I’ll reopen borders, develop southern ports if elected — Atiku

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said he will reopen Nigeria’s land borders if elected president.

The African Democratic Congress presidential candidate made the pledge while addressing supporters in a video circulating online and shared by ADC chieftain, Dele Momodu, on Friday.

Atiku said the closure of Nigeria’s borders with neighbouring countries had negatively affected transborder trade and contributed to unemployment among young people.

“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 said many young people who previously operated businesses with capital running into millions of naira had been forced out of business following the border closures.

“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 said he had explored ways of improving the movement of goods through ports in the southern part of the country.

“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.

The ADC presidential candidate said improving port infrastructure in the South would also reduce the time and cost of transporting goods to the North-East.

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He cited the movement of containers from Lagos to Yola, Adamawa State, where he said he had 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 position was aligned with the concerns of the people over the movement of goods and the development of southern ports.

Nigeria’s land borders were closed in August 2019 under the administration of then-President Muhammadu Buhari.

The Federal Government cited the need to curb large-scale smuggling of rice, poultry products, petroleum and other goods, as well as weapons and drugs, and to encourage local agricultural production.

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

The Federal Government under President Bola Tinubu reopened the Tsamiya land border with Benin Republic in Kebbi State and the Kamba corridor linking Nigeria with the Niger Republic in February 2026.

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

Although some strategic border posts were gradually reopened, some land borders have remained restricted or under tight controls.