Atiku Abubakar is making a clear promise ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 presidential election: reopen the country’s land borders.
The former vice president and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate says prolonged border restrictions have damaged legitimate cross-border trade, pushed young entrepreneurs out of business and contributed to rising unemployment.
Atiku made the pledge while addressing supporters in a video shared online Friday by ADC chieftain Dele Momodu.
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‘I am going to reopen the borders’
Atiku pointed to the long-standing commercial ties between communities in northern Nigeria and neighbouring Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Benin Republic.
He argued that shutting the borders had disrupted traders whose livelihoods depend on moving goods across the region.
According to Atiku, many young Nigerians had invested millions of naira in businesses serving these markets and employed others before the restrictions left them struggling or forced them out of business.
His argument is straightforward: when legitimate commerce disappears, unemployment rises—and economic hardship can create conditions that undermine security.
“So I said I am going to reopen the borders and I will,” Atiku said.
He also wants southern ports upgraded
Border reopening is only part of Atiku’s economic proposal.
He also called for major improvements to ports in Nigeria’s South-East and South-South, arguing that better infrastructure would make it faster and cheaper to move imported goods to northern markets.
Atiku said he had previously held discussions in Europe with shipping and ship-development companies about possible investments in ports across the southern region.
His broader argument is that Nigeria should not depend so heavily on a single route for bringing goods into the country and distributing them inland.
Why Yola is his example
Atiku used Yola, Adamawa State, as an example of what he considers an inefficient transport network.
He argued that a container arriving through ports closer to the South-East or South-South could potentially reach Yola far faster than goods routed through Lagos.
In his account, moving a container from Lagos to Yola can take weeks or even months because of the distance, poor road infrastructure and the difficult journey across several regions.
“If I drop my container in Calabar or in Uyo or in Port Harcourt,” he said, “it will just take me 24 hours to take the container to Yola.”
He contrasted that with the current journey from Lagos, which he said can take at least two months.
The bigger 2027 message
Atiku’s proposal ties two issues together: trade and infrastructure.
His campaign argument is that reopening land borders could restore cross-border commerce, while stronger southern ports and better transport links could reduce the cost of moving goods across Nigeria.
Whether those measures would deliver the economic and security benefits he predicts will become part of the wider policy debate as the 2027 election approaches.
For now, Atiku has made his position explicit: if he wins the presidency, he says Nigeria’s land borders will reopen.