Following the destruction of more than 270 health facilities, killing of scores of health workers, abduction of many and desertion of several others from Borno State at the heat of the 17-year-long Boko Haram insurgency conflict in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states hope for a stable life in Borno was almost gone.
Interestingly, the recently built Kashim Ibrahim University Teaching Hospital has demonstrated the resilience of Borno people and is adjudged to be a game-changer in the country.
BusinessDay Sunday findings revealed that during the occupation, the terrorists destroyed virtually all public service facilities like hospitals; at least 270 hospitals and primary healthcare centres were destroyed in Borno State between 2013 and 2017, which include 248 primary healthcare centres and 20 general hospitals, most of which are in 21 local government areas of the state and were captured by Boko Haram terrorists in 2014 for nearly three years.
For Governor Babagana Zulum, education and healthcare service delivery are not just policies; they are a bedrock of development and the long-term antidote to violent extremism. The Zulum administration has employed nearly 2,000 health workers in the past two years to address workforce shortages and improve healthcare delivery across the state. Evidently, the recruitment of doctors, nurses, and other health professionals has helped reduce staffing gaps in the state’s healthcare system.
On October 23, 2026, once again in Borno State, it rewrote the narrative of its healthcare service system with the multi-billion-naira Kashim Ibrahim University Teaching Hospital, described as a masterclass and the biggest hospital in the West African sub-region, equipped with the most advanced equipment, built by Governor Babagana Zulum’s administration.
Looking at the event, Kashim Shettima, Vice President of Nigeria, while speaking at the inauguration of Kashim Ibrahim University Teaching Hospital in Borno State. He described investments in healthcare and education as essential to economic productivity, national development and the recovery of communities affected by insecurity.
The Vice President stated that the true measure of public service lies not in the privileges of office but in the institutions established and the opportunities created for future generations.
According to him, ‘Someday, and that day is nearer than we imagine, we shall be judged by what survives our time in office. The offices we held, the aides who surrounded us and the length of our convoys will have surrendered their importance. What will endure are the institutions we built, the roads we constructed and the lives made better because we served.
Commending Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum for prioritising healthcare and education, Shettima said the newly commissioned facilities demonstrate how purposeful investments can translate into practical benefits for citizens.
He noted that the teaching hospital would bring specialised healthcare closer to communities, reduce the burden of travelling outside the state for treatment and strengthen medical training and research.
‘For a family already burdened by illness, the cost and anxiety of travelling outside the state can compound their suffering. This hospital offers the prospect of expert attention nearer home,’ he said.
On education, the Vice President observed that rebuilding schools in communities affected by insurgency was fundamental to restoring hope, expanding opportunities and preparing the next generation for productive participation in the economy.
‘In a state the communities of which have endured the disruption of insurgency, a classroom carries a particular significance. It restores the expectation that tomorrow can be planned for,’ Senator Shettima stated.
Drawing from his experience as a former Governor of Borno State, the Vice President acknowledged the challenges of delivering development amid insecurity and praised Governor Zulum’s determination to sustain investment in critical public infrastructure.
‘To improve lives and livelihoods in a state that has withstood such a climate of insecurity demands uncommon fortitude. I know the weight of that responsibility. As the street language goes, I have been there and done that,’ he said.
He conveyed President Tinubu’s felicitations to the government and people of Borno State, and reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to supporting the state’s reconstruction, peacebuilding and human capital development efforts.
‘Our investment in human capital proceeds from the conviction that a healthier, better educated population can produce more, earn more and contribute more. The Federal Government will continue to support Borno’s efforts to consolidate peace, rebuild communities and expand opportunities for its people,’ he said.
The Vice President noted that Borno’s reconstruction experience offers valuable lessons in rebuilding communities emerging from conflict, particularly through the restoration of essential public institutions.
He commended the state government, healthcare professionals, educators, contractors, development partners and security personnel for their contributions to the projects.
Shettima, however, stressed that the success of the facilities would ultimately depend on their ability to deliver quality services to the people.
‘The responsibility now is to keep these institutions worthy of that faith. Their value will be measured in the care patients receive and the education children acquire,’ he said.
The Vice President stated that the true measure of public service lies not in the privileges of office but in the institutions established and the opportunities created for future generations.
This is a game-changer in health sector – Analyst
Commenting, Abubakar Mohammed Kareto, a Public Affairs analyst, maintained that for years, Borno bore the brunt of a devastating insurgency, suffering billions of naira in destroyed public infrastructure and managing a lean internally generated revenue base.
