Borders Are Open, Presidency Slams Atiku Over his Campaign to Reopen it

By Saheed Olatunji, Reporter

The Presidency has faulted former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s campaign pledge to reopen trade borders shared with Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and the Benin Republic.

The Presidency dismissed his claims that the land borders were shut.

Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare branded the claims another lie, another manipulation.

Dare ,in a statement on his verified X handle @SundayDareSD said Nigeria’s major land and air borders with “neighboring countries like Niger and Benin Republic are officially open for legal trade.”

But the president’s spokesman said the borders are “closed to illegal trade.”

He added: “Perhaps, Atiku is involved in this other trade. That may require further interrogation.

Apart from the two major borders, President Tinubu has opened other vital borders.

“Just in February alone, President Tinubu opened one of the most lucrative and important northern borders Kamba and Tsamiya. I wrote then,’…This border reopening reflects a balanced and pragmatic approach to governance that recognises the link between economic inclusion, regional diplomacy, and national security.’’

“The recent opening of the Kamba and Tsamiya border routes by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is both timely and strategic. The livelihoods of northern communities that straddle the Nigeria–Niger border have been significantly revived. Nigeria–Niger relations have been strengthened, and commercial activities, particularly the automobile, transport, and logistics business across both sides of the border, are back in full swing.

“Beyond these immediate gains, the reopening of the Kamba and Tsamiya corridors has restored economic life to communities that depend almost entirely on cross-border movement for trade, agriculture, transportation, and small-scale commerce.

“For many families in these border areas, this decision has translated into renewed income opportunities, reopened markets, and a return to lawful economic activities after a prolonged period of restriction.

The positive impact is already evident across border towns and transit corridors, where traders, transport unions, artisans, and logistics operators have resumed operations.”

Nigeria’s Ambassador Designate to Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua, Reno Omokri urged caution by Nigerians on issues like this.

Writing on his X account @renoomokri,he said: “If you reintroduce fuel subsidy and simultaneously reopen all of Nigeria’s land borders, what you are doing is unleashing the greatest ever smuggling of petroleum products from Nigeria to neighbouring nations. Let us be careful! The last time we had these conditions (full fuel subsidy, along with open borders), 25 million litres per day of a total subsidised quota of 66.1 million litres per day were smuggled out of Nigeria, while rice and poultry imported via our neighbours were smuggled into Nigeria.

“The immediate effect was the depletion of our foreign reserves, the collapse of the Naira, and the near destruction of our rice and poultry farmers, who could not compete with smuggled imported rice and chicken that flooded the market.

“Please fact-check me: The Rice Processors Association of Nigeria (RIPAN) reported that as of 2026, rice smuggling has forced 90 of the 150 industrial-scale rice mills in Nigeria to go out of business, and those that are not yet out of business operate below capacity, while the Poultry Association of Nigeria revealed that Nigeria loses $2 billion each year as a result of smuggled poultry.

“But, even more than that, when you open Nigeria’s borders without restrictions, as has been proposed, you give terrorists and bandits a leeway to flood Nigeria with light weapons and ammunition, because the borders will be overwhelmed and our customs and immigration officials will be overstretched.

“ Again, I urge us all to think things through. Elections will come and go, but Nigeria remains.”