Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, has declared the state open and ready for investment, citing its strategic location, enhanced security, and an increasingly favourable climate for business.
Zulum made the announcement at the 2025 Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) Annual Aviation Conference held in Lagos.
The conference, themed “Elevating the Nigerian Aviation Industry through Investment, Partnership and Global Engagements,” attracted key players from across the aviation and investment sectors.
Highlighting Borno’s geographical advantage, the governor described the state as a major commercial gateway, bordering Chad, Cameroon and Niger Republic, and offering some of the shortest flight hours from Nigeria to Europe and the Middle East.
“Borno State is strategically positioned on the shores of Lake Chad, close to the Sahel region and bordering three countries,” Zulum said. “Maiduguri, the state capital, is close to Europe; you can leave Maiduguri and reach Malaga, Spain, in three and a half hours. From Maiduguri to Jidda, Saudi Arabia, is three hours; within two hours you can reach Sudan and Algeria.”
The governor also announced that the Muhammadu Buhari International Airport in Maiduguri will soon be commissioned for full international operations.
“I am pleased to inform this gathering that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would soon commission the Maiduguri International Airport for international flights,” he stated. “The potential of the airport, when commissioned, need not be overemphasized. Therefore, I am inviting investors to come and invest in the state.”
Zulum emphasized that security in the state has significantly improved, insisting that Maiduguri is now safer than major cities such as Lagos and Abuja.
“I want to inform investors that Maiduguri is safer than Lagos and Abuja. I mean it. You can move freely in the city without apprehension. We have a lot of opportunities,” he said.
He further disclosed that the Maiduguri dry port will soon commence operations, while the Federal Government has approved the establishment of a Free Trade Zone in the state. He added that plans are underway to develop a mega industrial hub near the new international airport to support manufacturing, logistics and export-oriented industries.
Governor Zulum commended President Tinubu, the Minister of Aviation, the Managing Director of FAAN and other key stakeholders for their support and contributions to the aviation sector.
The event, the third edition of the conference, was attended by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, who represented the president, as well as the Governors of Lagos and Imo states, Commissioner for Transport and Energy, Hon. Aliyu Mohammed Bamanga, and other industry stakeholders.