According to the Senate, the National Assembly would put out great effort to make sure that opportunities lost due to instability and porosity in the communities around the Nigerian border are addressed.
Cross-border crimes have hampered development over the years, according to Senator Binos Dauda Yaroe of Adamawa South, who spoke on Monday in Abuja at the start of a two-day engagement with stakeholders in collaboration with Global Consult Limited.
He also emphasised that his committee will work with relevant stakeholders with the goal of integrating sub-national border community governments into the economic management of Nigeria.
He said that years of neglect and a lack of basic amenities for Nigerian border communities are also to blame for the high crime rate in these communities.
The committee also plans to make the engagement an annual event and has urged local governments to take advantage of their autonomy to positively impact the development and well-being of the residents of these communities.
He said, “We are concerned about development of our boarder communities, the security of the people living there as well as programmes that will give everyone a sense of belonging “
He voiced worries about the lack of effective demarcation and definition of most border settlements, pointing out that some confrontations arise from the absence of clearly defined borders.
The deputy governors of the states of Abia, Gombe, and Ekiti all expressed excitement in their remarks that the Nigerian Senate is now considering taking the first step in resolving the mountain of issues that Nigerians who live in border areas face on a daily basis.
Deputy Governor of Gombe State Mannaseh Daniel addressed the stakeholders in his speech, stating that since the state’s founding, the relevant authorities have not made any significant effort to clearly define the state’s border lines. Daniel described this as a situation that is sure to cause needless tension with neighbouring states.
Ikechukwu Emetu, the deputy governor of Abia state, also praised the Nigerian Senate for taking the audacious decision to involve the key players for the benefit of Nigeria.
The chairman of Global Gold Consult Engineer, Kayode Adegbayo, expressed confidence that the two-day program would produce comprehensive solutions that will improve the living conditions of Nigerians in border communities and increase Nigeria’s economic benefits.
Despite this, he insisted that the motivation behind the desire to work with the Senate was the state of disrepair and the daily struggles those residents face, including access to basic necessities like health care.
