Lagos Poised to Resolve Boundary Disputes

PHOTO: LAGOS STATE GOVERNOR, MR BABATUNDE RAJI FASHOLA, SAN.

LAGOS, June 21, (THEWILL) - Lagos State Government has inaugurated a 12-man committee on boundary matters with a plea to the members to help facilitate amicable resolution of boundary related conflicts through which meaningful development and realization of the lawful objectives of the people can take place.

Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) spoke at the Lagos House Ikeja venue of the inauguration today, saying the ability to resolve conflicts is what differentiates man from animals and places him on a higher pedestal than animals among which the creed is survival of the fittest.

He told the 12-member Committee headed by the Deputy Governor, Princess Sarah Adebisi Sosan that the importance of the body lay in the fact that all the issues of development and individual achievements depend on the amicable resolution of conflicts arising from the inter-play and interrelationship between individuals and communities that make up the society.

"In the interplay and interrelationships between us as a people, as brothers and sisters, as we raise children, as state to state, local governments to local government, there will be conflicts. As we seek to acquire more assets there will be the plea of wrong and injuries.　 Your committee has the unique privilege to help resolve these conflicts in the most amicable manner," Fashola said.

Fashola emphasized that it is only through the amicable resolution of such conflicts that there will be meaningful development.

According to him, the inauguration of this committee has also come at a very auspicious time because the State has just decided to take the bull by the horn by embarking on the delimitation of constituencies and location of polling units expressing the hope that the committee would help the state government in resolving intra state disputes between the state and local governments and inter-state boundary issues "particularly with some of our neighbouring states."

Recalling a publication where some people are saying that they want to be part of Lagos State, Fashola declared there "are also cases where people have wrongly paid allegiance to wrong state governments and wrong local governments" adding "we hope that your committee will find means of resolving as many of these disputes using the time-tested principles of boundary limitations, boundary delineation and demarcation and natural boundaries."

He noted that the committee has all it needs to succeed in its mission with all the relevant professionals on land and boundary matters as members adding, "you could not ask for a higher authority to chair the committee than the deputy governor who is also playing her constitutionally prescribed role."

Thanking the members for accepting to serve on the committee, Fashola pledged his support to the members "to ensure that success is achieved."

In her acceptance speech on behalf of the members, Sosan thanked Fashola for giving them the opportunity to serve and pledged that her committee would do its utmost to meet the expectations of the government and people of Lagos State.

Other members of the committee include the State Commissioner and the Special Adviser for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Prince Rotimi Agunsoye, and Hon. Olalekan Ifemade respectively, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Olasupo Sasore (SAN), his Information and Strategy and Physical Planning and Urban Development counterparts, Barrister Opeyemi Bamidele, Town Planner Francisco Abosede, the State Surveyor General, Surveyor David Olatunbosun, Permanent Secretary Lands Mr. Gbenga Ashafa and Mr. Michael　 Ola Dawodu,　Director (Land Matters) who is secretary to the Committee among others.