As the Yusufu Bala Usman Institute is primarily a research centre, the activities we have engaged in have utilised a wide range of research methodologies, from intensive one-on one interviews, to large scale quantitative samples analysed with the use of sophisticated data analysis. But at the heart of our research activities is a commitment to utilising the data gathered to solve problems of the society, whether poverty, abuse of human rights, corruption, exploitation of the powerless, and the impact of ecological issues on the quality of life.