When I woke up this morning, I suddenly had the urge to eat "Alkubus", a local delicacy we used to eat as breakfast at Ƴantaba, in Katsina, when we were young reporters at Katsina State Television, KTTV.
And I decided there and then I was going down to that particular house where we would squat on local wooden seats or sit on mats. Although they've now opened a modern restaurant opposite GDSS Kofar Yandaka, they still maintain the old place, which I prefer.
So I sought the assistance of my friend, Kabir Yar'adua, a "Bakatsinen Asali", to take me to the house because I can't remember the way as I haven't been there since early 90s.
True enough, I found the house as I still remember it in my memory.
The food still maintains the taste as it used to. So I ordered my favourite dish: "Alkubus" with cooked breast of a chicken, "Miyar Taushe" and "Manshanu".
As I ate, it brought back memories (call it "santi") of our days as reporters. We always branched off to the house through Rafindaɗi, a narrow footpath that hardly allows cars to pass.
Those were the days we sought for news in Katsina together with Nasiru Abdul, former SA Media to late Governor Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, now GM, ABU Radio; Maharazu Ahmed, former SA Media to Governor Shema, now Bureau Chief, NAN, Kaduna; Abdul'aziz Lawal Danyari, former Chairman, Malumfashi LGC, former GM, KTTV; Abdullahi Aliyu Jibiya, now a Foreign Affairs Officer; late Hafiz Ahmed, former Editor, Newsworld, an indigenous magazine that used to be published by Wazirin Katsina, Dr. Sani Lugga and where the famous Prof. Farooq Kperogi did his NYSC, I believe, and several others.
I recall those days with nostalgia...