Atiku vows to reopen Nigeria’s land borders if elected president

Former Vice-President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Atiku Abubakar, has pledged to reopen Nigeria’s land borders if elected president in the 2027 general election.

Atiku made the promise in a video, saying the closure and restrictions at Nigeria’s borders had adversely affected legitimate trans-border trade, forced businesses to shut down and contributed to unemployment among young Nigerians.

Border closure hurting businesses

He noted that several northern states share borders with Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Benin Republic, making cross-border trade an important component of the region’s economy.

According to him, many young Nigerians who previously engaged in legitimate trading activities across the borders suffered significant financial losses following restrictions on movement and commerce.

“All our young men who are doing trading in between these countries, they carry goods here across, they do this, and all the what we call trans-border trade is a legitimate business,” Atiku said.

The former vice-president argued that the disruption of such businesses had left entrepreneurs bankrupt and unemployed, with possible consequences for national security.

“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,” he said.

“How can there be no insecurity? So, I said, I’m going to reopen the borders,” Atiku added.

Atiku promises better ports

The ADC candidate also promised to improve Nigeria’s ports and transportation infrastructure as part of efforts to facilitate the efficient movement of goods across the country.

Atiku said he had previously held discussions with shipping and ship-development companies in Europe on ways to develop ports in southern and southeastern Nigeria and create a more balanced system for the movement and importation of goods.

He said better port infrastructure would particularly benefit manufacturers and businesses in northern Nigeria by reducing the cost and time required to move imported goods from the coast to the hinterland.

Container movement to Yola

Atiku cited his manufacturing business in Adamawa State as an example of the challenges facing businesses located far from Nigeria’s major ports.

He said transporting containers from Lagos to Yola currently takes an unnecessarily long time because of inadequate infrastructure and the distance between the commercial hub and the northeastern city.

“I have a factory that I produce, and it is in Adamawa, and I’m on the eastern, northeastern side of the country,” he said.

According to Atiku, under improved transportation conditions, moving a container from ports around Calabar, Uyo or Port Harcourt to Yola could take roughly 24 hours, but the journey from Lagos currently takes considerably longer.

“But right now, it takes me no less than two months to take my container from Lagos, because you have to cross over from southwest, you go to northeast, and then there is even no road,” he said.

Plan to boost economic activity

Atiku maintained that reopening the land borders alongside investment in ports, roads and other transport infrastructure would boost legitimate trade, support manufacturers and traders, create employment opportunities and strengthen economic activity across Nigeria.