A video, attached with the caption “Breaking: President Asiwaju Tinubu orders immediate opening of all Nigeria borders. #The renewed hope is here” trended during the week.
The viral video which trended on various social media platforms comes almost two weeks after the President made crucial announcements including the removal of fuel subsidy.
Claim: Did Tinubu order the immediate re-opening of all Nigerian borders?
Verification:
On December 16, 2020, the minister for finance and national planning, Zainab Ahmed, announced that Muhammadu Buhari, the then-president, “has approved the re-opening of the four land borders. They are Seme in Lagos, Illela in Sokoto, Maigatari in Jigawa, and Mfum in Cross River.”
In April 2022, the former president also ordered the re-opening of four more borders including Idiroko in Ogun, Jibiya in Katsina, Kamba in Kebbi and Ikom in Cross River.
The CDD War Room used a Google reverse image search to identify where the viral video emanated. The video dates back to April 25, 2022, after a circular was released by the Nigeria Customs Service, signed by Deputy Comptroller-General E. I. Edorhe, on behalf of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Hameed Ali. The circular approved the re-opening of the land borders, including Idiroko in Ogun state.
Similarly, the Nigeria Customs Service has reacted to the viral video and the claim spreading across social media. On June 6, 2023, the controller of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Ogun 1 Area Command, Bamidele Makinde, cleared the air over the re-opening of the Idiroko border in Ogun State. He said the border has since been opened, following the approval of the president in 2022.
However, other borders that were closed in August 2019 have not yet been opened except the eight approved for re-opening in December 2020 and April 2022 by the last administration.
We can confirm that since Bola Tinubu became the president on May 29, 2023, he has not approved the re-opening of other closed borders.
Verdict: FALSE
The claim that Bola Tinubu has approved the re-opening of all land borders is false. The Buhari administration only approved the re-opening of eight borders including Idiroko in Ogun state, while others remain closed.
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