The Federal Capital Territory administration have been called upon to ensure that developments are grafted and directed in ways that will benefit communities that share border with it.
The Kogi State Deputy Governor, Yomi Awoniyi, stated this at a joint stakeholders meeting on FCT Boundary and her four neighboring states of Nasarawa, Kogi, Kaduna and Niger.
The Deputy Governor said the proximity to the FCT makes most neighboring communities amenable to both the positive and negative impacts of the rapid development occurring in the FCT.
Awoniyi called for a careful and articulate planning by the federal government and the FCT administration to ameliorate the hardship and the painful costs those communities have to bear by virtue of the proximity to the FCT.
The Deputy Governor noted that issues of boundary disputes which has now taken a challenging dimension and on the increase,is occasioned by genuine and speculative demand for land and economic trees.
While assuring of the willingness and preparedness of Kogi State Government to support the success of the boundary demarcation between the FCT and Kogi State, Awoniyi commended the National Boundary Commission for its zeal and commitment to ensuring peace between the state and its FCT neighbors.
Earlier in her welcome address, the Minister of State and Chairman FCT Boundary Committee, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide said the meeting was called to brainstorm on ways and means of resolving boundary situations affecting FCT and its neighboring states.
The Minister observed that extraneous forces have worked to undermine the FCT boundary, sometimes resulting in bloody communal clashes.
Current geospatial technology the Minister noted will be leveraged on to resolve issues affecting the FCT boundary which include housing construction on boundary,willful destruction of beacons and sometimes their relocations other than where they were constructed while at other times certain communities located within specific areas do not know where they belong for an enduring solution.
In his remarks, Mohammed Bose, Director General National Boundary Commission,said demarcation of the FCT /Kogi boundary is 60% completed, added that the meeting by the Commission is aimed at reviewing a new course of action aimed at creating peaceful coexistence between the FCT and its neighboring States.
A communique was issued at the end of the meeting with a call on boundary communities told to work towards a peaceful resolution of disputed boundaries with the FCT.
The Kogi State FCT boundary is a 17.2 km boundary that exist between Abaji and Kogi Local Government.
Aside the State Deputy Governor who also doubles as the Chairman State Boundary Committee who signed the communique on behalf of the state, Joe Abraham, Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General, the Surveyor General Surveyor of the State and other top government officials from the State attended the meeting.
