Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo has warned the newly inaugurated board members of National Boundaries Commission (NBC), National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) and Border Communities Development Agency (BCDA), not to interfere with the day to day running of the agencies.
This is even as he has called on them to eschew any form of corruption, as the Buhari Administration was determined to succeed in the fight against.
Osinbajo chairs National Boundary Commission, by virtue of his office as the Vice-President, was also appointed Chairman of the Border Communities Development Agency by President Buhari recently.
Represented by by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, who inaugurated the boards on his behalf, said the three institutions serve as high level center of reflection on dialogue especially as they relate to Nigeria and the continent of Africa.
The Vice President said the NBC was established as an agency as part of the federal government plans to deal with the problems of Boundaries disputes between Nigeria and her proximate neighbors.
He noted that the BCDA was established in the wake of the International Court of Justice decision adjusting Nigeria’s borders with her neighbors, culminating in the ceding the Bakassi peninsula to Cameroon, while some communities were also ceded to Nigeria from Cameroon.
The agency was specifically saddled with the responsibility of providing infrastructures for the newly ceded communities as well as other communities along Nigeria borders.
He noted that the border communities development agency was strategically established to also amongst other things enhance security in the communities.
The Vice President urged them to key into the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP), saying that government expects robust policy initiatives from the board members and urged them to see their appointments as call to duties.
Apart from Osinbajo, members of the board of the NBC that were inaugurated by virtue of their offices include the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN); Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali; Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazzau; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama; Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola (SAN); Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udo Udoma; National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno; Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris; and the commission’s Director-General.
Six members whose membership was by appointment were also be inaugurated at the event.
In all, 19 board members were inaugurated for NBC.
The board of NIPSS which has 10 members is chaired by Chief Ignatius Longjan from Plateau State.
The Chief of Defence Staff, Minister of Science and Technology and the institute’s Director-General are members by virtue of their offices while others are by appointments.
The board of BCDA has 28 members out of which seven are by appointments and 21 are by virtue of office.
Longjan, who spoke on behalf of members, assured that they will not disappoint in the assignment.
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