June 23, (THEWILL) – The Benue State Government says it will adopt a carrot-and-stick approach in the course of demarcating the boundary between the Bonta and Ukpute warring communities of Konshisha and Oju Local Government Areas of the state.
The State Deputy Governor, Dr. Sam Ode, who disclosed this in Bonta, urged the youths of both communities to sheath their sword and embrace peace in order to become useful to themselves and society.
Dr. Ode, who is also the Chairman of the Benue State Boundary Commission, said he is committed to ensuring that peace reigns in the state.
He said as the Chairman of the Boundary Commission, he has no personal interest other than the peace he hopes to achieve, adding that his role is to bring peace to the entire territory called Benue State.
“A carrot-and-stick approach will be adopted in the demarcation exercise. Ultimately, what the state wants is peace. We don’t want to use force. Force is the last option and I hope it doesn’t get to the use of force,” he said.
Ode appealed to all parties to help Governor Hyacinth Alia develop the state, saying when there is insecurity, people will not come to the state for business and all the money that the government is supposed to use for development will be diverted to tackling security challenges.
He maintained that something must be done as soon as possible to engage the youths of the state meaningfully for the benefit of the communities in the state and requested a list of unemployed youths from the communities in order to engage them in productive endeavours, warning that anyone who is found wanting would be handed over to security agencies.
The Deputy Governor, who commended the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD) team for being at the forefront of resolving the crisis between the two communities, expressed appreciation to the traditional rulers and other stakeholders for their contribution to ensuring peace and unity reign among the people.
“Your peace-building strategies are vital strategies that should be adopted in other situations in the state and even beyond as witnessed in Agatu Local Government,” he added.
In their goodwill messages, the Benue State Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Aondowase Kunde and an elder statesman, Engineer Okpe Onah, expressed appreciation to the Deputy Governor for the laudable step, describing the demarcation as an epoch-making event and appealed for unity among the people to draw development to the areas.
The Caretaker Chairman of Konshisha Local Government, who is also the ALGON Chairman, Benue State, Philip Achuah, and his counterpart from Oju, Mrs. Ire Arubi, represented by the Vice Chairman, Monday Angwa, expressed optimism that the Deputy Governor’s presence would mark the end of the crisis while pledging that anyone who is found fomenting trouble would face the consequences of his/her action.
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