Borno State

Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum (APC, born 25 August 1969 in Mafa) has served as Governor of Borno State since 29 May 2019, re-elected in 2023. An agricultural engineering professor and former state Commissioner for Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Resettlement, his administration has focused heavily on resettling communities displaced by the Boko Haram and ISWAP insurgencies.

Borno State was created on 27 May 1967, one of the original 12 states, taking its name from the historic Kanem-Bornu Empire, one of Africa's oldest and longest-lasting states, dating back over a thousand years. Its capital, Maiduguri, has been the emirate seat of the Shehu of Borno since the 19th century.

Home to the historic Kanem-Bornu Empire heritage and the Shehu of Borno's palace, though tourism has been constrained by the security situation in parts of the state.

• Shehu of Borno's Palace
• Sambisa Forest (historical site)
• Lake Chad shoreline

Historically a major producer of gum arabic, millet, and livestock, with the shrinking Lake Chad basin remaining an important fishing and irrigation resource in the state's northeast.

Millet · Sorghum · Gum arabic · Cowpea

The 2026 ₦892.4 billion Appropriation Bill emphasizes reconstruction and resettlement of communities affected by over a decade of insurgency, alongside agricultural revival programs.

Agriculture & livestock · Reconstruction & resettlement · Fishing (Lake Chad)

University of Maiduguri