Babagana Umara Zulum was born August 29 1969 in Mafa Local Government Area of Borno State. He attended Mafa Primary School and secondary education in Government Secondary School, Monguno. Zulum studied at the University of Maiduguri, where he obtained a degree in Agriculture Engineering after which he served as a youth corps member. He proceeded to the University of Ibadan, where he obtained a master's degree in Agriculture Engineering. In 2005, he enrolled for a Ph.D. in Soil and Water Engineering with the University of Maiduguri which he completed in 2009. In 2011, he was appointed Rector of Ramat Polytechnic. Meanwhile, he retained a teaching position in the University of Maiduguri. In 2015, Babagana Zulum was made commissioner of reconstruction, rehabilitation and resettlement by the then Borno Governor, Kashim Shettima, a position he held till 2018. He was elected governor of  Borno State on March 9, 2019, succeeding Kashim Shettima who governed the state for eight years.