Once evening sets in, anyone who walks through Bakin Tasha in Bishi village will know that it is a hub of kilishi makers because of the aroma of freshly baked kilishi that fills the air, welcoming visitors even from afar.
Bishi, a small village in Bauchi State, has become a thriving hub for the production of Kilishi, the popular Hausa meat jerky. For decades, families in this community have relied on Kilishi business as a source of livelihood, a craft passed on from one generation to the next.
Just like Kayauki community in Katsina and Agadasawa quarters in Kano, Bishi village, located 20 kilometers from Bauchi town, along Gombe road, has built a reputation for producing the tastiest Kilishi in the region.
The story of Kilishi in Bishi began 30 years ago, when the trade was introduced by the late Muhammad Lawal. Today, it has grown to become a vital economic activity for the community.
According to Abdulsalam Haruna, the Secretary of Bishi Kilishi Makers Association, the business was introduced to the community by one Muhammad Lawal, now late, about 30 years ago.
Haruna or Tsoho Mai-Kilishi, as he is popularly called among his colleagues, explained that the trade started in the community as a one-man business before several others joined it after Lawal’s death.
“Late Lawal learnt the skill from somewhere and when he returned to Bishi he started practicing it. At the beginning he was the only person performing the art in this village. He usually brought the Kilishi to this particular place in the evening and sold it to interesting buyers,” he said.
He further said: “I can vividly recall, back then, we had a big tree here where people used to gather and relax. So, the man always brought a small table and placed the Kilishi on it to attract customers.
“After he died some residents took up the business and as you can see, today, we have about 1,000 people in this community that are making a living from the business that was started by just one person. And from the way the business is developing, only God knows how many people will benefit from it in the future,” he said.
Tsoho Mai-Kilishi said: “We, the men, always take the bulk of the work in preparing the delicacy, but the youth are helping us by preparing the meat and the women by producing the correct ingredients for the Kilishi.”
The Weekend Trust observed that over 1,000 residents, including youth and women, are actively involved in the Kilishi business, which is sustaining many families.
Further observations revealed that the Kilishi trade in Bishi has created a chain of economic activities. While some residents are cattle dealers, butchers, and ingredient suppliers, others have specialised in transporting the finished product to different parts of Nigeria and even abroad.
The product is taken to neighbouring states of Kano, Jigawa, Gombe, Plateau, Adamawa, Taraba, Kaduna and Abuja as well as neighbouring countries like Niger Republic, Cameroon, Chad and Algeria, and overseas to London and USA among other countries.
It was gathered that depending on market conditions, the community processes between 15 and 20 cows weekly, while on less favourable weeks, production drops to about five cows.
The chairman of Bishi Butchers Association, Alhaji Bala Bishi, said things have changed, noting that some years back, they were slaughtering between 20 and 25 cows and processing the meat for Kilishi on a weekly basis, but now they could hardly process more than five cows a week.
“Before, we were processing between 20 and 25 cows in a week, but presently we are only processing four in a week; we process two cows on Monday and another two on Friday and that’s all for the whole week,” he expatiated.
“This is as a result of the high cost of animals. A cow that we bought N200,000 last year, is now being sold at between N600,000 and N700,000.
“If you go to the market with N1m, you can only buy one cow; it is not every cow that is good for Kilishi. But we thank God we are still in business despite the present high costs.”
Alhaji Bishi, however, appealed to the Bauchi State government to come to their aid, saying, “We supported the present administration during the campaigns and therefore, we want it to reciprocate the gesture by improving our source of income.”
Another popular Kilishi producer in the village, Abdulrashid Umar, told Weekend Trust that as the economic hardship continues to bite harder, the business of Kilishi is also witnessing serious setbacks.
“Few years back, once it was December, this place was always busy because of the high demand of Kilishi. We will work from 5am to 11pm daily processing Kilishi for our customers. Customers placed their orders from various places.
“Also, travelers that are passing through this village buy Kilishi in large quantities and take it to their respective states. But all these have gone now; we are no longer enjoying that kind of patronage,” he lamented.
He said some of them have quit the business because they cannot afford to buy cows. “Just a few months ago, we were slaughtering seven cows every Sunday, but now we hardly slaughter three.”
“Poor packaging is another challenge affecting our business after the high cost of animals. We have seen how some people are making huge gains from our product because of good packaging.
“Some people are packaging our product and taking it to important places such airports, shopping malls and other public places for onward sale at exorbitant prices. We need to also address this challenge if we really want to progress in this business,” he said.
For Adamu Izala, a Kilishi seller in Bishi, he sells Kilishi worth between N150,000 and N200,000 on a daily basis depending on the market.
“Especially in the month of December, we do get many customers because people are going to their respective hometowns for Christmas and New Year festivities. But in other months, we sell less due to low turnout of customers,” he said.
Another hawker, Aliyu alias Ali Hayaqi, said the business of Kilishi is worth doing, adding that, “In a day, I can sell Kilishi worth N150,000 or N200,000 and make a profit of between N15,000 and N30,000 depending on the market.
“It is a business that sustains many youths in the community. Provided one is not lazy and has capital, no matter how small it is, I can assure you, he won’t be redundant among his peers.
“One will at least have something to do as a business that can take care of his immediate needs. That’s one of the secrets of this business. Again, it is a skill that won’t stop you from engaging in other things such as farming,” he added.
He urged the government to assist them, as that will reduce unemployment among youths not only in Bishi but in the whole of Bauchi State.
“By the time the skill is modernised, it will attract other people from across the state, thereby creating more job opportunities for thousands of people in the state,” he said.
Despite the success of the Kilishi business, the people of Bishi believe that with government intervention, particularly in areas like modern packaging and marketing, they can compete more favourably with Kilishi producers in other states.
Meanwhile, for the residents of Bishi, Kilishi is more than just a delicacy; it is a legacy, a livelihood, and a beacon of hope for economic growth.
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