Governor Babagana Umara Zulum of Borno State says over 5,000 school buildings were destroyed, producing 2.2 million out-of-school children at the height of the Boko Haram crisis.
Governor Zulum made this revelation when Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule inaugurated several projects in Maiduguri, on Sunday.
Some of the inaugurated projects include the Post Office 9-Span Flyover, Larawaram Community Senior Secondary School, the Shehu Sanda Kyarimi I Primary and Junior Secondary School and the 2.5-kilometre dualised road with five kilometres of drainage from Budum Tandari Junction to Kasuwan Shanu.
The Borno Governor noted that beyond the staggering loss of physical infrastructure, many teachers and school administrators lost their lives in the line of duty.
But Zulum stressed that his administration’s response goes far beyond mere reconstruction.
“Rebuilding schools is not just about constructing physical structures. 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 said
The Borno Governor also revealed that the state government had injected over N46 billion (N46,987,069,675.33) into basic and secondary education alone between the 2025 and 2026 fiscal years.
He said the funding is part of a broader educational overhaul that includes 136 completed projects currently awaiting inauguration, adding that the massive investments are already yielding tangible results.
According to the governor, the number of usable classrooms across the state has risen to 5,792, while functional Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) facilities have increased to 4,563.
Zulum stated, “At the senior secondary level, the number of functional schools has grown exponentially—from just 34 schools spread across eight Local Government Areas in 2019 to 129 schools spanning 25 Local Government Areas by 2026.
“This expanded access and renewed public confidence have driven a massive surge in student enrollment. State data shows that school enrollment skyrocketed from 766,551 learners in 2019 to 1,801,295 in 2026, marking an increase of more than one million learners in just seven years.
“These indicators demonstrate the scale of our efforts to expand educational access, restore infrastructure, and improve the learning environment for our children.”
