The Humanitarian Times

By Abdulkareem Haruna

Professor Babagana Zulum, on Monday, Jun.1, 2026 toured three ongoing gigantic projects located around the capital city of Maiduguri as he commenced the countdown to his last year in office as the 7th democratically elected governor of Borno state. 

The academic-turned politician assumed office exactly seven years and three days ago last Monday. He came with a basket of lofty promises to transform Borno state and help the people navigate the difficult days of post conflict rebuilding and reintegration. A promise he amply kept. He started that journey with a 25 years development blueprint backed by a ten years strategic implementation strategy. 

Today, with over 1000 visible projects to his kitties, in seven years, the two-term governor is still not slowing down as he continues to carry on with the zeal and passion of a governor in his first days in office. 

Last week the governor clocked seven years in office after he had succesdfully midwifed a party primaries that produced a successor that would, by the grace of God, be in the helm of the state’s affairs by this time next year.

Despite that political achievements, the governor has maintained his momentum, continuing to work with an unflagging dedication, aimed at  improving the living conditions of the people in the state.

In Nigeria, it is common for governors in their second term to experience a decline in productivity during their final year in office, often leading to a slowdown in governance and project execution.But for Zulum, everyday in office as the chief executive of a state, is accorded its worth of seriousness. That was the spirit on Monday as he stepped out – dressed in a shirt, trousers, sneakers, and a bowler hat – to inspect the major projects that have turned Maiduguri into a widespread construction site.

“Insha Allah, we shall leave no stone unturned before the end of our tenure to ensure that all projects with direct impact on the people are completed,” Zulum told journalists during the inspection of three critical projects on Monday. 

Governor Zulum, accompanied by key government functionaries, visited the first-of-its-kind in northeast Nigegia ultramodern “4,000-capacity” International Conference Center strategically located around the central area of Maiduguri where he commended the handlers for doing a good job and keeping up with specified time frame for completion, even as he urged them to expedite speed to ensure that  the project gets completed by September this year. 

From the international conference center, the governor moved to the Post Office flyover project site where he supervised the work that was at its peak of completion urging the contractors to do all that they could to wrap things up by the end of this month. 

The visit to the Post Office flyover site felt historic, as it marked the exact anniversary of his 2019 visit to the busy roundabout, where he pledged to construct four major flyovers to ease the city’s long-standing traffic congestion. True to his promise, Maiduguri now boasts of three completed flyovers, with the fourth at the Post Office nearing completion.

From the beautiful post office flyover, the governor moved to another project site which is the dualization of a 2.5 kilometer Tandari – Neitel Shoe and Tennary road that snakes through Maiduguri Cattle market. Walking along the busy cattle market road amidst cheers and salutation from thankful residents and members of the business communities, Governor Zulum expressed his appreciation for the level of work being done. 

“So far, we have visited all the project sites and I am impressed with the level of work done, especially at the International Conference Centre and the Post Office Flyover,” he told an army of media reporters trailing his tour. 

“We have given a deadline for the completion of the International Conference Centre in September, while the Post Office Flyover should be completed between 30 to 40 days. I am here to see how the contractor will wind up the work completely within the stipulated period.

“The people of the state are happy because we have delivered hundreds of projects across the state, and we shall ensure that all ongoing projects are completed. We are also willing to introduce additional projects where possible,” he said.

Despite being impressed by the three projects he inspected, the professor of engineering offered the contractors a professional advice, urging them ‘to take advantage of the current weather conditions to accelerate construction activities, as the state government will continue to provide the necessary funding’.

He however did not end his inspection without exhibiting his trademark frankness when he warned that any outstanding work not completed within the stipulated period would be reassigned to relevant government agencies to ensure timely delivery.

“Any aspect of the work that cannot be completed by the contractor shall be taken over by the ministry of Works so that we can complete the projects on time.” 

Governor Zulum later retired back to his office in the afternoon to carry on with other administrative work of governance.