Oldest newspaper vendor in Borno dies at 90

By Ndahi Marama

MAIDUGURI—MALLAM Ali Baba Hadeja, 90, newspapers vendor has died in Maiduguri,Borno State capital after a brief illness leaving behind many children,grand-children and great grand-children.

The late vendor Vanguard learnt, came to Maiduguri from his hometown Hadeja in Jigawa State, in search of Quaranic knowledge. He started the newspaper vending business before Nigeria’s independence in 1960.

At the time he started vending, only the West African Pilot and Irohin Yoruba were the indigenous newspapers in the country. Later, Nigerian Citizen and Jakadiya the harbingers of New Nigeria Newspapers, NNN, and Gaskiya-Tafi- Kwabo
were the newspapers printed in northern Nigeria.

Testimonies

According to Alhaji Mohammed Bello, one of the major newspaper distributors in Maiduguri, late Mallam Ali Hadeja had raised a lot of newspaper vendors who earn their livelihood through selling newspapers within and outside Borno State,
pointing out that several of them are now well-to-do businessmen and contractors.

Bello said late Ali was an honest and hardworking individual who enjoyed selling newspapers on his bicycle, adding that he was an easy going and jovial person who will be missed greatly by not only the members of vendors’ association,
journalists in the state, but also his customers.

Our correspondent who visited the family of the late Ali Hadeja gathered that his wife died two years ago and the doyen of newspaper vending in Borno had been living alone.

One of his neighbours, Alhaji Inuwa Hussaini, described the late Ali as a devout Muslim who does not have any enemy and was always prepared to help those in need.