Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, says insurgency in the state destroyed more than 5,000 school structures and left about 2.2 million children out of school at the height of the crisis.
Zulum made the disclosure on Sunday in Maiduguri while commissioning several completed projects across the state.
Insurgency Disrupted Education
The governor said the destruction of schools, alongside the deaths of teachers and school administrators, severely affected the education system in Borno.
According to him, at the peak of the insurgency, an estimated 2.2 million children were out of school, while fewer than 500,000 were enrolled.
Zulum said many teachers and school administrators also lost their lives while carrying out their duties.
He explained that the government’s school reconstruction programme was not limited to rebuilding physical structures, but was also aimed at restoring access to education and rebuilding confidence in communities affected by the insurgency.
N46.9bn Invested in Education
The governor said the Borno State Government invested N46,987,069,675.33 in basic and secondary education during the 2025 and 2026 fiscal years.
He said the projects commissioned formed part of the wider investment in the sector, alongside 136 other completed projects awaiting commissioning.
Among the projects formally commissioned were the Larawaram Community Senior Secondary School, Shehu Sanda Kyarimi I Primary and Junior Secondary School, the Post Office nine-span flyover, and the dualisation of a 2.5-kilometre road from Budum Tandari Junction to Kasuwan Shanu, alongside five kilometres of drainage.
School Enrolment Rises
Zulum said his administration had continued to improve infrastructure in public pre-primary and primary schools across the state.
He disclosed that the number of usable classrooms had risen to 5,792, while functional Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, WASH, facilities increased to 4,563.
At the senior secondary level, the number of functional schools grew from 34 across eight local government areas in 2019 to 129 across 25 LGAs by 2026.
The governor also said total school enrolment increased from 766,551 learners in 2019 to 1,801,295 in 2026.
This represents an increase of more than one million learners within seven years.
Zulum attributed the growth to wider access to education, improved public confidence and sustained government investment in the sector.
Source: Vanguard News
