Monday, September 14, 2026 - 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
“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.
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