The Ondo State Government has urged officials of National Boundary Commission (NBC), Abuja who are in the state for the ethnographic study on boundary crisis between the state and Ogun State to be fair in carrying out its exercise.
The State Deputy Governor, Agboola Ajayi, made the appeal to the officials of the NBC to do justice to the study as he assured them of adequate security among other logistics for the smooth conduct of the one-week exercise.
The officials of NBC are in the state to conduct the ethnographic study on four local governments involved in the boundary crisis between the two states. The affected local governments include Ondo West, Odigbo, Okitipupa and llaje Local Government Areas of Ondo State.
Agboola, who assured the readiness of the state government towards the peaceful conduct of the exercise noted that Ondo State is the most peaceful state among the Niger Delta States.
According to him, the boundary crisis between Ogun and Ondo States has been a long issue which the state government understands the predicament preventing the commission from pronouncing judgment on the boundary dispute between the duo states.
He said that the residents of llado and Ayila communities among others are lkale and llaje people from Ondo State who regarded themselves as the citizens of the state and not Ogun State.
These people, he said are residents of Ondo State who always cooperate with the state government and that the residents have not been given consideration in the Ogun State government activities.
Earlier, the Director, National Boundary Commission, Dr. Richard Oji, explained that the commission is taking the effort to find a lasting solution to the boundary crisis and achieve boundary cooperation between the two states through ethnographic study.
Oji said during the course of the conduct of the exercise, the commission intends to look into factors which led to boundary dispute between the duo states.
He, therefore, made it clear that the exercise by the commission in the state was not to share the boundary but to let residents of the involved communities co-exist as well gather information for the resolution on the boundary crisis.
According to him, the residents of the affected communities would be enlightened on the essence of the exercise for peace to reign.
Oji explained further that several steps have been taken as various meeting were held between the two states with the commission to ensure the long boundary crisis is resolved.
He made known that several meetings held by the commission including the one in Abeokuta, the Ogun State Capital led to the resolution that the ethnographic should be conducted.
It would be recalled that the Ondo State Boundary Commission had conducted sensitization programme to sensitize the residents of the involved councils in the boundary crisis on the need to harmonise peace and the conduct of the exercise by the officials of NBC.
