2027 elections: Atiku pledges to reopen land borders and develop southern ports

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has pledged to reopen all of Nigeria’s closed land borders and prioritize the structural development of seaports in the southern region of the country if elected president.

Mr Abubakar, who is the ADC party presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections delivered the policy commitment while addressing political supporters in an online video shared by party chieftain Dele Momodu.

Atiku argued that previous land border closures severely damaged legitimate transborder commerce, forcing thousands of small-scale entrepreneurs into bankruptcy and worsening youth unemployment across northern frontier states.

Criticising the rationale behind past federal border shutdowns, the former vice-president highlighted the vital economic link between northern border states and neighboring West and Central African nations.

“The Northern states are bordering Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and 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.

“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. “So I said I am going to reopen the borders and I will.”

Decentralising Maritime Logistics

Beyond cross-border trade, Atiku outlined plans to modernize deep-water ports across the South-South and South-East to create a balanced maritime distribution framework across Nigeria.

He revealed that during prior international engagements, he met with global maritime logistics firms to explore strategic partnerships for upgrading southern port facilities.

“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,” Atiku stated.

Illustrating the current logistical delays facing importers in the hinterland, Atiku cited operational bottlenecks involved in transporting cargo from Lagos to the North-East.

“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,” he explained, noting that functional southern ports would allow cargo to reach destinations like Yola within 24 hours.

Nigeria initially closed its land borders in August 2019 under former President Muhammadu Buhari to curb illicit arms proliferation, drug trafficking, and the illegal smuggling of petroleum products and foreign rice.

Although key border posts such as Seme, Illela, Maigatari, and Mfun were reopened in December 2020—followed by the reopening of the Kamba and Tsamiya corridors linking Benin and Niger Republic under President Bola Tinubu in February 2026—several land borders remain subject to tight operational restrictions.