The Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, has saluted the federal government for adopting the State as representative of all the 17 Southern Nigerian States in the Validated Ward Boundary and Harmonisation exercise.
Oyebanji gave the commendation on Monday while receiving a federal government delegation who were in the state to undertake the Validated Ward Boundary and Harmonisation Exercise in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State Capital.
The governor, represented by the Deputy Governor, Chief (Mrs) Monisade Afuye, said his government had resolved many intra and inter-state boundary disputes, which he said accounted for the relative peace being savoured in the state.
Oyebanji revealed that his administration was enthralled and excited with the fact that Ekiti was picked as the pilot state to represent 16 other states in the southern part of the country.
About the significance of the exercise, Oyebanji said this would resolve all issues previously encountered on ward boundary delineation and would form a document that will be applied to broker a truce in other boundary issues nationally.
Essentially, Oyebanji added that the exercise will help in validating all data previously captured by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), National Population Commission (NPC) and the Geo-Referenced Infrastructure and Demographic Data for Development (GRID3).
“If data are wrongly or erroneously captured, it will affect the outcome of our electoral process. Since the allocation of resources is sometimes distributed based on the existing Wards in the nation, even an equitable distribution of the dividends of democracy to the citizens may also be jeopardized.
“As a government, we have made tremendous progress in resolving several intra-town, inter-town and interlocal Government boundary issues peacefully and amicably. We are happy with this exercise and we shall cooperate with you”, he said.
In his submission, the Surveyor General of the Federation, Surveyor Abduganiyu Adeyemi, revealed that the exercise will help bridge the existing gap in the operations of international organisations in getting to the grassroots in their aid for Nigerians.
Adeyemi, represented by a senior official in his office, Mr. Azees Afeez, said grassroots development remains a cardinal objective of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government, saying the exercise will help in actualising the policy now that the councils had been granted autonomy.
The Surveyor General stated that the policy would provide a ward boundary delineation roadmap that would be acceptable to all agencies of government and international donors to operate within the performance of their duties.
“It was agreed that two states should be piloted, Bauchi State in the North and Ekiti State in the South, but we are starting with Ekiti in the pilot scheme.
“We are seeking your cooperation so that we can make a success of the exercise for the greatness of our nation. We are here representing the federal government and this exercise is not in any way political”.
