FORMER Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has vowed to reopen Nigeria’s land borders if elected president in the 2027 general elections.
Atiku made the pledge while addressing supporters in a video circulating online and shared by ADC chieftain, Dele Momodu, on Friday.
News Point Nigeria reports that the former vice president said reopening the borders would revive transborder trade, create economic opportunities for young Nigerians and improve security by restoring livelihoods that had been disrupted by border restrictions.
“The Northern states is bordering Cameroon, Chad, Niger, 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,” Atiku said.
He stated that the border restrictions had forced many young traders out of business, leaving them unemployed after losing businesses in which they had invested millions of naira.
“All the upcoming young men and women who used to have a capital of 10 million, 20 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,” he added.
Atiku also linked his proposed border policy to a broader plan to improve the movement of goods across the country by developing ports in the South.
He said he had previously engaged European shippers and ship development companies on ways to expand ports in the South and South-East, arguing that such infrastructure would create a more balanced system for importing and transporting goods.
“During the last campaign, I went across to Europe to discuss with shippers and ship development companies how we can together develop South and South-Eastern ports so that there is balance as far as importation of goods and transportation of goods are concerned,” he said.
According to him, developing ports closer to the South-Eastern and South-Southern regions would significantly reduce the time and cost involved in moving goods to the North-East.
He illustrated the challenge with the movement of containers from Lagos to Yola, Adamawa State, where he said he has a factory.
“So when, if I drop my container in Calabar or in Uyo or in Port Harcourt, it will just take me 24 hours to take the container to Yola.
“But 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,” Atiku said.
He said his proposal reflected the concerns of Nigerians over the high cost and difficulty of moving goods across the country, while stressing the need to develop alternative trade and transportation routes.
Nigeria’s land borders were shut in August 2019 under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, with the Federal Government citing the need to curb large-scale smuggling and encourage domestic production.
The closure affected the movement of rice, poultry products, petroleum products and other goods, while the government also cited the need to tackle the movement of weapons and drugs across the borders.
In December 2020, Buhari directed the reopening of four land borders: Seme in Lagos State, Illela in Sokoto State, Maigatari in Jigawa State and Mfun in Cross River State.
The administration of President Bola Tinubu subsequently reopened the Tsamiya land border with the Republic of Benin in Kebbi State and the Kamba corridor linking Nigeria with Niger Republic in February 2026.
The Nigeria Customs Service said at the time that the reopening would be accompanied by measures to prevent smuggling and other illicit activities.
Despite the gradual reopening of some strategic border posts, several land borders have remained restricted or subject to tighter controls.