Col. Austin Akobundu (rtd), the senator representing Abia Central district in the National Assembly, has called on the Federal Government and the National Boundary Commission, NBC, to encourage peaceful co-existence between boundary communities in the country by urgently demarcating state boundaries with Natural, rather than, artificial boundary features.
He noted that the present situation whereby state boundaries were determined by trees and streams that are easily destroyed during farming activities or climatic changes as well as using hinterland border-community-names, which do not stand the taste of time, were responsible for the incessant communal clashes at the various borders.
According to him, such has often resulted in the destruction of human lives and properties, every farming season.
Sen, Akobundu made the remark in answer to a question thrown to him during a press conference he organized to mark the end of his 3-day facility tour of his constituency during which he flagrd-off some projects to mark his one year anniversary as a senator in the National Assembly.
He disclosed that as a way of ensuring peace in border communities he has initiated and concluded the first batch of a two-day regular capacity-building programme tagged: “Peace and Conflict Management” for traditional rulers, community leaders, security operatives and other stakeholders in Abia Central district .
He said at the sittings, emphasis is placed on the need for affected border communities to continue to live in peace as they lived before the boundary adjustment commission report in Nigeria, which is now begging for adjustments in order to sustain real peace at the borders.
Peoplesmind
