2027: Atiku Vows to Reopen Borders, Develop Southern Ports if Elected

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar

2027: Atiku Vows to Reopen Borders, Develop Southern Ports if Elected

The ADC presidential candidate says border closures have crippled transborder trade, pushed young Nigerians into bankruptcy, and worsened insecurity.

Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has pledged to reopen Nigeria’s land borders and develop port infrastructure in the southern part of the country if elected in the 2027 general election. He made the promise while addressing supporters in a video shared online on Friday by ADC chieftain Dele Momodu.

Atiku argued that the closure of Nigeria’s borders with neighbouring countries, initially implemented in August 2019 under former President Muhammadu Buhari, has dealt a devastating blow to transborder trade and contributed to widespread unemployment, particularly among young Nigerians. He noted that several northern states share borders with Cameroon, Chad, Niger Republic, and Benin Republic, making cross-border commerce a vital part of the region’s economic activities. “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 painted a stark picture of the economic consequences, claiming that many young entrepreneurs who had built businesses with capital running into millions of naira, and who employed others, had been forced into bankruptcy following the border restrictions. According to him, this loss of livelihoods has directly contributed to the country’s security challenges. “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. He then declared, “So I said I am going to reopen the borders and I will.”

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Beyond reopening land borders, Atiku also outlined plans to improve port facilities in the South and South-East to create a better balance in the handling and transportation of imported goods across the country. He said he had already begun exploring this by engaging shipping and port development companies in Europe during his last campaign. “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 stated.

The former vice president argued that developing ports in places like Calabar, Uyo, and Port Harcourt would significantly reduce the time and cost of transporting goods to the North-East. He used his own experience as an example, noting that he has a factory in Yola, Adamawa State, and currently faces significant logistical hurdles because his containers must come through Lagos. He illustrated, “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’s proposal has sparked mixed reactions online, with some Nigerians supporting the plan as a practical economic strategy that could boost trade and create jobs. However, critics have raised concerns about security implications and the potential threat to local investors from increased imports, while others dismissed the promise as familiar campaign rhetoric. The border closure policy, initiated in 2019, was justified by the Federal Government as a measure to curb large-scale smuggling of rice, poultry, petroleum products, and other commodities, as well as the movement of illegal arms and drugs. It was also aimed at encouraging domestic agricultural production. Economists, however, have noted that the policy failed both efficiency tests, enriching a handful of manufacturers while leaving consumers poorer and the wider economy weaker. The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) also attributed renewed inflationary pressure to the border closure, with food inflation hitting record highs during the period.

Although the administration of President Bola Tinubu has partially reopened some strategic corridors, such as the Kamba and Tsamiya border posts linking Kebbi to Benin and Niger Republics in February 2026, several land borders remain restricted or under tight controls. The reopening of the Kamba and Tsamiya routes was described as a stroke of economic diplomacy that restored economic life to border communities, with over 2,000 stranded trucks beginning to move freely. However, concerns remain over smuggling and the sustainability of the policy.