Usman Aliyu

Usman Aliyu, an editor/Assistant Chief Correspondent with the News Agency of Nigeria, is a journalist based in Benin City, South South Nigeria. With expertise, Usman dives deep into various crucial topics to bring forth impactful news stories. He covers education, governance, health, agriculture, climate, and ecology, among an array of other subjects.

He also brings a wealth of experience from his reporting stint in Northern Nigeria, where he dedicated a remarkable decade of his career in Kwara State. Usman possesses a Higher National Diploma and Bachelor's Degree in Mass Communication, equipping him with a solid academic foundation for his work. He currently winding up his Master's Degree in the same discipline at the University of Ilorin.

He is a fact-checker and member of the African Fact-Checking Alliance (AFCA), the largest network of fact-checkers on the continent.

Usman had a first contact with Solutions Journalism in 2020 via a two week academy on Solutions & Data Journalism at the Pan-Atlantic University, Lagos, followed by a post-training mentorship. He wrote six solutions reports during the six months that the mentorship lasted. In recognition of his exceptional skills, he was selected as a fellow for the Solutions Journalism Africa Initiative (SJAI) led by the Nigeria Health Watch (NHW) in 2022 under which he received support to produce impactful stories on responses to social issues. He was also amongst the recipients of collaborative solutions reporting grants in 2023, pioneered in Nigeria by the NHW.

Moreover, Usman was chosen as a fellow for the CfA-ICFJ Religious Extremism Investigation in 2023. In this endeavour, he courageously delved into the stories of religious minorities who faced discrimination in the state of Kwara, Nigeria.

Similarly, he recently concluded the maiden Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) Journalism Fellowship for West African journalists, where he produced stories that deepen awareness and knowledge of the benefits of digital public infrastructure for the economic growth of the sub-region.

Usman is a journalist with international experience. He covered the 2022 World Forestry Congress as well as COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt and COP28 in Dubai, United Arab Emirate.