The Director General of National Boundary Commission, NBC, Surv Adamu Adaji has said that securing territorial borders must be a collective responsibility of all critical stakeholders in a bid to confront insecurity frontally.

The NBC boss made this assertion at the ongoing one-day workshop for the creation of platform for all local border authorities and traditional rulers in border states along Nigeria -Niger international boundary on Monday in Sokoto state, North West Nigeria.

The Director-General explained that the boundaries bequeathed to the African states by the colonial administration were arbitrary and the African leaders have agreed to accept these boundaries as inherited.

Regrettably, the boundaries in many cases bifurcated homogeneous African communities into two or more states which explains why the same people exist across many African borders.

He added that ordinarily by the African traditions, we relate with our brothers informally even if they are in different countries.

He further stated that it is therefore a welcome development to establish Cross Border cooperation as a formal way of cementing the bond that exists amongst the nations.

Adaji reiterated that the Federal Government places great importance on the role of Border Local Government Authorities and Traditional rulers in the attainment of peaceful co-existence between Nigeria and her proximate neighbours.

“Their role is not only limited to the promotion of peaceful co-existence but also very relevant in facilitating cross border cooperation and regional integration.

Promotion of African unity and integration according to him, is one of Nigeria’s cardinal principles and that is underscored with the recent ratification and deposition of the African Union Convention on Cross Border Cooperation (Niamey Convention) in October.

The Convention paves way for cross border cooperation at local, sub-regional and regional levels.

The Director-General maintained that effective and integrated border management is necessary to combat crossborder crime, terrorism, piracy, and other forms of crimes and it will transform border areas into catalysts for growth.

This he averred can only be achieved successfully when a Local Border Platform is created to address Cross-Border related issues.

“During the 4th Conference of African Ministers responsible for Border Management held in October 2016 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, it was unanimously agreed that Africa’s peace and security are directly intertwined with good border governance and the attainment of sustainable developments in the borderlands.

“Border States and Local Government Areas play critical roles because of their proximity to the borders and borderlands.

Adaji revealed that the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) underscore the importance of sub-regional engagements between composite regional and local authorities in addressing our security challenges and opening doors of opportunities for trans-border economic cooperation.

According to him there is a deliberate policy of ECOWAS of moving away from ECOWAS of States to ECOWAS of People.

Declaring the workshop open, host and the Deputy Governor of Sokoto state Engr. Idris Muhammed Gobir commended the National Boundary Commission’s ongoing efforts to define Nigeria’s territorial boundaries and foster unity with neighbouring countries.

He called on the three tiers of Government to prioritize the welfare of border communities stressing that this would engender a sense of belonging as well as strengthen their support and alliance in combating cross border insecurity.

In their separate goodwill messages, the Deputy Governors and Chairmen State Boundary Committees of Kebbi, Borno, Kastina, Jigawa and Yobe unanimously pledged the unflinching support for programs geared towards the promotion of Cross-Border security.

Nigeria has about 4500km land border and about 850km stretch of maritime border.