ABUJA, NIGERIA — The Presidency has firmly dismissed former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s campaign pledge to “open the borders” if elected in 2027, insisting that Nigeria’s land borders are already open and accusing the African Democratic Congress presidential candidate of misleading Nigerians with empty campaign slogans .
In a statement issued on Friday by Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, the Presidency said the Federal Government announced the reopening of most of the country’s land borders on March 14, 2024, and has not reversed that decision . “The facts are straightforward: Nigeria’s land borders are already open,” the statement declared . “It is therefore difficult to understand which borders the former Vice President intends to ‘open’ when the borders are already open” .
Dare further noted that President Bola Tinubu had, on February 14, 2026, opened the Kamba border in Kebbi State, with attendant economic and diplomatic gains . The Presidency argued that if Atiku’s proposal meant relaxing existing border controls, Nigerians deserved to know precisely which controls he intended to remove, why he considered their removal necessary, and what safeguards his administration would deploy against terrorism, arms trafficking, smuggling, human trafficking, and other forms of transnational organised crime .
“An open border is not an uncontrolled border,” Dare stressed . “Modern border management is designed to facilitate legitimate movement, trade and economic interaction while preventing criminals and terrorist organisations from exploiting the same channels” . He said effective border governance requires a combination of immigration control, customs administration, intelligence-sharing, surveillance, technology, and coordinated security operations .
The presidential aide linked border management to Nigeria’s security challenges in the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin, noting that Nigeria shares borders with Niger, Chad, and Cameroon . He cited the Global Terrorism Index 2026, which indicates that approximately 41 per cent of terrorist attacks occur within 50 kilometres of an international border, while about 64 per cent occur within 100 kilometres . “Borderlands are particularly vulnerable where difficult terrain, limited state presence and weak coordination create opportunities for terrorist organisations to operate,” the statement read .
The Presidency said Nigeria’s focus on the Northeast and Northwest corridors, including the coordinated deployment of the Armed Forces and other security institutions, should not be misconstrued as evidence of closed borders but rather as responsible border security . The statement also took a sharp personal jab at the former vice president, describing him as “unhinged” and accusing him of saying “anything to attract and deceive the politically gullible” .
Dare also challenged Atiku to provide a detailed explanation of how his administration would improve border surveillance, strengthen intelligence-sharing with neighbouring states, modernise customs and immigration operations, deploy technology, protect border communities, and deepen regional cooperation against terrorism and organised crime . “What Nigerians should reasonably expect from a presidential aspirant is not a slogan about ‘opening borders,’ but a detailed explanation of how his administration would improve border surveillance,” he said .
The Presidency said political contestation is legitimate in a democracy, but statements about national security and the Nigerian economy should be grounded in facts, institutional understanding, and a credible alternative policy agenda . The statement affirmed that Nigeria’s borders must be open to legitimate commerce and movement, “but secure against terrorists and criminals. They must be monitored with technology, led by intelligence, and integrated into the country’s broader national-security and economic strategy” .
Atiku, who is seeking the presidency for the sixth time, had earlier pledged to reopen Nigeria’s land borders and develop ports in the southern part of the country if elected . The former vice president argued that border restrictions had led to job losses and hindered legitimate trans-border trade . However, the Presidency’s swift and forceful response signals the administration’s determination to counter what it views as misleading campaign rhetoric and to defend its record on border management and national security .
