Skyline University Nigeria

Faculty Members Details​

Mr. Usman Bello Balarabe

Asst. Lecturer - Mass Communication

Mr. Usman Bello Balarabe

Introduction

Mr. Usman Bello Balarabe is an accomplished journalist, public relations practitioner; and media strategist with over five years of experience. He holds a first-class Honours bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication from Bayero University, Kano; and a master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from Mewar University, India.

Usman has authored investigative stories and numerous special and in-depth reports at the intersection of Environment, Health, Education, Economics, Public spending, Security, and Politics. He has deep knowledge on investigating corruption and financial crimes, budget tracking, Health science, open-source investigation tools, Coordinated Inauthentic Behaviour (CIB) Investigation, and Fact-checking.

He is also a published researcher in the areas of climate and energy journalism, fake news and misinformation, digital and social media advertising, and media communications. He has proven track records of producing high quality works, covering important topics, and contributing to the fields of journalism, public relations and communication studies. He is presently a Faculty Member of Skyline University Nigeria (SUN).

Prior to SUN, Usman was with Daily Trust Newspaper, where he worked as a data and investigative journalist, uncovering illegal and financial crimes in Nigeria.

He was also with the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) where he was involved in a McArthur-funded development research on issues bordering Education, Gender-Based Violence, Energy, and the Oil and Gas sector in Nigeria.

He also worked as an Investigative Journalist with Economic confidential Magazine, Sub-editor with Health-digest news magazine, and as a staff writer with a PR Nigeria Centre in Abuja.

Climate and Energy Journalism; Artificial Intelligence in Journalism; Social Media fake news and misinformation Narratives; Social Media advertising; and Media communications.

  1. Balarabe, U.B, and Hamza, Y.G. (2020). Climate Change: Media Coverage and Perspectives of Climate Change in Kano, Nigeria. Journal of Energy Research and Reviews: 6(2), 11 – 19. https://doi.org/10.9734/jenrr/2020/v6i230163
  2. Balarabe, U.B and Kumar, R. (2020). Perspectives and Impacts of Social Media Fake News and Misinformation Narratives about Coronavirus (Covid-19) In India. IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science. 25, 62 – 66. 10.9790/0837-2507086266
  3. Balarabe, U.B. (2020). Survey on the usage of WhatsApp and Instagram social media as advertising tools. ACADEMICIA: An International Multidisciplinary Research Journal. 226. 10.5958/2249-7137.2020.00098.1
  4. Balarabe, U.B. (2020). Impact of COVID-19 and Pandemic Lockdown in India: Role of Media during Lockdown. Eureka Publications. ISBN: 978-81-946233-5-9.
  1. Investigating Corruption and Financial Crime Seminar, Abuja 2024
  2. West African Journalism Innovation Conference (WAJIC), Abuja 2023
  3. A seminar on Mainstreaming of Teaching and Research of Indigenous Language in Communication Studies in Nigerian Universities, Kano 2021.

Collaborative Investigative Reporting on Nigeria’s Election.

1.   Won the 2019 PR Nigeria “Graduating Student Award” for being the Best Graduating Student with First Class Honours in the Department of Mass Communication, Bayero University, Kano

2.      Won the 2019 “Award of Excellence” of Bayero University, Kano, Department of Mass Communication for securing First Class Honours and Being the Best Student 2017/2018 Session

3. Won the 2019 KDF - Postgraduate Foreign Scholarship Award to study Master’s Degree in India.

  1. Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (Associate Member)
  2. Nigerian Network of Sustainable Development Journalists (Member)
  3. Center for Collaborative Investigative Journalism, West Africa Hub (Member).