By Yinka Fabowale
O jina o, kibo!
O yo gende.
Li kobo y’omo, yo’ya
O yo dede ule
Mi le nikan je tan o
E wa ba mi ra!
Every dusk, the call went up, usually as the hour approached seven o’clock. With the crier’s sonorous sing-song Remo dialect inflection, it pierces the night’s falling darkness around Pen Cinema Street/ Batoro area of my town, Sagamu, Ogun State.
This is the message:
It’s done, fresh-hot!
A serving will quench the hunger of a giant
More than I alone can finish
Come join in
A kobo’s wrap
Will feed an entire family
Come and buy!
For many diners – bachelors, spinsters and families, either already in their homes or hurrying back from work, markets or other outing to find something suitable for supper, it was more than an advertisement, it was a warning summon by Iya Elebiripo (that’s what we called her), a popular vendor of Ebiripo, a favourite local delicacy, for her customers to hasten, lest they miss out on the highly prized stock.
And it’s no empty threat, as the pudding, made from grated cocoyam and wrapped in leaves in the fashion of Moinmoin, Fufu and Akamu, took less than an hour to disappear from a large-sized steaming aluminum pot and a smaller one placed on smouldering fire. Hence, there was always a scramble as people – men and women, young and old, hungry for the savoury delight, trooped in from every corner of the neighbourhood sometimes as far as Ijokun and Ayegbami, passing other Ebiripo sellers on the way, to patronize her!
The rush attested to Iya Elebiripo’s reputation as probably one of the best Ebiripo kneaders in town.
Ebiripo may, of course, not be so well -known to outsiders as Ikokore, its cousin, more identified with Ijebu and Remo people, but only for the fact that Ikokore is mostly served as ceremonional treats. Ebiripo, on the other hand, is to the people of these parts what pounded yam is to Ekiti, Ijesa, Igbo and other noble African cultures where it is both staple and king of the heritage cuisines – It is relished every day!
Though both my parents are from Owu-Egba, Ebiripo was more regular on our family menu than Eba, Amala, Fufu or Lafun, (their own native and equally delicious cassava flour meal).
And Mother had won our hearts and gratitude, we, the children and our cousins who lived with us at different points in time, with the dexterity she mashed and beat the greyish and brownish stuff into softer, finer, pulpy texture with a ladle in a large bowl, around which we all gathered afterwards for a memorable culinary experience, what with a variety of sauce, stew and soup, egusi, vegetable, ewedu, okro in the house to go with it at various times!
That is after I had fetched several wraps from Iya Elebiripo across the street, a chore I enjoyed and executed with uncommon zeal and alacrity.
In African homes of our time, you ate whatever was provided for everyone at meal times. But Mother sometimes indulged my choice to eat outside what had been decreed for dinner, of course, with the caveat that I buy the food from my pockets and never to dare touch her soup pots, were Ebiripo the option, which, as everyone in the house knew, it invariably had to be. The extravagance came whenever I had a coin or two dashed me by relations or friends of my parents.
But far from being a concession, the deal implied disapproval or, in fact, veiled prohibition, as the two given conditions, particularly denial of soup, was ostensibly to deter my rebellious appetite.
The ploy never worked, however. In just a few months, I taught Mama Fabowale a secret she never knew about in all the years she had been living in Ijebuland and ever before I was born – Ebiripo is much tastier and its flavour richer, when eaten with plain palm oil grease! Incredible but true!
Eventually, the poor woman had to give up her fruitless attempts to tame my stubborn craving.
What has brought these nostalgic recollections of my childhood?
A Reporter and His Beat, a book I was strongly stirred to write and which I humbly believe can benefit journalism practice and our society in the bid to getting Nigeria to work and thrive.
Opinions of some icons of the profession who have sampled the modest offering are so encouraging they inspired in me the confidence to borrow of Iya Elebiripo’s vending slogan franchise in proclaiming the debut of the work it has taken two years to complete. (Kindly see blurb for some of the comments).
Perhaps the most heartwarming is the endorsement which came from Mr. Lade Bonuola (our legendary Ladbone), who, as pioneer editor of The Guardian and later Managing Director of the acclaimed Flagship of the Nigerian press, instituted the culture of excellence that minted accomplished journalists and globally respected writers to whom my kind are still apprentices. With a mere sniff of the humble serving, he adjudged the book capable of offering nothing other than substance of worth.
“… You are my pride… with accustomed enrapturing prose! Enchanting freshly words, never the beaten track nor the same old hat and tired words. None do you embrace, nor can any be attributed to you, but the picturesque renditions of accounts! I heartily congratulate you on this feat!” the veteran of frugal but rich words and temperate mien writes with implicit confidence, even before a copy got to his table:
Well, what else can a ‘tear-rubber’ author ask for!
Elders, seniors, colleagues and friends, I trust I can count on you to support this vision by not only ordering personal copies but some for your loved ones too. This book must get into as many hands as possible. You will see why when you engage the pages!
Publisher’s Notes:
- Yinka Fabowale, a veteran journalist and the Editorial Board Chairman of The Radiance, was for many years the Oyo State Correspondent of The Guardian reporting from his Ibadan base until 1999 when he moved to The Comet in the same capacity. He was with TELL weekly news magazine and The Sun newspapers from where he left as Assistant Editor/Bureau Chief, South West.
- A Reporter and His Beat is a narrative of Fabowale’s almost 40 years’ experience as a journalist and media practitioner. Apart from exploring the practical dynamics of Journalism training and practice, media ecologies and traditions over time, it is also a commentary on the sociology of the Nigerian media. This makes the book an invaluable pedagogical and documentary resource material particularly for practitioners, researchers and students of Communication and Media Studies, Sociology, History, Political Science and allied disciplines. The book is about all journalists in Nigeria, their learning experiences, exploits and challenges, all aimed at improving the practice of the noble profession and serving as a prescriptive legacy for upcoming generations.
Following are samples of what some of Nigeria’s best media chiefs said of the book:
- “Passion…daring…diligence, integrity, modesty, empathy, maturity, and…sense of higher purpose are on full display in this book.” – Kunle Ajibade, Executive Editor/Director, The NEWS/PMNEWS;
- “Worthy of admittance to the… corpus of sublime literature and will enrich the perspectives of policy makers, scholars of communication and journalism, development studies experts, and anyone interested in the range of subjects it covers. – Mike Awoyinfa, Former MD/Editor-in-Chief, The Sun Publishing Ltd;
- “A good read”’for the purity of…presentation, the beauty of … language and the huge lessons within” – Abiodun Adeniyi, Ph. D (Leeds), Professor of Communication, Baze University, Abuja;
- “Frankly, humorously, and humbly reveals both the glittering side and the seedy underbelly of Nigeria’s Fourth Estate.” – Lola Fabowale, B. Admin. (Trent); MMS (Carleton);
- “Uncannily combines the nose for news of a natural reporter, with the aplomb of a creative writer. The alchemy…delivers the best kind of scripts you can think of.” – Femi Adesina, Former MD/Editor-in-Chief, The Sun Newspapers, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari;
- “This…great work..is worth your time and investment.” – Dare Babarinsa, Chairman Gaskia Media Ltd and co-founder of TELL weekly news magazine.
