Borno  Govt Flags Off One-day Workshop For  Creation Of Nigeria’s Platform For Local Border Authorities 

By; SADIQ ABUBAKAR, Maiduguri

Governor Babagana Unara Zulum of  Borno State has on Tuesday, declared open a one day workshop for the creation of Nigeria’s Platform For Local Border Authorities along Nigeria-Chad International Boundary.

The workshop  themed, “Transforming Borders from Barriers of Separation to Bridges of Cooperation and Integration” was   organised by the National Boundary Commission (NBC) in collaboration with the  Borno State Government (BOSG), which took place at the Multi Purpose Conference Hall Government House Maiduguri.

Governor  Zulum said  the event was  quite appropriate and will not only promote the long standing ties, but spring up partnership among critical players in the border management. 

Represented by the Borno State Deputy  Governor, Hon. Umar Usman Kadafur,  Zulum commended all stakeholders who  graciously supported the initiative in which their presence in the workshop, reflects shared determination to address and reinforce  collective responsibility to safe guard the interests of the citizens. 

He  urged  the participants to actively engage in discussion, exchange ideas and contribute to the development of a robust platform for our local border authorities.

In his remarks, the Commissioner for Intergovernmental Affairs and Special Duties, Tukur Ibrahim Shani delivered an address on behalf of the host of the event and deputy governor of the state, who is equally the chairman Borno State Boundary Committee, Hon. Umar Usman Kadafur .

He said, “today is another threshold in the annals of history in Borno as we host the last phase of a one-day workshop for the creation of a platform for local border authorities along Nigeria-Chad international boundary, a replica of the ones recently conducted in Sokoto and Adamawa states along Nigeria-Niger and Nigeria-Cameroon international boundaries, respectively. 

“This signifies a crucial step towards enhancing our nation’s border security.”

The deputy governor added that Borno, with its unique geographical position, plays a fundamental role in safeguarding the nation’s borders, saying, “the challenges faced by local authorities in this region are distinct and it is crucial that we tailor our strategies to address these specific needs.

 “The knowledge and insight gained from this workshop will undoubtedly contribute to the development of a comprehensive framework for border security that may even be adopted across the nation,” .Kadafur  said.

Also speaking, the Director General National Boundary Commission, Surv. Adamu A. Adaji expressed the commission’s profound gratitude to the chief host and the state governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum CON, mni, FNSE for approving  the workshop in Maiduguri, while thanking  Umar Usman Kadafur for his cooperation and active participation in all activities of boundaries involving the state as the chairman Borno  State Boundary Committee.

“This workshop could not have come at a better time than now owing to the rising challenges of insecurity along our border with Chad. The security challenges have tended to affect our age-long cultural and socio-economic cooperation and slowed down the process of integration across borders of the African continent” Adaji said 

The Director General also said, Nigeria has continued to play the leading role in Africa and accordingly pioneered the conceptualization of the AU convention on cross border cooperation. “The convention aims to pave way for cross border cooperation at local, sub-regional and regional levels.” He maintained.

Earlier, in a welcome address, the permanent secretary, Ministry of Inter-governmental Affairs and Special Duties noted that, “it is an established fact that communities living along these borders are homogeneous. 

“Our efforts to strengthen the relationship between the homogeneous communities on the borders will not only succeed in fostering peaceful co-existence but also secure our territories and open more doors of opportunities and progress”‘, the perm sec said.

There were contributions by the state commandant, Nigeria Immigration Service Borno State Command, as well as representative of the border community development agency, who all underscored the significance of such an important session. 

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