From: Jeff Amechi Agbodo, Onitsha
Anambra State Deputy Governor, Dr. Nkem Okeke, on Wednesday, assured that Governor Willie Obiano would provide every necessary support to ensure the amicable resolution of boundary disputes between Anambra and neighboring states.
He said that peaceful boundary resolution was the major goal of the state and promised that every effort would be directed towards achieving the set goal.
Okeke disclosed this when he received a delegation from the National Boundary Commission, Abuja and Enugu Boundary Commission at Awka, saying that efforts were in place to ensure that all boundary issues were peacefully resolved.
The deputy governor said that with dialogue and spirit of sportsmanship that any boundary, there is need for peaceful coexistence “all lingering boundary issues between the two states must be resolved amicably”.
He commended the renewed efforts of the National Boundary Commission and the commitment of the Enugu State government towards resolving the conflict and assured that the state will do the necessary thing to expedite the resolution of the boundary matter.
Okeke who is the Chairman of the State Boundary Commission, said that the Abuja team was in the state to do ethnographic survey to determine how the boundaries will be delineated.
Also he further disclosed that Director, Research, Policy and Analysis Department of the National Boundary Commission, Dr Okey Orji represented the Commission’s Director General, Dr Muhammed Ahmad on the mission.
He commended the commission for the laudable initiatives adopted to resolve boundary issues across the country, saying that an ethnographic studies where questionnaires were issued to natives of the affected communities after which it would be analyzed and resolutions reached.
According to him, the exercise is also aimed at ensuring that in the determination of boundary matters, affected communities are not erroneously classified in states where they do not originally belong to.
Okeke said that work has commenced in this respect which would last for six days in the distribution of questionnaires to people of Awba Ofemmili and Ugbeene communities this week while their Enugu neighbors will take their turn next week.