The President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Dr. Chris Isiguzo has lauded the pivotal role late historian, Dr Yusuf Bala Usman played in the development of the country, particularly the political and educational sectors.

Isiguzo was speaking in Katsina State Monday at an event marking the 37th anniversary of the creation of the state, with a theme, 19 Years After: Dr YB Usman: His Contributions to the History and Political Development of Katsina State.

He said Usman was a key figure in shaping the country’s progressive foreign policy in the late 1970s and 1980s and was instrumental to the establishment of the Zaria School of History, in Kaduna State.

He also said the late historian was a political activist who sided with the oppressed masses and was actively involved as a research director of the Peoples Republic Party (PRP), during the Second Republic.

He said the late historian was a shiny example for many, and that Nigerians who want to make an impact on their fatherland ought to emulate him to make the country a better place.

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On his part, a representative of the Yusuf Bala Usman Institute, Mr. Sani Ibrahim, said much of the progress made by the state in the last 37 years is directly linked to the ideas, efforts, and progressive struggles of the late historian and his colleagues.

Ibrahim also said the “current challenges that hinder many Katsinawa from fully benefiting from the 21st-century advancements in science and technology can be traced to a lack of engagement with progressive thinkers like Dr. Usman.

He advocated for the coming together of progressive political forces like the late historian, that would commit to the total liberation of a united Nigeria devoid of any divisiveness, manipulations, and regional clannishness.