Governor Babagana Umara Zulum of Borno State has been honoured with the African Public Service Excellence Award by the African Leadership Organisation (ALO) at the 2026 African Leadership Persons of the Year (ALPY) ceremony held in Accra, Ghana.
The award, presented on Saturday, February 28, recognised Governor Zulum’s leadership style and governance reforms in Borno State, described by organisers as impactful and transformative, particularly in a conflict-affected environment.
Zulum was honoured alongside other distinguished African leaders and corporate organisations, including former Ghanaian President, John Kufuor, and First Bank of Nigeria.
In an acceptance speech delivered on his behalf by Dr Mairo Mandara, Chief Adviser and Coordinator on Humanitarian Affairs, Partnerships and Sustainable Development, Zulum’s governance approach was described as one rooted in courage, trust, accountability and long-term planning.
“Borno State is what governance looks like when it refuses to surrender to adversity,” the speech read. “For more than a decade, the insurgency led by Boko Haram shattered communities, displaced families and scorched the foundations of public services.”
According to the remarks, at the peak of the insurgency in 2014, 25 of the 27 local government areas were under the control of armed groups, with devastating humanitarian consequences.
The governor’s style was highlighted across several pillars, including physical presence in volatile communities, long-term development planning and inclusive recovery strategies.
On trust-building, the speech noted that in fragile contexts, citizens “do not trust announcements; they trust evidence,” pointing to Zulum’s unannounced visits to schools, hospitals and internally displaced persons (IDP) camps.
His courage and physical presence across the state were also emphasised. “In a conflict environment, that presence does something policy alone cannot do — it shortens the distance between government and reality,” the statement said, recalling that the governor has visited and worked from all 27 local government areas, often in high-risk locations.
The address further outlined Borno State’s 25-year development framework and 10-year strategic plan built around five pillars: human capital development, healthy citizenry, agricultural leadership, regional trade expansion and environmental sustainability, supported by cross-cutting priorities in infrastructure, reconstruction, good governance and peace.
On humanitarian coordination, the speech referenced the establishment of an agency directly supervised by the governor to align the activities of government ministries, humanitarian actors and development partners. “This is what smart leadership does: it aligns humanitarian relief, development finance and state budgets toward one recovery direction,” the speech stated.
The governor’s administration was also credited with closing official IDP camps in Maiduguri and resettling nearly one million displaced persons between 2021 and 2022 under what was described as Borno’s durable solutions framework.
Addressing peacebuilding efforts, the speech referenced the state’s reconciliation and reintegration initiative aimed at encouraging defections from insurgent groups and supporting community-based rehabilitation. “No ideological war has ever been won by kinetic approach alone,” the speech noted, adding that the model emphasises dignity, local ownership and community engagement.
In the education sector, the administration reported a significant reduction in the number of out-of-school children from 2.4 million in 2019 to fewer than 800,000 by December 2025, alongside digital learning initiatives in rural schools.
Energy resilience was another area highlighted, with expanded solar deployment across schools, health facilities and water systems. Reference was made to the 12MW hybrid solar project at the University of Maiduguri under the Energising Education Programme.
On accountability, the governor’s hands-on oversight style was cited, including surprise inspections of schools and hospitals and a midnight IDP headcount exercise that reportedly uncovered hundreds of ghost beneficiaries.
The 2026 budget proposal of ₦890.33 billion, with 61 per cent allocated to capital expenditure, was also referenced as part of what was described as a results-oriented governance culture.
Governor Zulum was represented at the event by the Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, Prof. Usman Tar, alongside Dr Mandara.
The African Leadership Organisation said the award celebrates public and private sector leaders who are championing good governance, growth and sustainable development across the continent.
