Governor Zulum named 1st Northern Nigerian recipient

Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum, has made history as the first governor from Northern Nigeria to be named the recipient of the prestigious 2026 Quintessence Award. The honour is recognised as the preeminent Pan-African leadership award in North America.

The announcement was confirmed by Dr. Ugorji O. Ugorji, Executive Director of the African Writers Endowment (AWE), a New Jersey-based non-profit organisation. The body selected Governor Zulum in recognition of his outstanding achievements as an academic and educational administrator, as well as his decisive governance in countering regional insecurity and rebuilding Borno State’s infrastructure.

Governor Zulum is currently in New York as part of the official Nigerian delegation to the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 81), supporting Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima. Prior to his arrival in the United States, Governor Zulum concluded high-level strategic engagements in Canada, where he signed a milestone Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT). The agreement targets technical education, skills transfer, and workforce development to accelerate Borno’s post-insurgency recovery.

The award will be presented at the annual “Quintessence Ball: A Celebration of African People in World History” on Friday, September 25, 2026, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in New Jersey, USA. The event brings together prominent African, North American, and Caribbean leaders.

According to the organisers, the award is presented annually to at least one continental African leader and one African American leader for distinguished contributions to the heritage of African people. This year’s ceremony and conference will be chaired by Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, former Chief of Staff to the late President Muhammadu Buhari and former UN Under-Secretary-General, who was the maiden recipient of the award in 1998.

A central feature of the upcoming conference is a special investment symposium titled, “Investment Opportunities in Borno State: Doorway to the Chad Region.” This session will project Borno’s agricultural, economic, and cross-border trade potential, highlighting the state’s strategic repositioning as a gateway to the Lake Chad Basin.

By receiving this honour, Governor Zulum joins an elite roster of past laureates, including literary icons Prof. Chinua Achebe and Prof. Ngugi wa Thiong’o; human rights defender, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, SAN, Congressman Donald Payne, and former Governors Rotimi Amaechi and Kayode Fayemi.

The Quintessence Award traditionally features an official proclamation from the Governor of New Jersey alongside a joint resolution from the New Jersey Senate and General Assembly. Zulum, a multiple award-winning administrator, previously received the Forbes Magazine African Leadership Award in 2024.