Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum has said that more than 5,000 school structures were destroyed during the over-a-decade-long insurgency in the state.

He made the disclosure on Sunday while commissioning several projects in Maiduguri.

At the peak of the crisis, an estimated 2.2 million children were out of school, with fewer than 500,000 enrolled. Many teachers and school administrators also lost their lives in the course of their duties.

Zulum noted that rebuilding education went beyond putting up new buildings. He said it involved restoring access to learning, rebuilding community confidence and giving children the chance of a better future.

Between the 2025 and 2026 fiscal years, the state government invested nearly ₦47 billion in basic and secondary education. The governor said the projects commissioned on Sunday formed part of that broader investment, with 136 other completed projects still awaiting formal unveiling.

Enrolment has risen sharply as a result of the recovery efforts. The number of learners increased from about 766,000 in 2019 to over 1.8 million in 2026. Functional senior secondary schools also grew from 34 in eight local government areas to 129 across 25 local government areas.

Photo credit: Punch Newspaper