Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum
Fellow Citizens of Borno State
It is with profound gratitude to Almighty Allah that I address you today on the occasion of Democracy Day and the celebration of 27 years of uninterrupted democratic governance in our dear country. In Borno State, we have remained committed to building and sustaining governance on the enduring principles of accountability, inclusiveness, and service delivery.
This year’s Democracy Day comes with encouraging news following the successful rescue of 434 women and children from Boko Haram captivity by our gallant security forces. This remarkable achievement demonstrates the unwavering commitment of our armed forces and security agencies to restoring peace and safeguarding our people.
I wish to once again express my profound appreciation to the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for his steadfast support and commitment to addressing insecurity not only in Borno State but across the nation.
Let me assure the people of Borno State that our government will continue to work closely with the Federal Government, the military, security agencies, and all relevant stakeholders to secure the release of every citizen still held in captivity and to bring lasting peace to our communities.
While we remain grateful for the successful rescue of many abducted persons over the years, we have not forgotten those who are still in captivity, including the abducted Chibok girls and the victims of Dille/Mussa abduction. We remain steadfast in our commitment to ensuring their safe return.
Today marks my final Democracy Day address as your Governor, having been elected in 2019. By the grace of Almighty Allah, in exactly one year, a new administration will assume leadership and build upon the foundations we have collectively laid. As we reflect on our democratic journey, it is important to assess where we stand, the challenges we have faced, and the progress we have made, particularly since the last Democracy Day on June 12, 2025.
Democratic governance thrives on consultation, continuity, and collective wisdom. In this regard, I wish to acknowledge the immense contributions and support of our democratic icons and former elected leaders whose counsel and guidance have enriched our administration and advanced the development of our state.
As our nation prepares for the 2027 general elections, I am pleased that our party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), successfully conducted peaceful and transparent primaries that produced our candidates for the governorship, National Assembly, and State House of Assembly elections.
I wish to express once again my heartfelt appreciation to APC stakeholders, leaders at all levels and members across the state for their maturity, cooperation, and commitment to a rancour-free elections. The unity we demonstrated during the primaries must be sustained as we work towards securing victory for our great party in the forthcoming elections. I also extend my profound gratitude to the good people of Borno state for their unwavering support, patience, prayers and confidence in our administration.
Security and Peace Building
My dear people of Borno State, insecurity remains our greatest challenge and concern. For over a decade, our state has borne the burden of insurgency, terrorism, displacement, and destruction. Despite these challenges, we have remained resilient and determined. I am pleased to state that the overall security situation in the state remains stable, owing to the sustained efforts and sacrifices of our security agencies, the support of the Federal/state Governments and cooperation of resilient citizens
Over the past year alone, our administration procured and distributed hundreds of operational vehicles, motorcycles, security gadgets, and logistics support to the security agencies. We remain deeply saddened by the loss of gallant members of the Armed Forces, security personnel, volunteer forces, and innocent civilians who paid the ultimate sacrifice in the course of this conflict. On behalf of the Government and people of Borno State, I extend my heartfelt condolences to their families and loved ones.
I assure you that we shall continue to support our security agencies until lasting peace is restored and the scourge of terrorism and other forms of criminality are decisively dealt with. I firmly believe that, by the grace of Allah, I shall hand over a more secure, stable, and prosperous Borno State to my successor on May 29, 2027.
Development and Recovery Efforts
Fellow citizens, our administration is guided by the 25-Year Development Framework and the 10-Year Strategic Transformation Initiative, which together form the foundation of our 10-Point Agenda. This framework is designed to promote sustainable growth, restore dignity to our people, and secure a prosperous future for generations to come.
Today, appreciable progress has been recorded across all sectors and strategic pillars of our development agenda. One area where we have made significant impact is humanitarian response, reconstruction, and resettlement. About 2 Million people are resettled in a dignified manner since i assumed duty to date. Through sustained interventions, we have supported millions of internally displaced persons, refugees, returnees, and conflict-affected communities with food assistance, shelter, healthcare, livelihood support, and social services. These efforts have earned both national and international recognition.
I wish to extend my profound appreciation to all humanitarian and development partners and indeed the international community that have participated in this process.
Consequently, Education remains one of the sectors most devastated by insurgency. We understood from the outset that rebuilding Borno required rebuilding our schools and restoring hope to our children.
Accordingly, we embarked on unprecedented investments in education, including the establishment of over 104 Mega Schools and more than 20 Higher Islamic Colleges across the state.
We reconstructed and expanded educational infrastructure, improved learning environments, increased school enrolment and retention, recruited and trained teachers, enhanced their welfare, and modernised the education system to meet contemporary needs to empower our youth and accelerate economic recovery, we have also prioritised Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) programmes, equipping thousands of young people with skills required for employment and entrepreneurship and awarded thousand of scholarship to deserving indigenes.
In the health sector, we have undertaken extensive reforms aimed at improving access and quality of healthcare services. . In addition, we undertook the strategic recruitment, training and capacity development of critical Human resources for health including recruitment of expertise into our secondary health facilities.
The state-of-the-art Kashim Ibrahim Teaching Hospital will soon commence operations, significantly enhancing tertiary healthcare delivery in the state and will provide the needed manpower to the state by training our students at the College of Medical Sciences. We have established two additional Colleges of Nursing to strengthen our healthcare workforce and approved one hundred percent increment in the remuneration of doctors that are working in hard-to-reach areas, and frontline health personnel.
Furthermore, in the last one year, we have constructed eight (8) new General Hospitals in Magumeri, Mafa, Gubio, Dikwa, Uba, Damboa, Hawul, and kaleri while over 80 Primary Healthcare Centres, 13 Maternal and Child Health Centres, and three Family Support Centres have been renovated and upgraded across the state. Some of these projects have been commissioned while others would soon be commissioned. The state of the art orthopedic hospital is at the verge of completion.
I also extend my deepest sympathy to all victims of the recent Acute Watery Diarrhoea outbreak and wish those receiving treatment a speedy recovery. I assure the public that government has activated all necessary measures to contain the outbreak and prevent further spread.
As we enter the final year of this administration, let me reassure the people of Borno State that we shall not relent in delivering the dividends of democracy. We remain focused on strengthening agriculture, security, infrastructure, economic empowerment, social protection, and livelihood support programmes until our last day in office.
I am confident that we have laid a solid foundation for the continued recovery, stability, and development of Borno State. The institutional frameworks, strategic plans, and development initiatives we have established will provide a strong platform upon which future administrations can build.
Conclusion
My dear fellow citizens of Borno State, I believe I have served you with sincerity, dedication, and the fear of Allah throughout these seven years. Together, we have rebuilt communities, restored hope, strengthened institutions, strengthed security and laid the groundwork for a brighter future despite the enormous challenges we inherited.
I remain profoundly grateful for the trust and mandate you gave me to serve as your Governor. I equally appreciate your support, prayers, resilience, and cooperation throughout this journey.
While no human effort is perfect, I have always strived to serve you faithfully, guided by the principles of democracy, accountability, and public service. I leave office with a deep sense of fulfilment, knowing that together we have moved Borno State forward.
May Almighty Allah continue to bless Borno State, protect our people, and grant us enduring peace, unity, and prosperity.
Happy Democracy Day.