He alluded that the recent commissioning of the 400-bed Kashim Ibrahim University Teaching Hospital (KIUTH) in Maiduguri marks a decisive turning point in Borno State’s journey from conflict to recovery.
‘For over a decade, residents faced a severe shortage of advanced medical care, forcing families to make long, dangerous trips to Kano, Zaria, or Abuja for basic scans and surgeries. This lack of facilities drained household savings and cost lives. By delivering a modern tertiary hospital directly to the people, the state has moved beyond emergency relief to build a lasting public health institution that serves not just Borno, but the entire Lake Chad Basin.
‘What makes this milestone remarkable is the fiscal context in which it happened. Yet, while wealthier littoral states and oil-rich counterparts receiving hundreds of billions in monthly federal allocations and 13percent derivation often struggle to complete secondary clinics or keep diagnostic machines running, Borno has quietly outpaced them.
‘By committing over 15percent of its annual budget to health-meeting the benchmark set by the African Union’s Abuja Declaration, which over 30 Nigerian states consistently miss-the state proved that developmental outcomes depend on political discipline and fiscal hygiene, not the size of a treasury.
He opened an on-site medical oxygen plant to remove the supply bottlenecks and vendor price spikes that crippled many healthcare centres across the country during recent emergencies, and ensuring continuous care for critical patients.
‘Equipped with a 1.5-Tesla MRI machine, a 160-slice CT scanner, digital mammography, and modern ultrasound suites, the facility matches the standard found in top tier-one centres in Lagos and Abuja. These tools end the long wait times that often turned curable illnesses into terminal conditions, allowing complex neuro-trauma and cancer cases to be handled close to patients’ support systems.
‘This landmark project is not an isolated achievement; it builds on seven years of steady healthcare investments under Governor Babagana Umara Zulum. Since 2019, the administration has constructed and refurbished over 70 solar-powered Primary Healthcare Centres in resettled communities, bringing maternal and child care to the grassroots. At the secondary level, general hospitals in towns like Gwoza and Monguno were upgraded, alongside the expansion of the Biu General Hospital into a 400-bed Specialist Hospital for southern Borno.’ He commended.
It will reduce medical tourism in the country – Zulum
However, Governor Zulum said the teaching hospital stood as one of the most tangible expressions of his administration’s commitment to providing state-of-the-art healthcare facilities for the people of Borno State.
He explained that the teaching hospital was not merely another building but a centre of learning, a provider of specialised healthcare services and a facility that would bring hope to millions of people across the North East.
The governor said the facility would serve as a clinical training centre for the College of Health Sciences of Kashim Ibrahim University, providing training for medical students, resident doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, medical laboratory scientists, physiotherapists and other healthcare professionals.
Governor Zulum assured that the Borno State Government would continue to invest in the Kashim Ibrahim University Teaching Hospital, saying, ‘We have recruited and we will continue to recruit qualified healthcare professionals. We will provide equipment, utility infrastructure and an enabling environment for the hospital to function at the highest standard.’
Also, the Pro-Chancellor of Kashim Ibrahim University, Alhaji Mohammed Indimi, said the commissioning of the teaching hospital represented a remarkable achievement and a milestone in the collective commitment to providing quality healthcare services, medical education, research and professional training.
He expressed optimism that the hospital would strengthen healthcare delivery in Borno State and contribute meaningfully to the well-being of people across the North East.
On his part, the Chairman of the Governing Board of Kashim Ibrahim University Teaching Hospital, Prof. Ahmed Ahidjo, described the hospital as a landmark project of unprecedented significance in the state.
Also speaking, the Chief Medical Director of Kashim Ibrahim University Teaching Hospital, Prof. Ibrahim Musa Kida, said the greatness of the hospital would be determined not merely by its buildings and equipment but by the quality of its personnel and the dedication of its staff.
On her part, the Registrar/Chief Executive Officer of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, Prof. Fatima Kyari, assured that the Council would facilitate the accreditation of all relevant medical science courses at the institution.
This hospital is designed to reposition Borno as a leading state in quality healthcare delivery and medical training in Nigeria, the 400-bed teaching hospital comprises 13 specialist departments, including General Outpatient, Accident and Emergency, Radiology, Medical, Surgical, Paediatrics, Internal Medicine, Physiotherapy, and a Simulation Centre, among others.