Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, Talban Minna, the former Governor of Niger State is responsible for the great boom in creative writing in Niger State between 2010-2015. This was a golden age for writers in Niger State when he created the Niger State Book Development Agency for writers in 2012. Between 2011 and 2015, Nigerian writers paid annual pilgrimage to Minna for the MBA Annual International Literary Colloquium. Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu donated a piece of land to writers in Niger State to build a writers village in Minna. He single-handedly published 10 writers that formed the first set of the Nigeria Writers Series. Dr. Mu’azu Babangida’s contributions are more than what has been mentioned here. However, Hill-Top Creative Arts Foundation (HCAF) will not forget his visit to her headquarters in 2015 to felicitate with them on what was taking place there. His visit coincided with a time Saddiq Dzukogi was invited to Uganda to attend that year’s Writivism Festival. Upon the request for him to sponsor Sadiq, he promptly donated a return ticket to facilitate his attendance.
Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu was an attendant at the Annual Schools Carnival of Arts and Festival of Songs (ASCAFS) in 2007, he sponsored the Inauguration and maiden edition of the Northern Nigeria Writers’ Summit in Minna, 2008, he sponsored the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) annual convention in Minna, 2009, he had received Prof. Wole Soyinka, Prof Atukei, Odia Ofeimun, Prof. Ayindoho, Pius Adesanmi, Unoma Azua, former President Juaqin Chissano of Mozambique in audience, in Niger State.
Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu donated a bus to the Association of Nigerian Authors, Niger State, he named a library after Cyprain Ekwensi, and another one after Abubakar Imam. He appointed BM Dzukogi as the pioneer Dire many writers in Niger State as Director-General of the Niger State Book Development Agency and many writers into positions to midwife the agency.
It was in his era ad Governor of Niger State that Minna was referred to as the Mecca of Nigerian literature by writers, journalist, academics and artists.
