Atiku promises 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 elections.

Atiku made the promise in a video, saying Nigeria’s border closures and restrictions have negatively affected legitimate cross-border trade, forced businesses to close and contributed to unemployment among young Nigerians.

Border closures hurt businesses

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

According to him, many young Nigerians who were previously engaged in legitimate businesses across the border have suffered significant financial losses due to restrictions on movement and trade.

“All our young people who trade between these countries, transport goods across here, do so, and everything we call cross-border trade is a legitimate business,” Atiku said.

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

“All the young men and women who had capital of 10 million, 20 million, and employed two, three other people, and then they all went bankrupt and were unemployed,” he said.

“How can there not be insecurity? So, I said, I will reopen the borders,” Atiku added.

Atiku promises better ports

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

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

He said improved port infrastructure would especially benefit northern Nigeria’s manufacturers and businesses by reducing the cost and time needed to move imported goods from the coast to the hinterland.

Container movement in 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 due to inadequate infrastructure and the distance between the commercial hub and the north-eastern city.

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

According to Atiku, with improved transportation conditions, moving a container from ports around Calabar, Uyo or Port Harcourt to Yola could take about 24 hours, but traveling from Lagos currently takes much longer.

“But right now, it takes me no less than two months to get my container from Lagos, because you have to cross from the southwest, you go to the northeast, and then there’s not even any road,” he said.

Plan to revive economic activity

Atiku argued that reopening land borders along with investments in ports, roads and other transport infrastructure would increase legitimate trade, support manufacturers and traders, create job opportunities and strengthen economic activity across Nigeria.