By: Abdullahi Inuwa
Borno State has etched history by naming two landmark institutions after Nigeria’s former President, Muhammadu Buhari — the Muhammadu Buhari International Airport and the Muhammadu Buhari University, both located in Maiduguri, the heart of North-East Nigeria.
While Buhari’s ancestral roots trace back to Daura in Katsina State, it is in Borno that his indelible legacy of sacrifice, service, and national rebuilding has taken physical and symbolic shape.
Speaking at the unveiling ceremony, Borno State Governor Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum declared that the state is not merely naming monuments — it is immortalizing a legacy.
“President Muhammadu Buhari served this country with discipline, courage, and deep patriotism. In Borno, we remember him not only as a President but as a soldier who once risked everything to defend this land, and as a leader who returned decades later to help us rebuild from ashes,” Governor Zulum said.
The newly upgraded and renamed international airport stands as a gateway of hope and progress for the North-East. Equipped with world-class facilities and enhanced security infrastructure, the Muhammadu Buhari International Airport is set to become a critical hub for humanitarian operations, domestic and international travel, and regional trade.
The airport’s transformation was made possible under Buhari’s administration, which prioritized rebuilding the North-East devastated by insurgency. Its renaming serves as a symbolic reminder of the peace and mobility his leadership helped restore.
Formerly a specialized institution, the Muhammadu Buhari University now emerges as a beacon of knowledge, technology, and resilience. With expanded faculties in Peace & Conflict Studies, Disaster Management, Engineering, and Cybersecurity, the university reflects Buhari’s vision of a secure and self-reliant Nigeria.
“This university is a living institution of the values Buhari championed: education, discipline, and national unity,” said Prof. Ibrahim Bashir, the Vice Chancellor of Muhammadu Buhari University. “It will produce leaders who understand sacrifice and the responsibility of rebuilding.”
Muhammadu Buhari’s connection to Borno spans decades. As a military officer, he fought in the North-East during Nigeria’s most trying times. As Head of State and later President, he prioritized military funding, infrastructural development, and post-insurgency recovery programs in the region.
From the rehabilitation of internally displaced persons (IDPs) to the rebuilding of schools, roads, hospitals, and security installations, Buhari’s presence in Borno was more than political—it was personal.
The dual naming of the airport and university is widely seen as Borno’s heartfelt tribute to a man whose footsteps have been deeply imprinted on its soil — not just in brick and mortar, but in the hearts of its people.
“He gave us hope in war, support in reconstruction, and courage in the darkest days,” said Shettima Modu, a local elder and IDP returnee. “Today, Borno gives him a place in its soul.”
As the sun sets behind the gleaming control tower and the rising university dome, the names Muhammadu Buhari International Airport and Muhammadu Buhari University will stand as enduring pillars of a legacy rooted not just in Katsina, but reborn in Borno.
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