Mai-Bornu was born in Gongola now Yola. Mai-Bornu attended Yola Elementary School, Yola Middle School, and was went to Kaduna College where he graduated in as an English language teacher. He started his teaching career at his alma mater, Yola Middle School from before proceeding to another one of his alma mater's, Kaduna College and soon joined the Northern Teachers Association. He returned to Yola as deputy headmaster of the Yola Middle School and later left Yola to be a House Tutor at the Veterinary School in Vom for five months. He earned a government scholarship to travel abroad and studied Economics at Bristol University in the United Kingdom.