The Presidency has responded to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s pledge to “open Nigeria’s borders” if elected president, insisting that the country’s land borders are already open.
The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, made this known in a statement issued on Friday titled, “Atiku and the Borders: Nigerians Deserve Facts, Not Campaign Slogans.”
According to the Presidency, the Federal Government reopened most of Nigeria’s land borders on March 14, 2024, and has not reversed the decision.
“The facts are straightforward: Nigeria’s land borders are already open,” the statement said.
It added that President Tinubu had also opened the Kamba border in Kebbi State on February 14, 2026, describing the move as having generated economic and diplomatic benefits.
The Presidency challenged Atiku to clarify what he meant by his pledge to “open the borders” if he was referring to relaxing existing border controls.
“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,” it said.
The Presidency stressed that an open border should not be confused with an uncontrolled border, noting that modern border management is intended to facilitate legitimate movement and trade while preventing criminals and terrorist groups from exploiting border routes.
It said effective border management requires immigration and customs controls, intelligence-sharing, surveillance, technology and coordinated security operations.
The Presidency said the issue was particularly important given Nigeria’s security challenges and its geographical links with the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin.
It noted that Nigeria shares borders with Niger, Chad and Cameroon, while the wider region continues to face terrorism, violent extremism and transnational organised crime.
Citing the Global Terrorism Index 2026, the Presidency said approximately 41 per cent of terrorist attacks occur within 50 kilometres of an international border, while about 64 per cent take place within 100 kilometres.
It argued that the figures underscore the importance of effective border security, particularly as terrorist and criminal networks increasingly operate across national boundaries.
The Presidency also rejected any suggestion that Nigeria’s security operations in the Northeast and Northwest meant the country’s borders were closed.
“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 statement said.
Dare urged Atiku, whom he described as an experienced politician and former vice president, to distinguish between keeping borders open for legitimate activities and maintaining security controls.
He said political contestation was legitimate in a democracy but argued that statements concerning national security and the economy should be based on facts, institutional understanding and credible policy alternatives.
The Presidency challenged Atiku to present a detailed border-management policy rather than relying on a general pledge to open the borders.
It said Nigerians deserved to know how a prospective administration would improve border surveillance, strengthen intelligence-sharing with neighbouring countries, modernise customs and immigration operations, deploy technology, protect border communities and deepen regional cooperation against terrorism and organised crime.
Dare said the Tinubu administration remained open to scrutiny and should be judged by measurable outcomes in areas including security, economic recovery, border management and citizens’ welfare.
However, he insisted that such scrutiny must be grounded in facts.
The Presidency maintained that Nigeria’s borders should remain open to legitimate commerce and movement while being secured against terrorists and criminals.
“That is the policy conversation Nigerians deserve,” it said.
The statement concluded by questioning Atiku’s broader policy direction, arguing that some of his recent proposals appeared focused on reversing or renaming initiatives already being implemented by the Tinubu administration.
It asked what new and credible contribution the former vice president intended to offer Nigerians beyond proposals to “reverse, reopen, or rename” existing government initiatives.
