Dr Bukar Usman - folklorist, creative writer, and historian

Dr. Bukar Usman, M.IoD, D.Litt, OON, is the President of the Nigerian Folklore Society. He has won local and international recognition for his role in folklore revival in Nigeria (notably the 652-page compendium of Hausa folktales titled Taskar Tatsuniyoyi), his Biu Emirate Studies Series research and publications (including the 700-page A History of Biu), his public-policy expositions, and for the social and educational lifelines provided by his laudable charity, the Dr Bukar Usman Foundation. He is the holder of a Linguistic Association of Nigeria (LAN) award and the Jakadan Adabin Hausa (Ambassador of Hausa Literature) Award of the National Museum of Burkina Faso, and the prestigious D.Litt (honoris causa) award of Ahmadu Bello University. Easily the most prolific author writing in Nigeria today, he writes competently in both English and Hausa. This is his dual-language website and you can click your preferred language in the navigation bar or click the Features button below to browse the site.

Features

Welcome, Everyone!

Dr. Bukar Usman, DLitt, OON, creative writer, historian, and folklorist, is the President of the Nigerian Folklore Society. He has won awards for his solid contributions to literature and culture and for the Dr Bukar Usman Foundation's sponsorship of educational and charitable causes. He retired as a federal permanent secretary in 1999 and has since published over 30 books. He writes in English and Hausa and this dual-language website invites you to interact with this distinguished, award-winning grassroots African writer. Most of this site is in English. To view news and articles featured in this site in Hausa, see the navigation bar at the top of this page and click HAUSA SECTION.

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Book Reviews

Two reviewers on Dr Usman's Books: “Scholarly, informative and educative, the packaging of A History of Biu (published by Klamidas Communications, Abuja) score's another bull's eye. For a book produced in Nigeria, it deserves a five-star rating.” – Henry Akubuiro (Dr Bukar Usman’s magnum opus, A History of Biu, was adjudged by The Sun as Nigeria’s “Non-Fiction Book of the Year 2015”) On Dr Bukar Usman’s, My Literary Journey: “The book has even more to offer in terms of authorial rigour and vigour in the creative process. It begins with the writer contending with tradition, creative and critical antecedents and striking a minefield for his own innovativeness.” – Ben Tomoloju

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Literary Awards

Dr Usman's Literary Awards: *Linguistic Assoc. of Nigeria award for contributions to Hausa Language, 2013 *Nigeria-Niger Writers Assoc. award for Promotion of Hausa Language and Literature, Niamey 2014 *11th Nigerian Folklore Society Congress / 2nd Bayero University Kano Conference on Folklore held in Dr Usman's honour, 2014 *D.Litt award by Ahmadu Bello University, 2014 *Award for Ethical and Value-Oriented Leadership by University of Nigeria, 2016 *Dr. Abubakar Imam Hausa Literature Merit Award by Association of Hausa Books Writers, 2017 *Jakadan Adabin Hausa (Ambassador of Hausa Literature) award by National Museum of Burkina Faso, 2017

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DR USMAN ON HIS RESIGNATION AS NFS PRESIDENT:

The circumstances leading to my resignation as President of the Nigerian Folklore Society (NFS) on August 3, 2026, date back to the Conference of the Society held at the National Universities Commission (NUC), Abuja, on April 29, 2019. (See full explanation)

Click to read Dr Usman’s 80th Birthday Felicitations

 

“The Chancellor Sir, it is my privilege to present this Citation on Dr. Bukar Usman, a dignified personality with an enviable record of public service, a prolific and accomplished author and intellectual and an indefatigable advocate of cultural preservation for the conferment of the Honorary Doctor of Letters (D.Litt) Degree of Ahmadu Bello University…”

– Quote from Citation on Dr. Bukar Usman, D.Litt, at ABU’s 37th  Convocation, November 22 , 2014

     

 

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About Dr. Bukar Usman

  
 

Bukar Usman Honoured with Continental Arts Award

 

 Chinese Folklore Researchers Visit Dr Bukar Usman

  
 

Two Chinese Ph.D Research Students from Zhenjiang Normal University (ZJNU) in Jinhua, China, on November 13, 2018, visited Dr Bukar Usman in his Abuja (Nigeria) home where they interviewed him on aspects of Nigerian folklore. The students, Mr. Chen Jialei and Ms. Wang Yubo, were conducting research on the topics, “Philosophical Thought and the Contemporary Development of Nigeria” and “The Inheritance and Development of Nigerian Folklore.”

  
  Read the Interview Dr Usman granted the Chinese Scholars    

 

 

Latest Books from Dr Bukar Usman

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