I had imagined Kaduna Town would be unfamiliar as a first time visitor, a tourist seeking adventure in Northern Nigeria. That was not the case.
The landscape started off as sparse lowlands patched with mud huts when the car pulled out of the Rigassa train station. The Nigerian Defense Academy caught my eye before the Kaduna High Court of Appeal.
Our destination, Epitome Hotel and Suites situated in Barnawa, Kaduna is clear on the other side of town. We are told that this is Kaduna South. “Kaduna South and Southern Kaduna are different”, our tour guide emphasizes.
Painstakingly, he explains the difference to the group and we listen, cautiously. Southern Kaduna has been a hotbed of crisis following the herdsmen killings. Some members of our tour group admit to concealing their whereabouts from family and friends. To travel with freedom, you must not fear for safety. “A bridge separates the two.” He concludes.
When Arewa House comes into view, I identify it immediately, in shock. It is a lot bigger in real life than the pictures I came across in my research. This building is home to decades of documentation dating as far back as the colonial period. Managed by the Ahmadu Bello University, a lot of Northern Nigeria’s history is archived here.
The men in the group joke about the ordinariness of Lugard Hall. “Are you sure this is where the Parliament meets?” They ask. This is another historic building built in 1914 by the British Colonial government. I want to tell them Queen Elizabeth and her husband walked its hallways in the 1950s. You don’t have to be pretty to make history.
The maintenance of several historic sites in Nigeria is a cause for concern in tourist circles. Who should be held accountable for restoration projects? Is tourism valued as a sector in itself to garner Naira funding interventions? These are another set of questions that time will tell.
In Kaduna, filling stations and businesses go by names of individuals. When the driver pulls into an NNPC filling station, its presence stands out. I call out to a hawker selling dates. I buy with the intention of compare the size with what is sold in Lagos. A few meters away from the station and the dates are finished. I am left with only palate traces of their freshness and succulence for comparison.
It is the first day of Ramadan and fruits are more expensive than usual in Kaduna Town. I look longingly at other fruits as we drive by the market. There are fleshy bananas, red mangoes large enough to feed five, and ginger. Ginger is everywhere. It is not surprising as Kaduna is the largest producer of ginger in Nigeria. Ginger exportation once significantly influenced the country’s economy but things are different.
Today, night life in Kaduna fuels the informal economy. There are men grilling ram meat in wrapped newspapers. For prices starting from as N200, you can get a taste of authentic Suya when visiting. I am introduced to its accompaniment, Masa. They are round shaped cakes made from rice and grilled, street-style. There are large pieces of fish on a grill at another spot in the market. The asking price of N3000-5000 is a lot higher than the meat.
In addition to its meats and fruits, Kaduna is known for some of the best tasting yoghurt. With 59 outlets and counting nationwide, Habib Yoghurt and Fura, with its headquarters in Kaduna is a Northern Frozen Yoghurt franchise to experience. Seeing the Fro-yo mixologist at work in the Barnawa outlet, which stays open until late in the night, was a delight.
He scooped dollops of plain yoghurt into a blender. This was followed by a ball of soft green Fura (millet) and a cup of caramelized coconut shavings. Blended together and poured back in the 550ml yoghurt bowl, the result was outstanding. A sweet tasting blend of varying textures and tastes at a cost of N850. A local version of what Habib Yoghurt produces is consumed as Fura de Nunu.
With eyes and bellies full, we were set for the next part of our adventure. In the next part of the Travel Nigeria series, get ready to meet the madman of Kujama on a trip to the medieval castle nestled in Kaduna’s rocks.
Missed the first part? Read it HERE
