Hassan Usman an haife shi a shekara ta 1933 a jihar Katsina, daga ajin mulkin Fulani. Ya kasance dan mai martaba Sarkin Katsina Alhaji sir Nagogo.
Ya fara makaranta tun yana dan shekara 7 a makarantar firamare ta Kankiya. Bayan ya kammala karatu ya shiga aikin sojan Najeriya a shekarar 1956. Shi ne Gwamnan soja na farko a rusasshiyar yankin Arewa.
Gwamnatin Katsina, ta ga tsananin kyamar Igbo, wanda ya sa a shekarar 1966 na kin jinin Igbo, garuruwa da dama sun yi kaca-kaca da kashe-kashe da dama sakamakon juyin mulkin da ya yi sanadin mutuwar Firimiya Ahmadu Bello.
Daga baya ya zama babban hafsan hafsoshin soji, daga baya kuma ya zama mataimakin hafsan hafsoshin soji, hedikwatar koli a karkashin gwamnatin Janar Yakubu Gowon. A lokacin yakin basasa, ya jagoranci yakin ta hanyar ninka sojojin, tare da toshe kayan abinci ga Biafra. Ya shaida mika wuya na Biafra ga Najeriya ba tare da wani sharadi ba. Janar Hassan Usman ya yi ritaya daga aikin soja a matsayin gogaggen hafsan soja.
Mutum ne mai rikon amana, ya rasu a shekarar 1995, dan talaka duk da kasancewarsa Gwamna a duk fadin yankin Arewa ya bar gida uku kawai, daya daga cikin gidan da aka ce kyauta ce ta dace da mutum-mutuminsa. Ya rasu bai bar wani abin alatu ba ga ‘ya’yansa. Amma ya bar musu gado mai kyau sosai, yana mai fayyace cewa: “Sunan kirki ya fi dukiya”.
