By Abdullahi Alhassan, Kaduna
Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, has been named BusinessDay’s 2025 Best Performing Governor under the States Competitiveness and Investment Readiness Awards (SCIRA), Infrastructure Competitiveness category.
The award ceremony is scheduled for Thursday, June 18, 2026, at the NAF Conference Centre & Suites, Jabi, Abuja.
The nomination was conveyed in a formal letter signed by the Publisher and Chief Executive Officer of BusinessDay Media Limited, Frank Aigbogun, who described the recognition as a reflection of Borno State’s remarkable progress in infrastructure development and economic recovery.
According to Aigbogun, the nomination recognises Governor Zulum’s sustained efforts in rebuilding critical infrastructure, revitalising dormant industries, and restoring livelihoods as part of the state’s post-conflict reconstruction agenda.
“Few states embody the spirit of renewal like Borno. Despite a prolonged insurgency, your administration has implemented one of Nigeria’s most ambitious reconstruction and reintegration programmes, anchored on infrastructure renewal,” he stated.
The letter highlighted key achievements under the Zulum administration, including the rehabilitation of key industrial assets such as the Borno Plastic Industry and Borno Meat Processing Company, both of which are gradually returning to productivity and investor confidence.
It also noted the development of the Borno State Industrial Park and Enterprise Centre (BIP), which currently accommodates over 2,000 small and medium-scale enterprises operating in structured facilities with improved access to power, workspace, and logistics support.
In the housing and infrastructure sector, the administration has reportedly reconstructed over 10,000 homes across several local government areas, improving connectivity and trade routes between Maiduguri, Biu, Monguno, and Gwoza.
On energy, the commissioning of the Maiduguri 50MW Gas Plant, alongside partnerships with the Rural Electrification Agency, was cited as a major boost to industrial power supply and economic stability.
The education and health sectors also recorded significant expansion, with the construction of over 100 secondary schools, development of teaching and specialist hospitals, staff and doctors’ quarters, as well as the establishment and support of tertiary institutions including Federal Polytechnic Monguno, Federal College Gwoza, and allied health training institutions.
Aigbogun further explained that the selection process was based on the BusinessDay Research & Intelligence Unit (BRIU) and BudgIT State Competitiveness Model (2025), which utilised a Composite Infrastructure Competitiveness Index.
He noted that Borno ranked among the top five northern states, recording an estimated 41 per cent improvement in its infrastructure recovery index between 2020 and 2024.
The Publisher concluded that the Zulum administration has succeeded in rebuilding public confidence, resettling displaced communities, reviving critical sectors, and repositioning Borno as a model for post-conflict economic competitiveness in Africa.
