Land borders’ reopening: FG calls Atiku ‘inordinately-ambitious’

Federal Government has disagreed with the Presidential candidate of the main opposition, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, over the latter’s promise to reopen all closed land borders in the country if elected into office, just as it described the politician as ‘inordinately-ambitious.’

It would be recalled that Atiku, a former Vice President, had during a campaign rally in Katsina State, promised to reopen all closed land borders if elected president in the forthcoming 2023 Presidential election, as he claimed that the closing has hindered economic prosperity, security and lead to reversal of many gains recorded.

However, reacting to Atiku’s promise, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Thursday in Abuja during the presidential score card series alongside his of Police Affairs counterpart, stated that the idea will instead reverse all the huge gains recorded in food sufficiency, massive rice production, reduction in small arms proliferation and fertilizer manufacturing among others.

Mohammed also disclosed that huge job losses will be recorded with such idea in action, as he urged Nigerians to reject the idea.

 “By that statement, Alhaji Atiku has simply informed Nigerians that he will reverse all the efforts made by the PMB Administration to achieve self-sufficiency in the production of many staples, especially rice.

“By that statement, the former Vice President has informed the country’s millions of rice farmers that they will soon lose their jobs when imported rice floods the country.

“By that statement, Atiku Abubakar has told the hundreds of thousands of Nigerians working in the various rice mills that have sprung up under this Administration that their jobs are over.

“By that statement, Alhaji Atiku will shut down most, if not all, of our new fertilizer blending companies, with thousands of jobs going down the drain.

“By his declaration, the former Vice President has told Nigerians that he would worsen security in the country by allowing arms and ammunition to flow unhindered into the country.

“In case His Excellency Atiku Abubakar is not aware, the PMB Administration has increased the number of fertilizer blending plants in the country from 10 in 2015 to 142 today; the rice mills in the country from 10 in 2015 to 80 integrated rice mills today. In addition, 10 large scale integrated rice mills are currently being built across the country,” the minister said.

Mohammed added that ‘Nigeria was the number one export destination for rice in 2014, our country has now moved to number 79, according to Thai Authorities.’

He said by throwing open the borders indiscriminately as he has pledged, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has simply announced that he intends to return Nigeria to the number one importer of Thai rice in 2023.

“It is now clear that in his desperation for power, the presidential candidate of the PDP will not hesitate to export Nigerian jobs, put millions of Nigerians out of job, and ruin the fertilizer companies and the rice mills that have grown exponentially in number since Nigeria shut its land borders in 2019 (with some of them later reopened) due to the smuggling of rice as well as arms and ammunition into the country.

“For sheer expediency, Alhaji Atiku, a former Customs Officer who rose to the pinnacle of his career, is ready to erase the gains made since 2015 in pushing Nigeria closer to self-sufficiency in the production of staples.

“Out of desperation, he is ready to worsen the security situation in Nigeria by throwing open all the borders and allowing a massive inflow of small arms and light weapons into the country.

“Only an inordinately-ambitious candidate will wish to return Nigeria to an era of massive importation of food, to the detriment of local farmers, and an era of unbridled inflow of weapons.”

The Minister described the idea as a red flag to Nigerians who, in line with the admonition of President Muhammadu Buhari, have been striving to produce what they eat and eat what they produce.