Ola Akinwunmi
Deputy governors from Nigeria’s border states on Monday sounded a stark alarm over pervasive insecurity, inadequate investment, and insufficient support for crucial cross-border development initiatives. Their urgent calls came during the 2025 African Border Day celebration in Abuja, themed ‘Building Border Community Resilience and Economic Development through Cross-Border Cooperation.’
Idris Gobir, the Deputy Governor of Sokoto State and Chairman of the Nigeria-Niger International Border Platform, painted a grim picture of the nation’s northern borders, specifically highlighting their failure to prevent the influx of arms and militants.
“It is simply because of the opportunity that Nigerians gave to our brothers that people are able to come in with arms and ammunition through the border lines,” Gobir stated, criticizing Nigeria’s lax approach compared to other nations. “We cannot compromise our security because of border relations. Other countries protect their borders but we don’t at all. They fence their borders.”
Gobir pointed out the alarming presence of armed groups residing on the Nigerian side of the border. “They are all living along the Nigerian border. Why are they not living in the Niger Republic line border? Why?” He challenged the National Boundary Commission (NBC) to take decisive action, urging them to “come up with strategies, measures, and projects with the security agencies.” He specifically advocated for the implementation of surveillance technology to monitor borders to stem the tide of insecurity.
“We are not doing anything. And we need to do something. I am here to complain. I am here to point out the ugliness, clumsiness of what my people are experiencing in Sokoto State,” Gobir lamented. “Believe me, if we are able to control and defend the Nigerian border, insecurity would have been addressed long time ago.”
Echoing similar frustrations, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, the Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State and Chairman of Nigeria’s Coastal Border Platform, expressed dismay over the lack of tangible outcomes from existing border development platforms. He called for greater involvement and nurturing of these initiatives.
“It is not important to plant. It is more important to nurture the plants,” Ewhrudjakpo said. “And so we have formed all these agencies but I have not seen what the government is doing to give the shots to these platforms to be really active.”
To bolster coastal security, Ewhrudjakpo proposed the establishment of a Marine Safety Corps. He argued that such a body would significantly aid intelligence gathering and patrols along Nigeria’s extensive coastline, given the limited number of Nigerian Navy personnel. “I don’t think we have more than 100,000 Navy personnel. We have a very wide area of kilometers to be policed. So having that Marine Safety Corps will do a lot in terms of intelligence gathering and also providing control of those areas.”
He urged collaboration with the National Assembly to secure funding for these crucial efforts. Ewhrudjakpo also cautioned against blaming external forces for Africa’s challenges, emphasizing that “Africa has always blamed our masters but we cannot afford to remain in this position.”
Noimot Salako-Oyedele, the Deputy Governor of Ogun State and Chairperson of the Nigeria-Benin International Border Platform, emphasized the critical need to elevate security to a top priority in national discussions. “I think that we have to be addressing how the country’s security is a real story,” she asserted, underscoring the urgency of the situation.
The collective outcry from the deputy governors highlights a pressing need for immediate and concerted action to secure Nigeria’s borders, foster economic development, and build resilience within its border communities.
