2027 Election Debate: Tinubu Says Borders Are Already Open in Reply to Atiku Abubakar
Tinubu’s administration on Friday responded to Atiku Abubakar’s pledge to open Nigeria’s borders with neighbouring West African countries to boost commerce, saying the borders are already open. In a...
Tinubu’s administration on Friday responded to Atiku Abubakar’s pledge to open Nigeria’s borders with neighbouring West African countries to boost commerce, saying the borders are already open.
In a Friday statement by Sunday Dare, Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication to the President, titled “Atiku and the Borders: Nigerians Deserve Facts, not Campaign Slogans”, the Presidency said it had noted former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar’s pledge to “open the borders” immediately if elected.
“The facts are straightforward: Nigeria’s land borders are already open. The Federal Government announced the reopening of most of the country’s land borders on 14 March 2024, and it has not reversed that position.
It is therefore difficult to understand which borders the former Vice President intends to “open” when they are already open. On February 14, 2026, President Tinubu opened the Kamba borders in Kebbi State, with attendant economic and diplomatic gains.
“If he means he would relax existing border controls, then Nigerians deserve to know precisely which controls he intends to remove, why he considers their removal necessary, and what safeguards his administration would deploy against terrorism, arms trafficking, smuggling, human trafficking, and other forms of transnational organised crime.
“This distinction is fundamental. But of course, Atiku is unhinged now, and he would say or announce anything to attract and deceive the politically gullible.
“An open border is not an uncontrolled border. Modern border management is designed to facilitate legitimate movement, trade and economic interaction while preventing criminals and terrorist organisations from exploiting the same channels. Effective border governance therefore requires a combination of immigration control, customs administration, intelligence-sharing, surveillance, technology and coordinated security operations.
“This is particularly important for Nigeria because our northern security environment cannot be divorced from developments across the Sahel and the Lake Chad Basin.
“As Atiku rightly acknowledged, Nigeria shares borders with Niger, Chad, and Cameroon. While the region continues to confront terrorism, violent extremism and transnational organised crime have proven to be domestic disturbances that have found border porosity as a channel for their export to other countries.
“The security reality is compelling. The Global Terrorism Index 2026 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 implications for Nigeria are obvious. As domestic insurgencies evolve into increasingly networked and transnational terrorist threats, effective border management becomes an indispensable component of national security. Terrorists and criminal networks exploit sovereign boundaries precisely because security forces cannot simply pursue them across international borders without appropriate cooperation and legal frameworks.
“Consequently, 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. It reflects responsible border security.
“The former Vice President, as an experienced politician who has previously occupied the second-highest office in the country, should know this distinction.
“While political contestation is legitimate in a democracy, statements about national security and the Nigerian economy should be grounded in facts, institutional understanding, and a credible alternative policy agenda.”
In another post on his X handle, Festus Keyamo, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace, wrote, “Atiku Abubakar is going for broke, like in a gambling game; he is throwing everything in, even if they don’t make sense. It is his last attempt (according to him), so this is expected. It spices up the race, and we are loving it. Nice try, but unfortunately for Atiku, Nigerians have since crossed the Rubicon.”
Furthermore, another Senior Special Assistant to the President. Mr Temitope Ajayi wrote: “It appears former Vice President Atiku Abubakar now wakes up every day and just looks for something to say to make headlines. And it does not matter whether he speaks to facts and reality as long as he can make the news. His latest offering is that he wants to open borders that are not closed. How do you open what is not closed?”
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