 He established, and taught in, Islamic schools in Maiduguri and Azare.For his early education, he was trained in a Quranic 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.