Govs move to resolve Anambra, Kogi boundary crisis

Governor Idris Wada of Kogi State and his Anambra State counterpart, Peter Obi, have promised to collaborate to restore peace in the boundary communities of Odeke and Aguleri.
The people of Odeke in Kogi and Aguleri in Anambra have been at war over the ownership of an oil well in the area.
The governors, who spoke in Abuja on Thursday, said they had resolved to ensure that the people of the two communities continued to co-habit peacefully while they await the conclusion of the National Boundary Commission delineation.
Wada, at the joint briefing held at the Kogi State Liaison office, Abuja, refuted reports that 400 houses were razed during the communal crisis, stressing that only five buildings and four motorcycles were torched.
He stated that the two states were awaiting the outcome of the Presidential directive to the NBC to resolve the ownership tussle regarding the oil well.
He called on the feuding members of the communities to live in harmony and ignore those that might incite them to violence, adding that the two states would assist victims of the crisis.
Wada said, “NBC has started the delineation of the area, but no one knows how long it would take; we call on those inciting the people to violence to desist from the attempt, what Nigeria needs now is peace to ensure development.”
Obi expressed confidence that with their clarification and resolution to keep the peace, there would be no further skirmishes in the communities.
He denied that Orient Petroleum, which was exploring oil in the disputed land, had left, adding that the company temporarily vacated the area due to the heavy flooding recorded last year.
Meanwhile, the National Emergency Management Agency has delivered more relief items to displaced persons in Bauchi State.
Director- General of NEMA, Alhaji Muhammad Sani-Sidi, who delivered the items to Governor Isa Yuguda, said the state government had set a good record for others to emulate in helping distressed people in their localities.
He promised that the agency would always collaborate with the stakeholders, including the state and local governments in the efficient and effective disaster management in the country.
A statement by the agency’s Public Relations Officer, Yushau Shuaibu, on Thursday, listed items delivered to include 2,400 bundles of roofing zinc, 2,400 bags of cement, 7,000 pieces of timbers and 150 bags of roofing nails.