Over a decade of violent insurgency left more than 5,000 school facilities in ruins across Borno State and forced roughly 2.2 million children out of the classroom, Governor Babagana Zulum revealed on Sunday. Speaking in Maiduguri during the official unveiling of several new infrastructure initiatives, the governor highlighted the massive human and physical toll the conflict inflicted on the local academic sector.
“The insurgency destroyed more than 5,000 school structures, while at its peak, an estimated 2.2 million children were out of school, with fewer than 500,000 enrolled. Many teachers and school administrators lost their lives in the course of duty,” Zulum said.
The newly commissioned state developments feature educational facilities and key road networks, including the Larawaram Community Senior Secondary School, the Shehu Sanda Kyarimi I Primary and Junior Secondary School, the Post Office 9-Span Flyover, and the dualisation of a 2.5-kilometre road with five kilometres of drainage extending from Budum Tandari Junction to Kasuwan Shanu.
“Today, we have formally commissioned four important projects: the Larawaram Community Senior Secondary School; the Shehu Sanda Kyarimi I Primary and Junior Secondary School; the Post Office 9-Span Flyover; and the dualisation of the 2.5-kilometre road, together with five kilometres of drainage, from Budum Tandari Junction to Kasuwan Shanu,” he stated.
Emphasizing that the recovery process extends beyond physical rebuilding, Zulum stressed the deeper purpose of the initiatives.
“It is about restoring access to education, rebuilding confidence in our communities and providing our children with the opportunity to secure a better future,” he noted.
To address the educational deficit, the administration directed substantial funds toward rebuilding and expansion.
“Between the 2025 and 2026 fiscal years alone, this administration invested Forty-Six Billion, Nine Hundred and Eighty-Seven Million, Three Kobo Only (N46,987,069,675.33) in basic and secondary education,” the governor disclosed. “Today’s commissioning forms part of this broader investment, alongside 136 projects that have been completed and are awaiting commissioning.”
These financial resources have translated into usable facilities state-wide. Usable public primary and pre-primary classrooms have expanded to 5,792, alongside 4,563 functional Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) units. Senior secondary coverage has also expanded significantly.
“At the senior secondary level, the number of functional schools increased from 34 across eight Local Government Areas in 2019 to 129 across 25 Local Government Areas by 2026,” he said.
This expansion has yielded a marked rise in student attendance, with registration numbers growing substantially over the last seven years.
“Enrolment rose from Seven Hundred and Sixty-Six Thousand, Five Hundred and Fifty-One (766,551) learners in 2019 to One Million, Eight Hundred and One Thousand, Two Hundred and Ninety-Five (1,801,295) in 2026, representing an increase of more than one million learners within seven years,” he noted.
Zulum concluded that the statistical turnaround reflects restored public faith in the school system and an ongoing dedication to improving learning conditions.
“These indicators demonstrate the scale of our efforts to expand educational access, restore infrastructure and improve the learning environment for our children,” he added.
