Briefing the visiting Canadian Permanent Representative to the UN Allan Rock on the demarcation of the Nigeria-Cameroon borders, Prince Bola Ajibola, leader of the Nigerian delegation to the Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission, said "We have a success story to tell on the border project."

    The boundary delineation is part of the execution of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) judgment of Oct. 10, 2002 on the Land and Maritime Boundary dispute between the two African neighbors.

    "It is quite a success story of being able to promote peace, tranquillity and security between the countries," Ajibola said, adding that "the border demarcation is indeed a subject of interest to many observers especially because it is an issue that borders on international peace and security."

    Ajibola, former ICJ Judge and one-time Nigeria's federal attorney-general and minister of justice, said the commission had ensured the prevalence of peace between the two countries.

    He also said the commission had succeeded in reactivating the activities of the Nigeria-Cameroon Joint Commission.

    Consistent with its mandate, he said the commission had encouraged high-level visits between officials of both countries, making it possible for the two presidents to visit one another at different times since May 2003.

    Ajibola said the commission had met 14 times since its inauguration in 2002, providing the platform for officials of both countries to interact and strengthen the bond of friendship and brotherliness between them.

    According to him, the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the Trans-African Highway that connects the two countries from Ikom of Nigeria to Mamfe of Cameroon is to ensure socio-economic interaction amongst the population of both nations.

    "Given the social and economic importance of the Lake Chad to the communities of the Chad Basin Commission member states, considerable efforts have been made by the Mixed Commission to sensitize the international community on the plight of the drying lake," he said.

    According to Ajibola, the technical team has covered 342 of the entire 1,800 kilometers stretch of the land boundary. Enditem