Borno Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, has said the Boko Haram insurgency destroyed more than 5,000 school structures in the state, leaving an estimated 2.2 million children out of school at the peak of the crisis.
Zulum disclosed this in Maiduguri while speaking at the commissioning of education and infrastructural development projects.
He said fewer than 500,000 children were enrolled at the height of the insurgency, while many teachers and school administrators also lost their lives.
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“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,” the governor said.
He said rebuilding the education sector was therefore not only about replacing destroyed structures but also restoring access to education and confidence in communities affected by the insurgency.
“For us, therefore, rebuilding schools goes beyond 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.
Zulum said his administration invested N46.987 billion in basic and secondary education between the 2025 and 2026 fiscal years.
He said the investment was part of a wider programme involving 136 projects that had been completed, were awaiting commissioning or were under construction.
According to him, usable classrooms in public pre-primary and primary schools had increased to 5,792, while usable water, sanitation and hygiene facilities rose to 4,563.
The governor said functional senior secondary schools also increased from 34 across eight local government areas in 2019 to 129 across 25 LGAs in 2026.
He said school enrolment rose from 766,551 learners in 2019 to 1,801,295 in 2026, an increase of more than one million learners in seven years.
Zulum attributed the increase to expanded access, improved public confidence and sustained investment in the education sector.
On Islamic education, the governor said the government was revitalising the Sangaya system while integrating Islamic studies with science, mathematics, technology and foundational English under the NBAIS-approved curriculum.
He said 25 Higher Islamic Colleges had either been completed or were at advanced stages of development, out of the 27 planned across the state.
The governor said the government was also registering and validating Sangaya centres, facilitators, enumerators and Islamiyya schools to improve planning and support for learners.
Zulum said N13.135 billion had been committed to establishing 25 Digital Literacy and ICT Centres across the state, with 18 fully operational and seven at various stages of completion.
He added that N1.4 billion had been invested in computers and solar power across 100 secondary schools to support the transition to computer-based testing.
On technical and vocational education, Zulum said the administration had established five Vocational Enterprise Institutes, reactivated 11 Vocational Training Centres and established three Second Chance Skills Entrepreneurship Schools for women and girls.
He said more than N15 billion had been invested in establishing, rehabilitating and equipping the institutions, as well as providing starter packs and grants to trainees.
The governor further said N4 billion had been committed to teacher training and professional development since May 2023, including the recruitment of 5,000 teachers and training of more than 11,000 basic-level teachers.
According to him, the teaching workforce across basic, secondary, TVET and Sangaya education now stands at 19,316, giving a pupil-teacher ratio of about 38 learners to one teacher.
Also commissioned was the Post Office nine-span flyover, constructed at a cost of N15.959 billion and completed within 11 months.
Zulum said the flyover would ease traffic congestion, improve road safety and facilitate the movement of people and goods along one of Maiduguri’s major transportation corridors.
The governor also commissioned the 2.5-kilometre dualised road, with five kilometres of drainage, from Budum Tandari Junction to Kasuwan Shanu, constructed at a cost of N5.003 billion.
He said the education and infrastructure projects were part of the administration’s broader effort to rebuild Borno and expand opportunities for its people.
“The journey of rebuilding Borno continues, and our commitment remains unwavering: to ensure that every child has access to quality education and the opportunity to build a productive and dignified future,” he said.