NEW JERSEY, United States – Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, CON, mni, has been conferred with the prestigious 2026 Quintessence Pan-African Top Leadership Award, dedicating the continental recognition to the enduring resilience of the people of Borno State and frontline citizens working to restore peace and socio-economic dignity across the Lake Chad basin, international correspondents reported from New Jersey on Saturday afternoon, September 26, 2026.
The award, presented during the annual Quintessence Ball convened at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Newark, New Jersey, on Friday night, is administered annually by the African Writers Endowment to one continental African leader and one African American leader who have recorded distinguished contributions to the development, history, and heritage of African people.
Okay News reports that with the conferment, Governor Zulum becomes the first governor from Northern Nigeria to receive the Pan-African honor, joining an elite roster of past laureates that includes late literary icon Professor Chinua Achebe, Kenyan scholar Professor Ngugi wa Thiong’o, and human rights jurist Chief Gani Fawehinmi, SAN.
The ceremony was chaired by former Chief of Staff to late President Muhammadu Buhari and maiden 1998 Quintessence laureate, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, CFR, and attended by the Governor of Kwara State and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq; the 16th Emir of Kano, HRH Khalifa Muhammadu Sanusi II; former Nigerian Minister of Finance, Dr. Mansur Mukhtar; alongside Nigerian diplomatic envoys accredited to the United States and the African Union.
Accepting the honour, Governor Zulum declared that the accolade reflects collective grassroots perseverance rather than individual vanity, recalling that his personal journey from a rural farming upbringing in Mafa Local Government Area taught him that genuine governance must construct access for the vulnerable.
“This recognition is not for me alone, but for the resilient people of Borno, every Nigerian and African who has worked tirelessly to turn ideas into action, and to bring dignity to the lives of our people,” Governor Zulum stated in his acceptance address. “Leadership is not about grand titles, but about building ladders of opportunity so everyone can climb.”
Reflecting on Borno State’s steady emergence from over a decade of asymmetric Boko Haram terrorism, the Governor detailed that his administration has prioritized rebuilding destroyed communities, schools, and hospitals to facilitate sustainable resettlement.
He revealed that the state government has reconstructed more than 30,000 residential homes, classrooms, and primary healthcare clinics since assuming office in 2019, having delivered 326 capital projects in his first year alone—including 6,000 houses for displaced families—while completing over 1,000 infrastructure projects over the past six years.
Governor Zulum challenged African professionals, entrepreneurs, and scientists in the diaspora to transition from sending subsistence household remittances to deploying commercial capital, specialized technical skills, and innovative enterprises directly into their home countries.
“I call on you to invest back home — not just your capital, but your skills and ideas,” Zulum urged the diaspora audience. “Every factory you build, every school you help fund, is an investment in Africa’s greatest resource: our people.”
The Governor maintained that while family remittances sustain basic livelihood needs, pooling external funds into local industrial manufacturing, vocational tech hubs, and healthcare infrastructure yields generational economic returns, urging public officials to view their positions as conduits of service.
“My message today is that leaders are enablers, not distant rulers,” Zulum concluded.
The Governor was accompanied to the ceremony by the First Lady of Borno State, Dr. Falmata Babagana Zulum; the Chief Adviser on Sustainable Development, Partnership and Humanitarian Support, Dr. Mairo Mandara; Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Hon. Zuwaira Gambo; and the Chairman of the Governing Board of Kashim Ibrahim Teaching Hospital, Professor Ahmed Ahidjo.
