[1] He was the founder of the Centre for Democratic Development, Research and Training at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
Usman started his graduate studies in 1970 at Ahmadu Bello University, earning his PhD degree in 1974.
[5][6] During the Nigerian Second Republic, he was briefly the Secretary to the Kaduna State government under the PRP led Balarabe Musa administration.
To him, the historian cannot be divorced from his education and molding as a scholar and the historicity of the European writers likely influenced some of their writings.
[10] Some of his reflections on the writing of African history includes a critique of Heinrich Barth, a respected source among Western scholars, Usman thought Barth was too focused on the physical and genetic characteristics of those he was studying[11] which he felt was a result of the dominant traditions of nineteenth century European history writing.