I’ll Reopen Nigeria’s Borders With Chad, Niger, Benin, Cameroon, Develop Southern Ports -Atiku

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has made the reopening of Nigeria’s land borders a central pillar of his political platform ahead of the 2027 presidential election. In a video circulated online on Friday by African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain Dele Momodu, Atiku criticized long-standing trade restrictions that he said crippled livelihoods across northern and border communities. Atiku, who has sought the presidency in six election cycles since 1993, argued that shutting down vital trade routes directly undermined the economic stability required to maintain national security.

Border Closures and the Impact on Transborder Trade

Atiku Abubakar on Buhari Administration Border Restrictions

Nigeria’s major land-border restrictions trace back to August 2019, when the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari ordered a partial closure of borders with Benin Republic, Niger Republic, Cameroon, and Chad. The Federal Government defended the policy as a necessary defense of domestic agriculture, citing large-scale smuggling of rice, poultry, petroleum, weapons, and drugs. Buhari specifically targeted the illegal importation of rice through the Benin corridor for threatening local farmers’ drive toward self-sufficiency, later expanding the rationale to include hard drugs and small arms.

Tinubu Administration and Seme and Illela Post Reopenings

Atiku maintained that these lingering closures choked off legitimate commerce for young entrepreneurs who relied on cross-border capital. “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 Abubakar, ADC Presidential Candidate

Atiku added that capital investments ranging from 10 million to 20 million naira evaporated when trade halted, pushing workers into unemployment. How can there be security, he asked, linking widespread joblessness directly to rising criminal activity. Infrastructure Plans for Southern Ports and Supply Chain Logistics

Infrastructure Plans for Southern Ports and Calabar Development

Alongside his border-reopening pledge, Atiku outlined plans to overhaul the nation’s maritime infrastructure by developing ports in southern and south-eastern Nigeria. During previous campaign visits to Europe, the candidate discussed ship development with international shippers to balance cargo importation routes.

Drawing on his personal experience operating a factory in Yola, Adamawa State, Atiku illustrated the inefficiencies of routing commercial cargo exclusively through Lagos.

At present, 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 Abubakar, ADC Presidential Candidate

By developing alternative hubs in Calabar, Uyo, or Port Harcourt, Atiku argued that transit times for shipping containers up to the North-East could be cut down to a single day. The former vice president said he had held discussions with shippers and ship development companies to develop ports in the South and South-East. He stated that many young Nigerians who had invested in businesses and employed workers were forced to close their businesses following the border restrictions. Atiku said that all the upcoming young men and women who used to have a capital of 10 million, 20 million, and were employing two, three other people, went bankrupt and unemployed. The ADC presidential candidate said that shutting down businesses that provide employment makes it more difficult for the government to address unemployment and insecurity.