Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has promised to reopen Nigeria’s land borders if elected president.
Atiku made the pledge while speaking to supporters in a video currently circulating online. The footage was shared on Friday by an ADC chieftain, Dele Momodu.
The former vice president argued that restrictions at the nation’s land borders had adversely affected cross-border commerce and worsened unemployment, particularly among young Nigerians.
“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.
According to him, the border closures had driven many young entrepreneurs out of business, including those who previously operated enterprises with substantial capital and employed other Nigerians.
“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 disclosed that he had previously engaged European shippers and ship development companies on possible ways of upgrading ports in the South and South-East.
“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.
He said developing ports in the southern region would improve the distribution of goods across the country while cutting the cost and duration of transporting cargo to the North-East.
Atiku used the movement of containers from Lagos to Yola, Adamawa State, where he said he owns a factory, to illustrate the challenges faced by businesses.
“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 maintained that his proposal was aimed at addressing concerns surrounding the efficient movement of goods and ensuring a more balanced development of the country’s port infrastructure.
Nigeria’s land borders were shut in August 2019 during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari. The Federal Government said the measure was intended to tackle widespread smuggling of rice, poultry products, petroleum products and other commodities, alongside the illegal movement of weapons and drugs, while encouraging domestic agricultural production.
In December 2020, Buhari approved the reopening of four land borders, including the Seme Border in Lagos State, Illela Border in Sokoto State, Maigatari Border in Jigawa State and Mfun Border in Cross River State.
Under President Bola Tinubu, the Federal Government reopened the Tsamiya land border with Benin Republic in Kebbi State and the Kamba corridor connecting Nigeria with Niger Republic in February 2026.
The Nigeria Customs Service had said the reopening of the routes would be accompanied by measures to curb smuggling and other forms of cross-border criminality.
Despite the gradual reopening of some major border crossings, restrictions and tighter controls remain in place at certain land borders.
