Career
He was dismissed from office by General Murtala Mohammed, who took power in a coup on 29 July 1975, and who then launched a probe that found him guilty of illegally enriching himself while in office. He was later reinstated by the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida regime after being cleared of all charges, and was given his full benefits and retirement rank. Shortly after he left office the state was split into Niger State and Sokoto State.
He published a pamphlet in 1988 that attacked the national population control program that the Nigerian military government was advocating.
He supported establishing a commodity marketing board to fix or control the prices of produce and animals such as cows, goats and sheep. The board would also preserve produce for times of need, and would set up processing companies for perishable produce such as tomatoes and other vegetables.
In a 2006 press interview he said that the poor pay and equipment of the police could not be justified, and was the cause of the state of insecurity in the country. Usman Faruk was awarded Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) by the Olusegun Obasanjo administration in September 2006.
