Atiku Vows to Reopen Nigeria’s Land Borders If Elected President

Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has promised to reopen Nigeria’s land borders with neighbouring countries if elected president in 2027.

Atiku made the pledge while addressing supporters in a video circulating online and shared on Friday by ADC chieftain, Dele Momodu.

He said the restrictions on Nigeria’s land borders had negatively affected transborder trade, pushed many young entrepreneurs out of business and worsened unemployment.

According to Atiku, states in the North sharing borders with Cameroon, Chad, Niger Republic and Benin Republic depend heavily on cross-border commerce.

“The Northern states are bordering Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Benin Republic. And you close all those borders.

“All our young men who are doing trading between these countries, they carry goods across. They do this and that. All what we call transborder trade is a legitimate business,” he said.

Advertisement

The former vice president said many young Nigerians who previously operated businesses with capital running into millions of naira had been forced into bankruptcy following the border restrictions.

He argued that the loss of businesses and employment opportunities could have wider implications for national security.

“All the upcoming young men and women who used to have a capital of N10 million, N20 million, and they were employing two, three other people, and then all of them went bankrupt and unemployed. How can there be security?” he asked.

“So I said I am going to reopen the borders and I will,” Atiku declared.

He also pledged to improve Nigeria’s port infrastructure, particularly in the South and South-East, to facilitate the movement of goods across the country.

Atiku said he had previously engaged shippers and ship development companies in Europe on ways to develop ports in the South and create a more balanced system for importing and transporting goods.

Advertisement

He said improved southern ports would reduce the time and cost of moving goods to the North-East.

Using Yola, Adamawa State, where he said he owns a factory, as an example, Atiku complained about the difficulties involved in transporting containers from Lagos to the North-East.

He said goods could be moved to Yola within about 24 hours if containers were discharged at ports in Calabar, Uyo or Port Harcourt, but that the journey currently takes significantly longer from Lagos because of poor road infrastructure.

“Right now, it takes me not less than two months to take my container from Lagos because you have to cross over from South-West, you go to North-East, and then there is even no road,” he said.

Nigeria’s land borders were closed in August 2019 under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari as part of measures to curb smuggling and encourage domestic production.

The Federal Government at the time cited the smuggling of rice, poultry products, petroleum products, weapons and drugs as major reasons for the policy.

Advertisement

In December 2020, Buhari ordered the reopening of four borders, including the Seme Border in Lagos, Illela Border in Sokoto, Maigatari Border in Jigawa and Mfun Border in Cross River.

Under President Bola Tinubu, the Tsamiya land border with Benin Republic in Kebbi State and the Kamba corridor linking Nigeria with Niger Republic were also reopened in February 2026.

The Nigeria Customs Service said the reopening would be accompanied by measures to prevent smuggling and other illegal activities.

Although several strategic border posts have since been reopened, some land borders remain restricted or subject to tight controls.