Zulum Brings in Outsider as Chief Investment Adviser: Can He Unlock Borno?

By Jonathan Eze

Governor Babagana Zulum’s announcement of a new investment board for Borno State, anchored by the appointment of Dr. Sa’id Alkali Kori as its Chairman and, more critically, as the Chief Investment Adviser to the Governor, is a move that underscores both the scale of Borno’s economic challenges and the governor’s search for external solutions.

The role of Chief Investment Adviser is pivotal, and giving it to Dr. Kori a figure with deep ties to regional development but who is fundamentally an outsider to Borno’s core political structure—reveals a deliberate, and perhaps anxious, strategy.

The appointment suggests that Governor Zulum believes the state’s existing bureaucratic machinery lacks the specific expertise or networks to attract the scale of private capital needed for lasting reconstruction.

The new adviser’s resume is formidable on the page: a PhD holder, a CEO who has structured over $200 million in infrastructure finance, and a key player in delivering a national affordable housing program. His current roles as an adviser to the Governor of neighboring Yobe State and to the Lake Chad Basin Governors’ Forum provide him with a cross-border, regional perspective. This profile is clearly aimed at reassuring international development financiers and domestic investors that Borno is now open for business under professional management.

Yet, this very strength, his outsider, technocratic status, also constitutes his greatest challenge. Dr. Kori’s effectiveness will be determined not by his deal-making prowess in boardrooms in Abuja or London, but by his ability to navigate Borno’s unique and complex internal landscape. He must translate high-level concepts of blended finance and Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) into viable projects in a state where the most basic infrastructure is often lacking, land tenure can be contentious, and the legacy of conflict continues to define economic risk assessments.

“The position of Chief Investment Adviser carries significant symbolic weight,” explains political analyst Barr Adetola . “It signals that investment is a priority that reports directly to the governor. But the practical power of the role is untested. Will Dr. Kori have the authority to cut through entrenched bureaucratic delays in the Ministries of Works or Lands? Or will he become a high-profile advocate whose recommendations get bogged down in the old ways of doing things?”

The governing board he will chair, while designed for coordination, may also present a hurdle. Composed largely of permanent secretaries and directors from various ministries, its success depends on these officials prioritizing the board’s ambitious agenda over their individual ministerial mandates. Dr. Kori’s task will be to unite this group into a single, decisive committee for investment, a difficult feat in any government setting.

Furthermore, the focus on attracting large-scale, external investment inevitably raises questions about local equity. While major infrastructure deals make headlines, the needs of Borno’s small-scale traders, revitalizing the Maiduguri Monday Market, and supporting micro-enterprises in resettled communities are equally urgent. The new adviser’s portfolio, and the board’s function, will be closely watched for its balance between chasing transformative mega-projects and fostering inclusive, grassroots economic healing.

Governor Zulum has made a bold bet by installing an external technocrat as his chief adviser on investment. He has gained a credible face for international donors. The unanswered question is whether Dr. Kori can become an effective force within the system, translating that credibility into tangible, grounded progress for the people of Borno. His success or failure will be a defining case study on whether technocratic appointments can truly reshape the economic fortunes of Nigeria’s post-conflict states.