20/11/2023
HISTORY: THE ORIGIN OF “NYSC MAMMY MARKET”
Every military barrack and NYSC camp in Nigeria has a popular market called “MAMMY MARKET”.
Have you ever imagine how this market got its name?
MAMMY MARKET is a place close to the army barracks, where soldiers’ interact and buy their daily needs. MAMMY MARKET was named after a woman called Mrs. MAMMY MARIA OCHEFU In 1959 at Enugu. She was named by her father "MAMMY". Meaning of MAMMY in English is mother,(ENENU in Idoma).
She got married at the age of 14 to a former governor of old Enugu State, late Colonel Anthony Aboki Ochefu where she started making gruel (KUNU). She gave birth to seven children. She made kunu and kept it in front of her room, it usually attracted flies to the house and all her neighbours would be complaining and making trouble with her that she always attracted flies to the house. Following the persistent complaints from her neighbours, she decided to rest for two weeks without preparing the gruel (Kunu). After two weeks, her customers started trooping to her apartment to ask why she suddenly stopped selling 'KUNU".
She told them about her neighbours’ attitude and since she never have a place to keep the gruel (KUNU) without attracting more flies to their rooms, she could no longer continue.
So, those officers that usually came to her house early morning to drink Kunu, stood behind her. People like the late Hassan Katsina, former president Muhammadu Buhari, Yakubu Gowon and one senior officer from the east. The officers instructed the young officers who also loved taking the gruel(Kunu) to build tents (Bacha) for her.
She moved to different state because of the nature of her husband's job as a soldier from Kaduna to Zaria, Ibadan, Lagos, Abeokuta e.t.c.
Till date whenever a military barrack is built a MAMMY MARKET is always built with it. MAMMY MARKET are also created in NYSC orientation camps where corp members and soldiers usually buy daily needs and withdrawal money.
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