Akilu Aliyu

Aliyu Akilu (1918-1998) was a Nigerian poet and writer and one of the greatest Hausa poets of the twentieth century. Aliyu was born in Jega, in present day Kebbi State. For his early education, he was trained in a Koranic school in Kano, under the Tijaniyya brotherhood, and later went to Borno to study under prominent Islamic scholars from the northeastern part of the country. He was an erudite poet who wrote in Hausa and Arabic, and his recitals drew great acclaim among many Hausa speakers.

References

*Simon Gikandi; Encyclopedia of African Literature, Routledge, 2002.