Atiku Abubakar, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, has promised to reopen Nigeria's land borders and build more port infrastructure across the South if he wins the 2027 presidential election. The pledges, made in a video shared online on Friday, add to a campaign that has already drawn controversy over his separate vow to restore fuel subsidy.
Two Pledges, One Goal: Lower Transport Costs
Speaking to supporters in a video shared by ADC chieftain Dele Momodu, Atiku framed both commitments around a single aim: reducing the cost of moving goods across Nigeria and restoring livelihoods that have eroded, particularly in the North and North-East. He linked the 2019 land border closure to widespread job losses among traders in the region.
Atiku said traders who had built businesses worth millions of naira, and who employed other people, were forced into bankruptcy and unemployment after the closure cut off their supply chains. He pointed to the 2019 shutdown as the trigger for a collapse in transborder trade with Nigeria's northern neighbours.
Background: Border Closure and Partial Reopenings
Nigeria's land borders were shut in August 2019 under former President Muhammadu Buhari, with the government citing the need to curb smuggling of rice, poultry, petroleum products, weapons and drugs, while also protecting local agriculture. Four crossings—Seme in Lagos State, Illela in Sokoto State, Maigatari in Jigawa State and Mfun in Cross River State—were reopened in December 2020.
President Bola Tinubu's administration reopened the Tsamiya and Kamba corridors linking Kebbi State and Niger Republic in February 2026, though several other border posts remain restricted or under tight control. Atiku's promise to fully reopen borders would address the remaining restrictions.
Port Talks Already Under Way, Atiku Says
On ports, Atiku said he had not waited to take office before acting. He told supporters he had already held discussions with European shippers about developing port facilities in the South and South-East, describing the current imbalance in port infrastructure as a burden on businesses nationwide.
To illustrate his point, he cited his own factory in Yola, Adamawa State, which depends on containers shipped from Lagos, as an example of the unnecessary logistical costs that poorly distributed port capacity imposes on manufacturers and traders far from the coast.
Atiku insisted the proposals were not fresh ideas conjured for the campaign, but a direct response to complaints Nigerians had raised for years about the expense of transporting goods and the neglect of southern port development.
Campaign Scrutiny Continues
The pledges come as Atiku's campaign continues to attract scrutiny following his earlier promise to bring back fuel subsidy, a policy the Tinubu administration scrapped in May 2023. Atiku was ratified as the ADC presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections on May 29, 2026, having resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party earlier that month.
His latest commitments on borders and ports are now part of his campaign platform, which he says responds to long-standing complaints from Nigerians about high transport costs and inadequate port infrastructure.
