The Director-General of the National Boundary Commission (NBC) Surv. Adamu Adaji has called for peace and progress in the resolution of interstate between Abia and Akwa Ibom States.

Adaji made this call at a Stakeholders meeting on the Abia/Akwa Ibom interstate boundary resolution held in Abuja.

The meeting underscores the Commission’s commitment to achieving a peaceful and definitive settlement.

“This meeting is a crucial step toward fostering understanding and cooperation between Abia and Akwa Ibom States,” the Director-General stated.

He acknowledged the complexities involved in resolving the decades long dispute, which has seen repeated interruptions due to local tensions and legal entanglements.

The Director-General highlighted the NBC’s determination to creating a harmonious solution, one that respects the historical and legal boundaries while prioritizing the safety and development of border communities.

The boundary dispute, rooted in the implementation of Decree 23 of 1985, has been marked by instances of hostility, waton destruction of lives and properties, and abductions, notably in regions where the field tracing exercise was stalled in 2014.

The Akwa Ibom State Boundary Committee expressed grave concerns over recent escalations, including fatal incidents affecting the Nkari people of Ini Local Government Area (LGA) and allegations of encroachment into farmlands in Obotme.

In her response, Senator (Dr) Akon Eyakenyi, Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State, called for calm among affected communities, urging boundary community dwellers to avoid retaliatory actions whilst assuring them of ongoing efforts to resolve the matter peacefully.

The Akwa Ibom delegation presented a position paper outlining the state’s stance and a set of recommendations aimed at expediting the resolution process.

These recommendations include strict adherence to delimitation protocols and improved oversight of field team conduct to prevent further disruptions.

Echoing the call for decisive action, Engr Ikwechkwu Emetu, Deputy Governor of Abia State, expressed optimism for the meeting’s outcomes.

He addressed the lingering issues and called for the recovery of essential field documents lost over time, stressing the importance of these materials to accurately demarcate the boundary.

The Deputy Governor also highlighted the need for a distinct categorization of disputes, distinguishing genuine boundary claims from requests for boundary adjustments.

With both states aligning on the urgency of a resolution, the NBC is expected to facilitate constructive dialogue in line with recommendations from previous joint meetings.

The Director-General concluded his address by reaffirming NBC’s role as a neutral body committed to justice and fairness, pledging that the Commission will implement the findings of this meeting to end the dispute and foster lasting peace in the affected areas.

The outcome of the Abuja meeting will be pivotal, with all parties hopeful for an agreement that finally puts an end to decades of contention, allowing both Abia and Akwa Ibom States to move forward in unity and prosperity.

The meeting brought together key representatives from both states to address the persistent boundary dispute affecting Abia and Akwa Ibom communities.

By Francesca Hangeior

The Nigerian Navy Forward Operating Base (FOB), Ibaka has arrested three suspected oil thieves carrying a boat containing crude oil worth N32 million in the state.

The Commanding Officer of the Base, Capt. Uche Aneke disclosed this while handing over the suspects and seized items to the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), Akwa Ibom Command on Thursday at Ibaka.

Aneke said the suspects were arrested on Tuesday, at about 09:05a.m following an intelligence report about the activities of suspected criminals involved in crude oil theft within the Navy’s area of operations.

“The necessary support of FOB Ibaka, the Tantita team intercepted and arrested the suspected criminals with a wooden boat discovered to be laden with about 60,000 liters of product suspected to be stolen crude oil.

“Other items recovered from the suspects included outboard engines and a pumping machine.

“Notably as at the time of arrest, the wooden boat had a total of three crew members (all Nigerians).

“The vessel was discovered to have 11 Geepee tanks which were loaded with about 60,000 litres of suspected stolen crude oil, the product was overloaded from offshore Ibeno in Akwa Ibom,” Aneke said.

He warned individuals or groups planning to carry out any form of criminality in Nigerian waters or smuggling illegal consignments into or out of Nigeria’s waters, to desist immediately.

Aneke reaffirmed the Navy’s commitment to combating maritime crimes in the state under the leadership of the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla.

He said that criminal elements in FOB Ibaka Area under the Eastern Naval Command Area of Responsibility would continue to be detected using advanced surveillance equipment and intelligence.

Receiving the seized items and suspects, Mr Adetona Taiwo, Extractive Industry Fraud Section, Uyo Zonal Directorate, said the commission would further investigate and possibly prosecute the suspects.

By Francesca Hangeior

Nigeria has, for the ninth time in 2024, been thrown into darkness following the collapse of the national power grid.

A check by Vanguard on the official X page of the Nigeria National Grid (@NationalGridNg) revealed an official statement signed by the JosDisco, Head of Corporate Communications, Dr. Friday Adakole.

The post read: “The current outage being experienced within our franchise states is a result of a loss of power supply from the national grid. The loss of power supply from the national grid occurred this morning at about 11:28 AM on Thursday, 7th November 2024, hence the loss of power supply on all our feeders.

“We hope to restore normal power supply to our esteemed customers as soon as the grid supply is restored to normalcy. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we strive to serve you better.”

The Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC) also confirmed the latest collapse in a message to customers.

The DISCO said: “Please be informed that we experienced a system outage today, 07 November 2024, at 11:29 hiours, affecting supply within our network.”

IKEDC assured customers that efforts to restore power are underway in collaboration with key stakeholders, though no timeline was provided.

“Restoration of supply is ongoing. Kindly bear with us,” the company added.