For 37 straight years Bala Suya literally was a torn in the flesh of the Hausa community in Sabo involved in daily business of roasted meat delicacy popularly known as SUYA business in Ibadan.
Aside the fact, he blaze the business trail at a tender age of 17 years when he was seconded to 2 Simeon Adebo NUJ Iyaganku, GRA by Sehinde Dagunduro /Bolaji Kareem-led exco after being introduced by the 3-man Committee – Chief Correspondent of Radio Kaduna, Hadj Gambo Ibrahim; Sola Akunuli of the Sketch Press Limited and Mr. Oladejo Idris-the NUJ Treasurer in 1987. The young Gambo at the time was financially mobilised to start the business. The fact was that NUJ wanted a relaxation Centre, this compelled then Exco to give a seed money to start up the business with sum of 3k to buy a ram and flag off.
The business of roasted beef thrived within a space of time, to stop Journalists and friends from the rigor of having to go through Dugbe-Ekotedo-Adamasingba’s traffic to get Suya in Sabo.
The entertainment writers on Sketch and Tribune desk then, Messrs, Wale Ademowo and Abu-Satar Ahmed and few others promoted Bala’s enterprise with their incisive write ups beyond what it was then in the State to attract patronage across Ibadan and its environs. Late Ibadan business woman Hadja Suluat Adedeji made him more popular as she engaged Bala’s services in all her ceremonial activities. Through this, Bala became sought after Suyaman among Ibadan elites. If you live within the South-West axis, rather than visit Sabo for Suya joints, your option is to be at NUJ Press Club. Other social clubs around Iyaganku GRA, Ringroad/ Oluyole Estate and Oke- Ado and Onireke areass of the city, – Bala Suya was a sure bet that cannot be ignored.The talk of the town then was Bala – balangwu a ram version of the streak beef sticks.
Bank officials and the Lebanese community developed interest in the roasted beef barbecue that Press Centre offered and it became the first point of call after office hours for staff/friends in this axis .
Bala delicacy is a joint for the Oke- Ado Motor dealers group and this prompted the then NUJ Chairman, late Dapo Aderogba and his Secretary Lekan Awoyemi, to add – Mofola Bar in Basorun to open an outlet at the Centre to run the Press Club moribound bar and this again added to the clientele list and literally brought our colleagues from NTA and BCOS Ile- Akede and Information Ministry close to join the Centre crowd.
With Bala and Uncle B – cool pot. The business thrived ushering few of Journalists friends in the Army, Police and Plaint cloth security agency close before the paramilitary group such as Road Safety, Immigration, Customs Prison and others joined and became members and patrons of the club. Labour movement activists like Late Comrade Lumumba Oyebola, elder brother to the former Daily Times Editor, Areoye Oyebola, Laoye Sanda, NANS leaderships from University of Ibadan shifted base to Press Centre from Comrade Dr. Ola Oni’s corner in Bodija to rendezvous at the Cente, Barrister Gbenga Awosode and Moshood Erubami influenced the NLC under the leader Comrade Isiaka Ibrahim in the state and endeared its members to patronise and have tactical meetings at the NUJ facilities for what it offers.
One of our former military governor/administrator, late Colonel Sasaenia Oresanya made it a point of duty to sneaked in every weekend to interact with journalists and when he ended his tour of the state, he introduced his successor, Late Major-General Abdulkareem Adisa to keep the weekend camaraderie with journalists and Bala Suya continued throughout his period and the fellowship flourished.
Bala enterprise spread rapidly to other NUJ centres in Osogbo and beyond. The late Bala influence few of his apprentices to relocate other NUJ centres to ply their trade. Till date Bala Suya remained the cheapest you could get anywhere in Ibadan.
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And to few journalists on the prank games, your only insurance/insulator to shield you from query at home was to arm yourself with the sticks of Bala’s suya and when the home front soldiers noticed these sticks, your story lines instant becomes a bailout otherwise you are on your own – OYO.
Bala mi-nna, as I usual way I called him – you’d be missed by the Press Centre Community, but we take solace in God that you lived a fulfilled life in your own way. Rest in peace…. Bala.
©️ Lanre Ogundipe
Former President Nigeria Union and African Union of Journalists writes from Abuja.
