Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State, has emerged BusinessDay’s 2025 Governor of the Year based on the research conducted by BusinessDay Media Limited on Competitiveness and Investment Readiness status tagged, “Competitiveness and Investment Readiness Awards (SCIRA) under Infrastructure Competitiveness Category.
- +Zulum emerges BusinessDay’s best performing governor in Nigeria
The award ceremony is scheduled to hold on Thursday, June 18, 2026, at NAF Conference Centre and Suites, Jabi, Abuja.
The award ceremony is scheduled to hold on Thursday, June 18, 2026, at NAF Conference Centre and Suites, Jabi, Abuja.
Governor Zulum’s nomination was contained in a letter by Frank Aigbogun, the Publisher/CEO of BusinessDay Media Limited, which publishes BusinessDay, BD Weekender and BUSINESSDAY as well as BDTV, addressed to the Governor.
“On behalf of BusinessDay Media Limited, Nigeria’s foremost business and economic intelligence platform, we are honoured to inform you that Borno State has been nominated for ‘Best Performing Governor’ under the Infrastructure Competitiveness Category for the 2025 States Competitiveness/Investment Readiness Awards (SCIRA),” Aigbogun said.
According to him, Governor Zulum’s nomination acknowledges his administration’s extraordinary strides in rebuilding infrastructure, reviving moribund industries, and restoring livelihoods as part of Borno’s long-term post-conflict recovery.
“Your Excellency, few states embody the spirit of renewal as Borno does. Against the backdrop of a decade-long insurgency, your government has delivered one of Nigeria’s most ambitious reconstruction and reintegration programmes, with infrastructure as its anchor,” he added.
Highlights of this transformation include: Revival of Industrial Assets: The Borno Plastic Industry and Borno Meat Processing Company, once abandoned, have been progressively rehabilitated, signaling a return of productive capacity and investor confidence.
Industrial Hub Redevelopment: Through the Borno State Industrial Park and Enterprise Centre (BIP), over 2,000 SMEs now operate in structured facilities that provide power, workspace, and logistics support.
Infrastructure-led Recovery: Over 10,000 houses have been reconstructed across local government areas, enabling market access and trade linkages among Maiduguri, Biu, Monguno, and Gwoza.
Energy and Industrial Power Supply: The Maiduguri 50MW Gas Plant and collaboration with the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) have significantly enhanced industrial energy reliability.
Aigbogun said these efforts had repositioned Borno State as a credible destination for post-conflict industrial reinvestment that combines human development with economic diversification.
“Borno’s shortlisting was derived from the BusinessDay Research & Intelligence Unit (BRIU) and BudgIT State Competitiveness Model (2025), using a Composite Infrastructure Competitiveness Index (CICI) based on three weighted dimensions.
“Across these parameters, Borno ranked among the top five northern states, with its infrastructure recovery index improving by over 41% between 2020 and 2024.
“In the education and health sectors, construction of over 100 secondary schools, Kashim Ibrahim University Teaching Hospital and Staff quarters, doctors’ quarters, as well as take-off support for Federal Polytechnic Monguno, Federal College Gwoza, School of Nursing and Midwifery in Gwoza and Monguno, and the Orthopedic Hospital Azare, amongst others”, he remarked.
The Publisher acknowledged that Governor Babagana Zulum’s administration had rebuilt confidence, reconstruct and resettled communities, revived industries, education, and healthcare, noting that today Borno stands as a model of post-conflict competitiveness in Africa.
