Hajiya Zara Mai Tuwo, an 80-year-old woman from Kano, Nigeria, has spent over five decades running a tuwo business in the Lungun Filasku area of Fagge. Her daily routine involves grinding millet, lighting fire, and preparing pots of tuwo for customers. The business, which has sustained her family for generations, offers millet tuwo served with kuka soup or okra, often accompanied by cow butter and meat.
Hajiya Zara's business journey began with selling fura before she switched to tuwo when her children were young. In her own words, the business has been on for more than 50 years. The business was not just about preparing and selling food; it was the foundation upon which she raised her children, paid their school fees, married them off, and provided a home for the family.
Until recently, Hajiya Zara's working day stretched from morning until night; however, old age has limited her capacity to just evenings. On a typical day, she begins preparations around noon, grinding millet flour, setting cooking pots on fire, and preparing the tuwo. Her compound starts to attract customers by midday, including young men and women, children and adults, traders, married men, and widows.
Hajiya Zara's children have vivid memories of growing up around their mother's tuwo business. Her youngest son, Datti Usman, said he had never known his mother to be without the business. He noted that all his schooling was funded by this business, which began after his father's death in 1998. Datti now works in the Kano State Universal Basic Education Board and assists his mother in her business whenever he returns from work.
Despite her children's encouragement to retire, Hajiya Zara said she would not be able to stop the business due to the challenges and tedious tasks involved. Her children and grandchildren help her with tasks that have become difficult for her to do due to age. Hajiya Zara, now a great-grandmother, has more than 60 grandchildren and over 30 great-grandchildren.
Hajiya Zara's customers have remained loyal over the years, spanning decades. Her tuwo sells at N250 and above, depending on what the customer orders. Customers said that aside from her meal being readily affordable for the common man on the street, it is also tasty. Some customers buy the tuwo at night, leave it with her, and come back the next morning for her to reheat in soup for them to have the next morning.
The tuwo business has not been taken over by any of Hajiya Zara's children, as they consider it hard work. However, her son, Datti, noted that people from different ethnic backgrounds living around Fagge also patronize his mother's business. The taste and familiarity of the food have helped it survive changing times and the emergence of many modern food outlets.
Key points
- The business has been a source of financial support for Hajiya Zara's family for over 50 years.
- Hajiya Zara's customers have remained loyal to her business despite the proliferation of restaurants and food outlets in Kano.
- The tuwo business has helped Hajiya Zara's children, including her youngest son, Datti Usman, who works in the Kano State Universal Basic Education Board.
