Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum, has disclosed that his administration invested N53.6 billion in the state’s education sector in 2025, covering large-scale infrastructure, teacher recruitment, and professional development.
He made this known on Thursday while declaring open the 28th Quarterly Meeting of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) in Maiduguri.
The two-day meeting brings together SUBEB chairmen and management teams from across the federation.
Zulum said education remains central to restoring peace, rebuilding communities affected by insurgency, and driving long-term development in the state.
The governor noted that the state has spent heavily on rebuilding schools destroyed by Boko Haram, including the construction of 104 mega secondary schools and the recruitment of thousands of teachers over the last six years.
According to him, the government has committed N4 billion to teacher training this year alone.
The investment includes a comprehensive verification and professionalisation exercise, recruitment of 4,000 qualified teachers, as well as training for more than 11,000 basic education teachers.
Zulum added that the state has also improved teachers’ welfare by implementing the minimum wage, providing rural posting allowances, building teachers’ quarters across the three senatorial districts, and clearing backlogs of gratuities.
He said N18.99 billion of the 2025 spending went specifically into major education infrastructure projects across all local government areas.
In the tertiary sector, Borno also recorded major improvements through expanded staffing, infrastructure upgrades, and strengthened accreditation.
The governor revealed that N7 billion was used for capital projects in key institutions, including an additional N1 billion approved to support the transition of the College of Education, Bama, into a full-fledged Federal University of Agriculture and Entrepreneurship (FUAE).
Other expenditures covered technical and vocational education upgrades, ICT and digital literacy programmes, scholarships and support for Arabic and Almajiri education.
Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Olatunji Alausa, urged delegates to ensure meaningful discussions that would translate into practical solutions for persistent challenges like out-of-school children, teacher shortages, and infrastructure gaps.
UBEC Executive Secretary, Aisha Garba, emphasised the importance of the quarterly meeting as a platform for peer review, collaboration, and strategic alignment between federal and state actors.
Before the meeting, the minister, alongside Governor Zulum and Garba, commissioned three newly completed mega schools in Maiduguri.
