Ramadan: Fura da Nono sellers make brisk business
Fura da nono is perhaps the highest selling drink in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital during the Ramadan period, as a lot of people including workers, the business class and even students of tertiary institutions are seen every evening, trooping to the Fura da nono market, specially constructed by Governor Kashim Shettima. It was gathered that the best cow milk drink is found in the market, which is located along Bulunkutu road in Maiduguri.
Though for some months now, Maiduguri the Borno State capital has been in total darkness, those trading on Nono use ice blocks to cool the drink.
Though the drink is always available in the market, less than 10 percent of it is sourced locally, as most of it is gotten from neighbouring states like Adamawa, Taraba, Bauchi and Plateau states.
Dealers of Nono who travel to other states to buy the drink said before the commencement of insurgency, Borno State used to be a hub of cattle trade and breeding and that the cows provided adequate milk for sale. Some of the dealers who spoke to our correspondent said cattle rustling and mass killing of breeders by Boko Haram insurgents caused a change in the situation.
Umar Kakabi, a cattle breeder, said he used to import cows from Sudan, Chad and Cameroun to Maiduguri from where he was sending to the southern states for sale, but that the insurgency crippled the business and turned him to a beggar.
“Yes, I am not better than a beggar now. Before the insurgency, there was no time I had less than 50 cows. I was not paying school fees for my children or buying clothes for my wife. They were milking the cows, selling the milk and taking care of themselves with the proceeds. I used to get fresh milk every morning and evening. Today, there is no cattle farm in this state where you can get up to 100 liters of milk. The insurgents killed our business,” he said.
At the modern milk market, Yana Zarami, a student of the University of Maiduguri, said since the fast started, she spends N300 daily on transportation to the Nono market and back to the campus.
“You know how hot Maiduguri is, coupled with the fasting and lack of light for several months now; I need this Nono to cool down. It is a necessity. In the campus they ration the power. When it is the turn of your hostel, they provide electricity for about three to four hours. They are always complaining of high cost of diesel to power the generators.
“When I take Nono in the evening after breaking my fast, I feel really good. You can see that they all know me here because I am a regular customer. I do not take soft drinks or alcohol. Fura da nono is my favourite. I can live on it for days,” she said.
Okoli Nwafor is a civil servant at the federal secretariat in Maiduguri. He told our correspondent that he first heard about Fura da nono in Kaduna, where he worked for two years but did not have a taste of it until he went to Maiduguri in 2014, adding, “I came in April when the weather was harsh and a friend advised me to be taking it in the afternoon. It is really comforting as it cools one down.
“During fasting when the patronage increases, I make sure I go and buy my own latest by 2pm before people close from work to avoid rush. At the beginning, I used to feel sleepy after taking it, but my friend advised me to eat kolanut after taking it. He said that will take care of the sleep”.
A dried fish merchant, Alhaji Isa Goronyo, said, “I am highly impressed by the quality of the Nono they are selling there. They will always tell you the truth; that they have three types- the pure Nono from the cow, the one mixed with powdered milk and the one made of powdered milk and one whitish substance. I always go for the pure one.
“I will mix it and leave it overnight. In the morning, I will add a lot of water to it and drink,” he said.
The men and women who were seen selling the drink, hailed the government for constructing the market. They attributed the high sale they are recording to the clean environment.
One of the sellers, Fatima Mohammed, said she gets her supply from Biu town in the state, adding, “I come to the market twice a week. Each time I go to Biu, I use to buy 60 liters of Nono.
“I am always sad whenever I am unable to sell everything because it will spoil. But when we notice that the Nono is about to spoil, we add water to it and turn it to a drink we call ‘Tsala’. Again,
Dealers of Nono who travel to other states to buy the drink said before the commencement of insurgency, Borno State used to be a hub of cattle trade and breeding and that the cows provided adequate milk for sale
we can also sell to people that will use it to do a popular Kanuri kunu called ‘Mardam.’ So, it is difficult to record losses in the Nono business here,” she said.
Amina Yar-Mama is also a seller, who gets her supply from Taraba State. She said, “I buy my Nono in 20 liters containers and each time, I go there, I buy 16 containers. I won’t tell you how much I buy each container, but I sell each at N3,000 when I arrive here.”
But Hajara Usman who sells her Nono from a calabash said she gets her supply from Mubi in Adamawa State and Jama’are in Bauchi State respectively. She added that she sells from a calabash “because Nono is meant to be in calabash and not a plastic container.”