The presidency has pushed back against Atiku Abubakar’s pledge to reopen Nigeria’s land borders if elected in 2027, insisting the borders in question are largely open already.
Atiku, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, had promised to reopen the country’s land borders to strengthen cross-border trade and support businesses engaged in regional commerce.
Responding to the pledge, Sunday Dare, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Public Communication, said the federal government reopened most of the land borders back on March 14, 2024. He also cited the reopening of the Kamba border in Kebbi State by President Tinubu on February 14, 2026, which he said had delivered clear economic and diplomatic gains.
Dare demanded that Atiku specify exactly which borders he meant, asking whether the former vice-president was in fact proposing to loosen existing security controls.
According to him, if Atiku’s plan involves relaxing current border restrictions, Nigerians deserve to know precisely which measures would be removed, the justification for doing so, and what safeguards would replace them against terrorism, arms trafficking, smuggling, and human trafficking.
He argued that an open border does not mean an uncontrolled one, noting that modern border management is built to allow legitimate trade and movement while keeping criminal and terrorist networks out. With Nigeria’s domestic insurgencies increasingly taking on transnational, networked dimensions, he said, border management has become central to national security.
Dare added that while political debate is a normal part of democracy, claims touching on national security and the economy should be backed by facts, a clear grasp of how the relevant institutions work, and a credible policy alternative — not just campaign rhetoric.
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