Last week, BBC Hausa celebrated 60 years. To mark the occasion, veteran staff were invited to a commemoration. Some, like me, were invited to present programmes (I co-anchored morning shows of Thursday March 30 with Ahmad Abba Abdullahi; another ‘old hand’ but young man Maude Gwadabe read the news). Later that morning at Yarádua Centre, a lecture by Prof. Abdalla Uba Adamu (VC NOUN) discussed by my BUK Faculty Dean Prof. Umar Pate (who had been on the earlier morning broadcast) brought many of us together for the first time in many years. ‘New’ BBC Hausa hands such as Muhammad Kabir, Aisha Sharif and Usman Minjibir hosted us. This week, I remember those years at Bush House:
I ALMOST DIDN’T GO: When the BBC hired me back in 1997, I almost didn’t go. I was by then stringing (in plain language, correspondent) for Deutsche Welle Hausa, now simply DW Hausa (having started back in 1994 in Cairo while a student at the American University in Cairo). As well as teaching Mass Communication in BUK, the DW job gave me a decent income. And then suddenly, ‘Wal-Ba-Ni-Wal-Ba-Ka’ happened. Apart from losing the BUK salary for several months while the university was closed, some of us were being harassed for being too ‘anti-government’. So I did a NADECO – off to London to join the BBC. I arrived as the service was celebrating 40 years.
“NI-KUMA-NI-NE-ISA-ABBA-ADAMU”: Senior Producer (later Editor and now Director at the Legislative Institute in Abuja) Isa met me at Heathrow on arrival that cold morning. He took one look at what I was wearing – typical Hausa kaftan – and suggested we immediately proceed to a warm-clothing shop. I didn’t argue; I was freezing to the bones despite the generous tomato-face cover all over me. But we had to look for a Big-Man-Shop (as I am height and width ‘challenged’, on the positive side. TubarkAllah!).
THE CHINESE BUFFET ON QUEENSWAY: Living in the BBC hostel in Bayswater, West London, had its challenges – you were expected to cook your own food, at which I was an F9, or buy expensive fare at West London restaurants. Then I discovered a Chinese buffet just outside the Central Line underground station at Queensway. It claimed ‘Halal’ and so there! ‘Eat All You Want For £2!’ it announced. Such buffets are predicated on the assumption that most people didn’t, or wouldn’t, eat much any way, and the margin would balance up in favour of the restauranteur. Well, they didn’t bargain with me. I always ate the equivalent of at least £10! I was even afraid the Chinese owner would recognise my breakfast-lunch-dinner combo consumption. (I was later to meet my match in buffets when I spent a WHOLE YEAR at the Sheraton Abuja when I returned to Nigeria as Villa Press Secretary – story for another day).
SAINTS, BRICK-DROPPERS, HUMOUR-MONGERS: There were two saints at BBC Hausa when I arrived: Saint Matazu (now with Vision FM) and Saint Mansur (now DG FRCN). They were kind to a fault – and that was the problem. They could bend over backwards, in fact break their backs if necessary, to please others. Which was good. Then there was Karaye (now an Abuja publisher); fun to be with, happy-go-lucky fellow, but prone to dropping bricks (‘Dukan-Garwa’). Without giving details, if he reads this he may recall “London Yoruba Taxi Drivers”; “Saádou Bori”; “Abin-Da-Kamar-Wuya”. Then there were the humour-mongers, Usman (where is he no one knows, but he is alive) and Ahmad (still at the Hausa Service). These two could bring the house down! No dull moment with them. And then Aminu (still there too) and Idris (now a Kano tycoon) who could argue, reasonably and un-, all day and all night, and all the next day!
AND THOSE DELECTABLE LADIES – AISHA AND HINDU: Aicha Moussa (French for Aisha Musa) and Hindu Waziri (who sadly died some years ago in London) complemented the BBC Hausa male-majority newsroom. Sometimes Abba or Usman or Karaye or, to admit it, I would want to crack male-inclined jokes but the words would stop in their tracks, halfway down the throat, on realising Aisha and Hindu were around. They really mellowed us. Excellent colleagues they were. And also Jamila Tangaza. Nice ladies.
FOND MEMORIES OF BARRY BURGESS: Barry was the Boss. He was an excellent teacher and leader. He was the quintessential ‘Jakin Kano’ as he spoke perfect Hausa. With Barry, editorial meetings were like university academic boards, or Senates, where one could argue and prove a better point. And Barry would always accept superior arguments. A particular episode I recall was when I argued against airing a particular confession of a Kaduna armed robber who, on being paraded by police, admitted not only to the robbery but to also violating the woman of the house. I argued on distastefulness to culture and religion, as airing the report would be double tragedy for the family. Barry, despite the apparent ‘salaciousness’ of the item, accepted my view. And there was Roger, who actually thought I should understand cricket!
MY CAR INSURANCE: When my family arrived London and I got a flat in Charlton, SE7, courtesy Matazu, I also bought a car. My first insurance, for which I had used my West London hostel address, came in cheap. When it was time to renew and I gave my new South East London address, the price nearly tripled. Discrimination based postcode it was! I later learnt it was expected if you live in the poorer parts of town you are more prone to accidents, and hence claims, on your insurance. Class A people lived in West London, Class B in the North (Mansur and Abba did), Class C in the South (Karaye) and most hoi polloi in the East.
WHEN ABIOLA WINS: It was at the BBC that a colleague once told me that back in 1993, some Nigerians (and you can quickly guess from which parts) who thought and believed BBC was being funded by the Nigerian government were jubilating that the service would close down once Abiola won the presidential election. Ignoramuses!
THE FAMILY GET TOGETHER: One of the most memorable family occasions was a Sallah get-together hosted by Sulaiman Ibrahim Katsina (who had earlier left the BBC and rejoined after I left) who would eventually become my best friend. And we reconnected with old friend Mustafa Chinade, who had by then left the BBC but was working elsewhere in London. Mustafa the hair-splitter! He could make a simple matter complicated just by trying to explain it – and he’s still at it, as we are together in BUK. Phew!
FOCUS ON AFRICA: At one time, I was transferred to English-to-Africa to work on Focus on Africa and Network Africa. Some of the Editors there didn’t believe we could do English programming (I grew up with that discrimination having attended School for Arabic Studies for post-primary education). The Editor, who was interviewing me, asked me to write an essay on something I can’t now recall. Essay fa! When he read it, and heard it recorded on air, he was so amazed that he went round his colleagues… (I hold myself lest I’m tripped on ego-trip). They didn’t know the excellent talent at Hausa Service, only that Hausas are just humble, unobtrusive people.
So, congratulations to BBC Hausa, and Salam to all colleagues then and now. The rest is not history, but current affairs. After all, I’m still around alhamdu lilLah!