24/08/2026
Zulum @57: On The Crest Of History
Governor Babagana Workaphile Zulum's new age, 57, opens a vista on a golden future for Borno
Dauda Iliya
The Executive Governor of Borno State, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, will turn 57 tomorrow, Tuesday, 25th August, 2026.
Lest we forget, his middle name is 'Workaphile', a fond name he acquired for his passion and commitment to work, and for his almost year-round trotting around the state, coordinating reconstruction and ministering to the needs of the terrorised population.
It is pertinent to view this year's birthday celebration far beyond the usual, mundane, and insipid tradition of sending birthday wishes and congratulatory message placements in the print and electronic media and on social media pages, and the rollout of programmes or social activities for that purpose.
As his last birthday in office, Zulum's new age, 57, its celebration and what he has, as a public servant and governor, accomplished by its attainment, are all bound by the bond of faith in the sacredness and potency of the covenant he struck with his fellow Bornoans who elected him their governor in 2019, and re-elected him in 2023.
The covenant: On their unshakeable faith in his character, credibility, capacity and commitment to coordinate the course of their affairs according to their needs and aspirations, they would elect him governor. He would, on his part, deploy that character, credibility, capacity, and commitment, and perhaps even more than expected, to govern them according to those needs and aspirations.
They fulfilled their own part of the covenant. They elected him in 2019, and re-elected him in 2023. He is fulfilling his part with as much zest and credibility as he can muster in all circumstances.
At 57, his zest for that fulfilment has attained its zenith. For him, there is no alternative to that fulfilment.
At 57, his focus is firmly fixed, much more than at any time over the last seven years, on breaking the tape at the finish