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| Calabar Suya Academy, located at Bogobiri, Calabar |
With over 50 shops occupied largely by traders from the Northern part of the country, the Calabar Suya Academy, located in Bogobiri, in the ancient city of Calabar, Cross River State, sure draws a wide patronage.
The traders who own the shops specialise in preparing spiced, barbecue meat, popularly known as suya.
The academy is an initiative of Governor Liyel Imoke, which is aimed at bringing all suya sellers together to form one big market. Now, the spot attracts well over 500 customers at weekends. A visit to the arcade, especially at night, shows customers scrambling to get the spiced delicacy.
The spicy suya sold at the academy is made from ram, cow and chicken. However, customers seem to favour ram suya as investigations show that on the average, 50 rams are slaughtered on peak days.
Apart from the beautiful scenario created by the influx of customers to the market, especially at night, the car slots are always jam packed, causing a gridlock on the busy arcade. Even the car park of a nearby commercial bank is always taken over by customers hanging out at the suya joint.
According to the vice-chairman of the CSA, Alhaji Dan-Asabe Garba, before the academy was created, the Calabar metropolis was littered with suya spots.
He said since the establishment of the arcade, business activities had surged tremendously with more operators wanting to join the booming suya business.
He says, “Before now, we were scattered, operating at various ends. But now that we’re all concentrated in this spot, there has been increased patronage. We have so many people out there who are yearning to join us but for lack of space. Each month, we improve on the quality of our products. The patronage keeps increasing. Between 5 pm and 10 pm on Sundays specifically, we do have more than 500 customers.
“We spice the ram, cow and chicken and sell them in form of suya. Everything that has to do with suya is specially prepared in this arena and sold to the members of the public for consumption. There is hardly any visitor that will pass through this place that won’t be tempted to buy our products because they are well prepared.
“We, however, experience the least patronage on Mondays. But as from Thursdays, it starts increasing. Again, it is good to note that the level of patronage is usually unprecedented during festive periods and we work round the clock to satisfy our customers.”
Apart from ensuring that each of the 50 shops maintains a clean look, the orderliness in the way they (operators) comport themselves also shows a high sense of decorum.
In addition to this, Garba states that all the livestock prepared as suya are certified fit for public consumption by veterinary doctors on a daily basis. He notes that any livestock which didn’t pass the vet doctor’s test would be killed and buried.
He says that tourists always find the suya arcade interesting.
He said, “I make bold to say that in my years of experience in this business, it is only in Calabar that we have this kind of arcade, having over 50 shops for suya sellers and it’s for that reason that they refer to it as a suya academy.”
One of the CSA patrons, Dr. Patrick Egaga, says the market is highly rated and well patronised. He emphasises that he is not just a customer, but one of the dependable patrons.
Egaga, a lecturer at the University of Calabar, says that apart from coming to buy and eat suya, he spends a lot of time with the vendors. He says that he introduced his colleagues and friends to the market.
While noting that no matter the weather, people will still come out to buy their suya at the arcade, Egaga also lauds the initiative, saying, “Within this entity called Nigeria, this is where I have seen an upgraded market for barbecue where a state government has demonstrated interest.”
Recalling how the market became operational, Egaga says, “Where they used to operate before now was a ramshackle place not too far from here. I’m sure that the government thought about this idea in its bid to ensure that the city remained the neatest in the country. This arcade is also meant to uplift the status of the city.
“Already, it is of international standard because it has good access roads, the environment is clean and it is highly patronised. Now, I think what we should talk about is expansion because at peak periods there is always a gridlock, no parking space and everywhere will become a cacophony.
“This structure was erected by (the state) government with good drainage system and the Calabar Urban Development Authority is responsible for the cleaning of the filth on a daily basis. Because the place is seriously patronised, these Northerners who are experts in this suya business flock into town. Unfortunately, most times, they have difficulty in accessing affordable accommodation. I think that is the major challenge confronting them.”
On the special spice that attracts customers to the market, one of the suya vendors, Alhaji Idris Lawal, says after the killing of the animals depending on the sellers’ choice, the meat is extracted and washed thoroughly. This is followed by garnishing with different spices, after which it is roasted and showcased for public consumption.
He says, “We normally include cabbage, onion, pepper and others when selling it to customers. Individual patronage depends on the way the suya is prepared. If you have high patronage, it means yours is more nourishing. In most cases, individually, we have carved customers for ourselves and they will not go to any other shop when they come here except ours. We don’t quarrel over customers. Once a customer enters any particular shop, his neighbours don’t feel jealous.”
Lawal says that in most cases, sellers try to sell off everything each day so that there will be no leftovers.
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