The Presidency has dismissed former Vice-President and African Democratic Congress, ADC, presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar’s promise to “open the borders” if elected, saying Nigeria’s land borders are already open.
The Presidency said most of the country’s land borders were reopened by the Federal Government on March 14, 2024, and the policy has not been reversed.
According to a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, on Friday, President Bola Tinubu also opened the Kamba border in Kebbi State, North-West Nigeria in February 2026, describing the move as yielding economic and diplomatic benefits.
The Presidency said if Atiku’s proposal refers to relaxing existing border controls, he should explain which controls he intends to remove and how his administration would prevent terrorism, arms trafficking, smuggling, human trafficking and other transnational crimes.
It stressed that an open border does not mean an uncontrolled border, noting that effective border management must facilitate legitimate movement and trade while protecting national security.
The statement said Nigeria’s borders with Niger Republic, Chad and Cameroon require effective surveillance and security cooperation, particularly given the terrorism and organised crime threats across the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin.
The Presidency therefore urged Atiku to move beyond campaign slogans and present Nigerians with a detailed plan for improving border surveillance, intelligence-sharing, customs and immigration operations, technology deployment and regional security cooperation.
It said President Tinubu’s administration remains open to scrutiny but insisted that national security and economic policy must be discussed based on facts and credible alternatives.
The Presidency maintained that Nigeria’s borders must remain open to legitimate commerce and movement while being secured against terrorists and criminals.
(Follow AIT News on WhatsApp, AfricaIndependentTV on YouTube, ait_online on Facebook and X (Formerly Twitter), and officialait on TikTok, Instagram and Threads)
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
