The Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, has challenged former Vice President and African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, over his pledge to reopen Nigeria’s land borders if elected president in 2027.
Ajayi questioned the practicality of the promise, noting that Atiku appeared to be proposing the reopening of borders that are already functioning.
The presidential aide made the comment through his social media accounts while responding to Atiku’s recent campaign promise.
Recall that Atiku had pledged to reopen Nigeria’s land borders and promote the development of ports in the southern and South-Eastern regions if he wins the 2027 presidential election.
The ADC candidate made the commitment while speaking to supporters in a video circulated online on Friday.
According to Atiku, the closure of the country’s land borders had dealt a major blow to transborder trade, forcing many young entrepreneurs out of business while contributing to rising unemployment.
He maintained that cross-border trade was vital to communities and states sharing boundaries with Cameroon, Chad, Niger Republic and Benin Republic.
“So I said I am going to reopen the borders and I will,” Atiku said.
He further claimed that the border policy had caused young Nigerians who once operated businesses with capital ranging from N10 million to N20 million to lose their investments and shut down their enterprises.
Atiku also connected the loss of businesses and employment opportunities with Nigeria’s security difficulties, arguing that sustainable security would be difficult to achieve when young people had been deprived of their livelihoods.
“All the upcoming young men and women who used to have a capital of 10 million, 20 million, and they were employing two, three other people, and then all of them went bankrupt and unemployed. How can there be security?” he asked.
Ajayi, however, rejected the proposal, insisting that Atiku’s statement did not correspond with the present status of Nigeria’s land borders.
“It appears former Vice President Atiku Abubakar now wakes up every day and just looks for something to say to make headline. And it doesn’t matter whether he speaks to facts and reality as long as he can make the news,” Ajayi said.
“His latest offering is that he wants to open borders that are not closed. How do you open what is not closed?”
Atiku’s proposal also extends beyond the reopening of land borders, as the former vice president has called for changes to Nigeria’s transportation and importation system through increased development of ports in the southern part of the country.
He identified locations including Calabar, Uyo and Port Harcourt as potential port hubs that could shorten the time and lower the cost of transporting imported goods to northern Nigeria.
The former vice president also disclosed that he had previously held discussions with shippers and ship development companies in Europe concerning possible partnerships to develop ports across the South and South-East.
Using Yola in Adamawa State as an example, Atiku highlighted the difficulties associated with Nigeria’s heavy reliance on Lagos for major import activities.
He argued that goods intended for the North-East could reach their destinations more quickly if ports in the southern region were upgraded and linked to efficient transport systems.
Atiku maintained that expanding port infrastructure across the South would promote a more evenly distributed import and transportation network while easing the logistical pressures currently faced by businesses.
