The Presidency has hit back at former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, over his promise to “open the borders” if elected, insisting that Nigeria’s land borders are already open.
It challenged the former Vice President to explain what exactly he intends to reopen, warning that border management is not synonymous with throwing the country’s gates wide open without adequate security safeguards.
Reacting to Atiku’s remarks in a statement on Friday, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, said Nigerians deserved facts and a clear policy agenda rather than campaign slogans.
Dare said the Federal Government announced the reopening of most of Nigeria’s land borders on March 14, 2024, and has not reversed the decision.
He further pointed to the February 14, 2026 opening of the Kamba border in Kebbi State by President Tinubu, saying the development had produced economic and diplomatic gains.
“If he means he would relax existing border controls,” Dare said, “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 transnational crimes.
At the heart of the Presidency’s argument is a distinction it says should not be lost in the political debate: an open border is not the same thing as an uncontrolled border.
According to Dare, modern border management is designed to facilitate legitimate trade and movement while keeping criminals and terrorist organisations from exploiting the same channels.
Such a system, he said, requires effective immigration and customs administration, intelligence-sharing, surveillance, technology and coordinated security operations.
The Presidency also linked the issue to Nigeria’s security challenges across the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin, noting that the country shares international boundaries with Niger, Chad and Cameroon.
It argued that porous border corridors could provide channels for terrorism, violent extremism and organised crime to spread across national boundaries.
Citing the Global Terrorism Index 2026, Dare said about 41 per cent of terrorist attacks occur within 50 kilometres of an international border, while approximately 64 per cent occur within 100 kilometres.
For Nigeria, he said, strengthening border security was therefore an essential part of the broader fight against terrorism and organised crime.
Dare also defended security operations along the Northeast and Northwest corridors, saying the deployment of the Armed Forces and other security agencies should not be interpreted as proof that Nigeria’s borders are closed.
Rather, he described it as responsible border security aimed at protecting legitimate movement while denying criminal networks the freedom to exploit Nigeria’s frontiers.
The presidential aide said Atiku, having served as Vice President, should understand the distinction between facilitating legitimate cross-border activity and dismantling security controls.
He also challenged the ADC presidential candidate to move beyond the broad promise of reopening borders and present Nigerians with a detailed alternative policy.
According to Dare, such a plan should explain how an Atiku administration would improve border surveillance, strengthen intelligence cooperation with neighbouring countries, modernise customs and immigration operations, deploy technology, protect border communities and deepen regional security cooperation.
While acknowledging that the Tinubu administration remained open to scrutiny, the Presidency insisted that its performance should be judged by measurable outcomes in security, economic recovery, border management and citizens’ welfare.
It also questioned what it described as Atiku’s growing emphasis on reversing, reopening or renaming initiatives already being implemented by the Tinubu administration.
“Rather than presenting Nigerians with a coherent alternative,” Dare said, “Atiku appears increasingly preoccupied with promising to reverse, reopen, or rename initiatives already being implemented.”
The latest exchange adds another layer to the emerging 2027 political battle, with economic policy, border security and the cost of cross-border trade increasingly becoming part of the contest for Nigerians’ votes.
For the Presidency, however, the message is unequivocal: Nigeria’s borders should remain open to legitimate commerce and movement, but secure enough to prevent terrorists and criminal networks from turning them into gateways for insecurity.
That, Dare said, is the policy conversation Nigerians deserve.
0 Comments