By Pascal Ibe
A verified X user @abdullahayofel on Friday evening claimed that president Bola Tinubu has directed an immediate reopening of land borders leading to every farmland within Nigeria.
The post reads,
”BREAKING NEWS
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu directed that ALL BORDERS that lead to every farmland within Nigeria be opened with immediate effect.”
BREAKING NEWS
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu directed that ALL BORDERS that lead to every farmland within Nigeria be opened with immediate effect. pic.twitter.com/NfbNY2sXyg
— A. Ayofe (@abdullahayofel) March 8, 2024
The post attracted over 234k views and 2k likes since Friday evening.
Nothing ever satisfy Nigerians. They must complain ni sha. Some of you that could not even manage your home, come here to criticise what the President is doing. At first you complained that they closed border, they want to open now but you're saying something else. Na wa o!
— Bimbo🇳🇬 (@bimbookunrin) March 9, 2024
Also, an X user, @DeeOneAyeKooto posted the same thing above and commented, ”Make una go to the farm and plant.”
BREAKING NEWS…..
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu directed that ALL BORDERS that lead to every farmland within Nigeria be opened with immediate effect.
— Ayekooto (@DeeOneAyekooto) March 8, 2024
Make una go to the farm and plant.
— Ayekooto (@DeeOneAyekooto) March 8, 2024
”But the rule allows civil servants to practice farming”
But the rule allows civil servants to practice farming
— Ayekooto (@DeeOneAyekooto) March 8, 2024
His post gained over 196k views and 1,900 likes.
THE SAME LIES IN 2023
In July 2023, a Facebook post claimed that President Tinubu directed reopening of all borders.
The post stated, “Breaking news! President Tinubu orders immediate reopening of all Nigeria borders.”
But days later, Nigeria Customs Service Comptroller General Adewale Adeniyi dismissed the claim, clarifying that only selected strategic borders have been re-opened.
“Well, it is not true that all Nigerian borders have been opened … If you remember that the borders were completely shut down in 2018 up until 2021–22 when some selected strategic borders were reopened, that is still the situation as we speak,” Adenyi said during a media briefing.
“Four of them were initially re-opened and two more were opened after that and that is still the situation. There are ongoing processes to review this situation against the objective of the border closure itself and the processes are not yet completed, and of course when borders are reopened it will not be subject of rumour in any way,” the comptroller general added.
In 2019, former President Muhammadu Buhari shut all land borders as part of efforts to curtail illegal importation of goods and to boost rice production. In December 2020, Buhari issued orders to reopen four land borders. Four others were reopened in April 2022.
FINDINGS
Checks by CrimeFacts news indicated that no online newspaper has published this claim of president Tinubu directing the reopening of land borders leading to every farmland within Nigeria.
Since, Friday evening, the Nigerian Customs an agency charged with the primary responsibility of safeguarding Nigerian borders, has not made any post on it’s any official social media accounts regarding this claim.
https://x.com/CustomsNG?t=_ugCRUToY40LRuOig688DA&s=09
No posts about this claim were seen on official X handles of Presidency Nigeria, Government of Nigeria as at time of filling this FactCheck.
https://x.com/NigeriaGov?t=G2cNM5u6j9TD08yZKfJ76w&s=09
https://x.com/NGRPresident?t=OTbirbJQ4OhStqLa7eUWLg&s=09
VERDICT:
The claim by the two X verified users that president Tinubu directed reopening of borders leading to every farmland within Nigeria is FALSE and MISLEADING.
