Former Vice-President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has promised 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.
The former vice-president said reopening the borders would revive transborder trade, create economic opportunities for young Nigerians and improve security by restoring livelihoods disrupted by border restrictions.
He said the closure of borders had affected young traders who previously engaged in legitimate businesses across Nigeria’s borders with Cameroon, Chad, Niger Republic and Benin Republic.
“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 argued that the restrictions had forced many young entrepreneurs out of business, leaving some unemployed despite having invested millions of naira in their businesses.
“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,” Atiku added.
The former vice-president also linked his proposed border policy to a broader plan to improve the movement of goods by developing ports in the South and South-East.
According to him, he had previously engaged European shippers and ship development companies on ways to expand ports in the southern part of the country to 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.
Atiku said developing ports closer to the South-East and South-South would reduce the time and cost involved in transporting goods to the North-East.
He cited the movement of containers from Lagos to Yola, Adamawa State, where he said he has a factory, as an example.
He said goods transported from ports in Calabar, Uyo or Port Harcourt could reach Yola within 24 hours, compared with the longer period required to move containers from Lagos.
“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 the proposal was aimed at addressing the high cost and difficulty of transporting goods across the country while developing alternative trade and transportation routes.
Nigeria’s land borders were largely closed in August 2019 under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, with the Federal Government citing the need to curb smuggling and encourage domestic production.
The closure affected the movement of rice, poultry products, petroleum products and other goods, while the government also cited concerns over 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 Benin Republic in Kebbi State and the Kamba corridor linking Nigeria with Niger Republic in February 2026.
The Nigeria Customs Service said 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.