakeholders in enhancing welfare security at the border communities.
Adepoju, represented by the Comptroller in charge of Borno, Mr Salihu Abdullahi, said part of measures taken to enhance security at the border include the setting up of forward operational bases and ongoing deployment of technology.
In his speech, Gov. Babagana Zulum of Borno, represented by his Deputy, Alhaji Umar Kadafur who is also the Chairman of State Border Committee, stressed the need for effective border management for positive developments.
Zulum said the Nigeria-Chad boundary was strategic and the two nations needed to work together to enhance capacities of their local border authorities.
“It is my belief that through open and constructive dialogue, we can identify common challenges, develop innovative solutions and implement,” Zulum said.
Highlight of the workshop is the presentation of papers “Nigeria-Chad Border and Local Governments with their composite neigbours” by Adaji, while Dr Usman Farouk presented a paper titled “The imperatives of Cross Border Cooperation in Peaceful Co-existence, Security and Sub-Regional Integration”.
