Atiku promises to reopen borders and improve southern ports if elected

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has promised to reopen Nigeria's land borders if he becomes president.

The African Democratic Congress presidential candidate made this promise while speaking to supporters in a video that is now online. The video was shared by ADC leader, Dele Momodu, on Friday.

Atiku said closing Nigeria's borders with neighboring countries has hurt trade and increased unemployment among young people.

"The Northern states border Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Benin Republic.

"And you close all those borders. All our young men who are trading between these countries, they carry goods across. All what we call transborder trade is a legitimate business," Atiku explained.

He added that many young people who used to run businesses worth millions of naira have been driven out of business due to the border closures.

"All the upcoming young men and women who used to have capital of 10 million, 20 million, and were employing two or three other people, they all went bankrupt and unemployed. How can there be security?" he asked.

"So I said I am going to reopen the borders and I will," he said.

Atiku also mentioned that he is looking at ways to improve how goods move through the ports in the southern part of Nigeria.

"During the last campaign, I went to Europe to talk with shippers and shipping companies about how we can develop South and South-Eastern ports together. This will help with the importation and transportation of goods," he said.

The ADC presidential candidate believes that better port infrastructure in the South will also cut down the time and cost of getting goods to the North-East.

He pointed out the challenge of moving containers from Lagos to Yola, Adamawa State, where he has a factory.

"So when I drop my container in Calabar, Uyo, or Port Harcourt, it will just take me 24 hours to get the container to Yola.

"But right now, it takes me not less than two months to get my container from Lagos because I have to cross from South-West to North-East, and there is no good road," Atiku said.

He stated that his views match the concerns of the people about moving goods and developing southern ports.

Nigeria's land borders were closed in August 2019 during the government of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

The Federal Government said the closure aimed to stop large-scale smuggling of rice, poultry, petroleum, and other goods, as well as weapons and drugs, while also encouraging local farming.