By Ashraf Aboul-Yazid
Brigadier General Sani Kukasheka Usman (R) is a Security, Information and Public Relations Demigod. He is a speaker at the coming Congress of African Journalists (CAJ) Conference 2021. SK, fondly addressed by admirers will be digging on the topic: Africa Security Challenges; Freedom of Information Law Implementation, a critical ingredient for peace and curbing fake news. Read his resume.
Brig. Gen. Sani Kukasheka Usman (R), mni FNIPR fapra mnarc DFIOARM, is the Consultant Director, Corporate Affairs and Information at the Nigerian Army Resource Centre, Abuja and the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Mahangi Communication Services and Mahangi Farms. He is also a member of the Editorial Board of African Leadership Magazine and member of the Board of Trustees of Security Watch Africa Initiative.
Before his voluntary retirement from the Nigerian Army in February 2019, Usman was the Director of Army Public Relations and Spokesman for the Nigerian Army. While in service, he promoted hard work, dedication, professional excellence and transformed public relations practice and strategic communication in the Nigerian Army.
SK Usman holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communication and a Master of Arts degree in Media, Peace and Conflict Studies from Bayero University Kano, Nigeria and the United Nations Mandated University for Peace (UPEACE), San Jose, Costa Rica, respectively. He also attended the prestigious National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru as member of Senior Executive Course 40, 2018.
SK Usman was commissioned into the Nigerian Army in 1992 and rose to the rank of Brigadier General before he voluntarily retired after over 35 years of meritorious military service. While in the military, he served in various units and formations of the Nigerian Army and had two tours of duty on United Nations Peace Keeping Operations in Sierra Leone, Ethiopia and Eritrea. He also held several command and staff appointments in various formations and units of the Nigerian Army; the last of which was, Director of Army Public Relations (DAPR).
In the course of his impeccable military career, he has attended several professional courses, seminars and workshops both within Nigeria and abroad. These include Senior Officers’ Spokesman’s Course at Joint Information Activities Group, Royal Air Force, Halton, London, the United Kingdom in 2015, Journalists Protection in Conflict Zone course at Hellenic National Defence General Staff Multinational Peace Support Operations Training Centre, Greece in 2016 and a 6-month Basic Arabic Course at the Nigerian Army School of Education (NASE), Ilorin in 1994.
Other courses include, the prestigious Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC), Jaji for Junior Staff Course in 2002 and Kofi Annan Peacekeeping Training Centre, Accra Ghana for Media Operations Course in 2005 and Professionalizing Protocol, Information and Press Duties for Efficient and Effective Administration – African Business School Johannesburg, South Africa. He also did several online courses at United Nations Assistance Training program (UNITAR) with distinction. These include Global Terrorism and Insurgency, Military Observer and Civil-Military Cooperation and Coordination, Peacekeeping and International Conflict Resolution-United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) in 2003.
A prolific writer and resourceful person, he has written so many articles published in newspapers, magazines and journals. He has also delivered papers at strategic military institutions, as well as, during seminars and workshops both in Nigeria and other African countries on leadership, crisis and strategic communication. SK Usman is also regular guest on many Prime-Time Television and radio stations programs where he discusses national security, policies and strategic communication.
A well-decorated retired senior military officer, Brigadier-General SK Usman (R) has received many honors and awards from the military, civil organizations and institutions. Some of which include Corps Medal of Honor (CMH), Distinguished Service Star (DSS), Forces Service Star (FSS), Meritorious Service Star (MSS), General Operations Medal (GOM) and River Niger Star (RNS), for his bravery. Others were Operation ZAMAN LAFIYA Medal, Silver Jubilee Medal (SJM), Golden Jubilee Medal (GJM) and the United Nations Medal for Peace from the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone in 2003, as well as the United Nations Medal for Peace from the United Nations Mission in Eritrea and Ethiopia (UNMEE) in 2006; Certificate of Merit for Radio Production from the Headquarters of UNAMSIL in 2003 and Certificate of Appreciation for Excellent Contribution to the success of first ever-Peacekeeping Course for Emerging Troops/Police Contributing Countries in 2004.
Other accolades include Chief of Army Staff’s Letter of Commendation and Force Commander’s Commendation Letter for outstanding performance as CIMIC officer at United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) in 2006. He was the Best delegate for Excellent Performance at the Annual University for Peace Model United Nations Conference 2011. In 2015 he was awarded the “Best Security Information Manager in West Africa” by Security Watch Africa. The Correspondents Chapel of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, Federal Capital Chapter, conferred him yet with another most deserving Diligence to Service award in 2016. Arewa Trust Publications also gave him a similar distinction in the same year.
The Africa Roundtable Initiative in March 2017 awarded Usman the Outstanding Military Spokesman of the Year. Similarly, Vision One Leadership Development on 25th May 2017 gave him an Icon of Diligent Service, Security and Capacity Building Award. Other honors included Icon of Vision and Excellence Award by Institute of Corporate Administration on 9th September 2017, Best Spokesman of the Year 2017, by the North East Magazine in December 2017, Excellent Service Award by Institute for Service Excellence and Good Governance on 7th December 2017 and Arewa Trust newspaper Man of the Year Award in December 2017, he was also presented with African Goodwill Ambassador Award of Excellence Service in November 2020, amongst others.
Brigadier General SK Usman (R) mni, has had many media appearances on television and radio stations, where he discusses security, policy, public relations, media and communication strategy. He has also written many articles and delivered several papers at strategic military institutions as well as during seminars and workshops both in Nigeria and other African countries on leadership, crisis and strategic communication.
He belongs to various professional bodies among which includes; member of the prestigious National Institute (mni), a Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (FNIPR), Fellow African Public Relations Association (fapra), as well as, Distinguished Fellow Institute of Organizational and Administrative Risk Management of Nigeria (DFIOARM).
Usman is happily married to Hajiya Hadiza and the marriage is blessed with children. At his leisure, he enjoys reading and listening to music.
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Ashraf Aboul-Yazid is an eminent Egyptian writer, poet, novelist, journalist, analyst and Editor-in-Chief of Silk Road Literature series. He is author of around three dozen books. Many of his books have been translated in various languages of the world.
