Insurgency destroyed 5,000 schools, deprived 2.2m children of schooling – Zulum

Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum

Borno State Governor, Prof Babagana Zulum, has said more than 5,000 school structures were destroyed by over a decade of insurgency in the state.

The governor disclosed this on Sunday during the inauguration of projects, including roads, a flyover and schools, in Maiduguri, the state capital.

“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,” the governor said.

He added, “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 nine-span flyover; and the dualisation of the 2.5-kilometre road, together with five kilometres of drainage, from Budum Tandari Junction to Kasuwan Shanu.”

Zulum, however, noted that rebuilding schools went 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 further noted that N46.98bn had been invested between 2025 and 2026 in basic and secondary education.

“Between the 2025 and 2026 fiscal years alone, this administration invested N46,987,069,675.33 in basic, secondary education.

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“Today’s commissioning forms part of this broader investment, alongside 136 projects that have been completed and are awaiting commissioning,” he added.

Zulum said the government had also continued to expand and improve school infrastructure at the public pre-primary and primary levels.

“The number of usable classrooms has increased to 5,792, while usable Water, Sanitation and Hygiene facilities have increased to 4,563.

“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.

The results, according to him, were increasingly evident.

“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.

The growth, Zulum said, reflected expanded access, improved public confidence and sustained investment in the education sector.

“These indicators demonstrate the scale of our efforts to expand educational access, restore infrastructure and improve the learning environment for our children,” he added.