Professor Isiaka Zubair Aliagan, Dean of the Faculty of Information and Communication Technology at Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete, is set to receive the prestigious Fellowship of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) for 2025.
The announcement recognizes his outstanding contributions to literature, journalism, and the development of new generations of writers and scholars. The letter of conferment, dated October 22, 2025, was jointly signed by the President of ANA, Dr. Usman Oladipo Akanbi, and the General Secretary, Dame Joan Oji. It described Professor Aliagan’s achievements as a shining example of humanism, promotion of the arts, and advocacy for peaceful coexistence.
The letter further noted that, “In conferring this Fellowship, ANA honours your exceptional literary accomplishments, commitment to nurturing literary talents, and advocacy for freedom of expression and the power of the written and spoken words.”
The award ceremony is scheduled to take place on Friday, October 31, 2025, at the Chinua Achebe International Conference Centre, Mamman Vatsa Writers’ Village, Abuja.
Professor Aliagan’s literary journey began early in life. While still a secondary school student, he published creative works and, during his undergraduate days at Bayero University, Kano, his poems appeared in prestigious national newspapers such as Daily Times, Sunday Concord, and Sunday New Nigerian. His poems were also featured in the ANA anthology of poetry Voices from the Fringe, edited by the late Harry Garuba in 1988, alongside those of established poets. His creative genius extends to dramatic writing. His play Olubu was nominated for the ANA/James Ene Henshaw Prize for Playwriting in 2011, while Rusting Time was nominated for the ANA Drama Prize in 2020.
In 2025, students of the Department of English at Kwara State University staged his play Oba Momo, and his short story collection Scars of the Moon received an honourable mention at the ANA Convention in Port Harcourt. These achievements demonstrate a rare versatility and sustained excellence across poetry, drama, and prose.
Beyond his creative writing, Professor Aliagan is an accomplished scholar-journalist who bridges journalism, digital media, and the political economy of communication. His doctoral thesis, News Content and Journalists’ Socialization with Power in Nigeria, completed at Universiti Sains Malaysia in 2019, examined how news content and journalist-source relationships are shaped by socialization with power structures.
His academic interests, as outlined on his Kwara State University Academia profile, include journalism, social and digital media, press and politics, and new media technologies. In June 2025, he delivered a major lecture at the Doyin Mahmoud Annual Lecture titled “Journalism in the Era of AI-Generated Contents and Deep Fakes,” where he called for the responsible and ethical use of artificial intelligence in modern journalism.
Before his current position at KWASU, he served as Deputy Director of Information at the University of Ilorin, combining administrative leadership with teaching and research.
The conferment of the ANA Fellowship recognizes not only Professor Aliagan’s literary output but also his broader impact as a teacher, mentor, and advocate. He has devoted decades to nurturing younger writers, inspiring students, and defending freedom of expression. His academic and creative work exemplify the fusion of literary art, communication studies, and digital innovation.
The Vice-Chancellor of Kwara State University, Professor Shaykh-Luqman Alade Jimoh, congratulated him, describing the fellowship as “an honour well deserved” and urging him to be “spurred into more creativity.” The recognition reflects how both academia and the literary community view him as a figure of influence and inspiration.
Looking forward, this fellowship offers an opportunity to amplify Professor Aliagan’s visibility on the global stage. His works deserve international engagement through translation, anthology inclusion, and scholarly collaboration. His research interests in digital media, AI, and journalism ethics position him for partnerships with global institutions focused on media and democracy in the digital age.
He also stands at the intersection of creative writing and communication scholarship, where his dual experience as writer and researcher can bridge the creative and academic worlds.
As a public intellectual, he is well-placed to offer critical perspectives on issues such as media regulation, freedom of expression, and technological disruption—thereby enhancing both his personal and institutional profiles.
Professor Isiaka Zubair Aliagan’s professional and creative record speaks for itself. He earned his PhD from Universiti Sains Malaysia in 2019 with groundbreaking research on journalists’ relationships with power. His creative portfolio includes poetry published in leading newspapers, plays like Olubu and Rusting Time, and a celebrated short story collection, Scars of the Moon. He is a professor of journalism, a prolific poet and dramatist, and a respected administrator who has guided the Faculty of Information and Communication Technology at KWASU with visionary leadership.
His scholarship explores how digital and social media reshape the press, politics, and culture.
In an era when the boundaries between media, technology, and literature are increasingly intertwined, Professor Aliagan stands out as an exemplar of intellectual versatility and cultural relevance.
From his early days as a young poet to his current status as a global scholar and literary luminary, his career embodies dedication, creativity, and service.
The ANA Fellowship thus comes not only as recognition of past achievements but as a springboard for new chapters of innovation and mentorship. When the Nigerian literary community gathers in Abuja on October 31, 2025, it will celebrate not just one man’s accomplishments but also the enduring intersection of literature, scholarship, and human progress that Professor Isiaka Zubair Aliagan so eloquently represents.
