Yusufu Bala Usman was a Nigerian historian and politician, who was one of the scholars who shaped Nigerian historiography.
13 Facts About Bala Usman
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Bala Usman was the founder of the Centre for Democratic Development, Research and Training at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
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Bala Usman's father was Durbin Katsina and a brother of Sarkin Katsina Usman Nagogo.
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Bala Usman's mother was a daughter of Sarkin Kano Abdullahi Bayero.
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Bala Usman attended Musawa Junior Primary School, Kankia Senior Primary School, Minna Senior Primary School and Government College, Kaduna.
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Bala Usman then went to study at the University Tutorial College and then at University of Lancaster where he completed his studies with a degree in History and Political Science.
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Bala Usman returned to Nigeria in 1967 to become a teacher at Barewa College, Zaria where he taught until 1971.
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Bala Usman started his graduate studies in 1970 at Ahmadu Bello University, earning his PhD degree in 1974.
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Bala Usman started lecturing at the university as a part-time lecturer before being promoted to full-time.
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Bala Usman was a major figure among post colonial historians at Ahmadu Bello University, his outlook on African history involves support for the use of oral and linguistic sources along with written and archaeological sources.
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Bala Usman felt all sources are subject to bias and that increased scrutiny of oral sources for distortions and colourings was not extended to many written sources by European writers.
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Some of his reflections on the writing of African history includes a critique of Heinrich Barth, a respected source among Western scholars, Bala Usman thought Barth was too focused on the physical and genetic characteristics of those he was studying which he felt was a result of the dominant traditions of nineteenth century European history writing.
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Bala Usman left behind a wife and six children upon his death.