Olukokun Yusuf
A Twitter user @NkirukaNistoran claims that Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has ordered the immediate reopening of the country’s borders.
The tweet had yielded more than a million views and thousands of reactions from Twitter users as of the time this report was published.
Border closure and reopening remain controversial issues in Nigeria, owing to concerns around smuggling, cross-border trading and Nigeria’s implementation of the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).
The immediate past president, Muhammadu Buhari had in August 2019, closed the nation’s borders as part of policy geared towards preventing the smuggling of illegal arms, food and agricultural products and to stimulate local production.
VERIFICATION – Did President Tinubu Orders Immediate Reopening of All Land Borders in Nigeria?
A search of keywords of the posted tweet generated news links from national media on the issues surrounding the closure and strategic opening of Nigeria’s borders since 2019.
A report published by Premium Times showed that former President Muhammadu Buhari ordered the closure of all borders in August 2019 and extended it from November 2019 till January 31, 2020.
Former President Muhammadu Buhari gave the first border reopening directive on December 16, 2020. The land borders approved for immediate re-opening were Seme in the Southwest, Ilela in the Northwest, Maigatari in the North-West and North-Central, and Mfun in the South-South.
In April 2022, Buhari again ordered the reopening of four of Nigeria’s land borders. A memo signed by the Deputy Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Service, E. I Edorhe read “Sequel to the presidential directive dated 16 December 2020, granting approval for phased reopening of land borders namely; Mfum, Seme, Illela, and Maigatari borders across the country, I am directed to inform you that four additional borders listed below have been approved for re-opening: Idiroko border post, Ogun state (south-west zone); Jibiya border post, Katsina (north-west zone); Kamba border post, Kebbi state (north-west zone); and Ikom border post, Cross River state (south-south zone),”
A further search of verified news platform websites and Google search on border closure revealed that no reports or press statements surrounding the closure and reopening of Nigeria’s land borders have been issued by the Federal Government in 2023 or by the new President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
CONCLUSION
The claim that President Bola Tinubu has ordered the reopening of all land borders in Nigeria is FALSE.
