Garri Or Rather “Groceries” Was Once Illegal In Nigeria

Hey there, fellow groceries lovers,  Can you believe it? Back in 1944, selling garri in Nigeria was a total no-go! Yup, the British colonial Government declared it “Government treasure,” like it was some kind of gold or diamond!

You see, during that time, the Brits were smack in the middle of World War II, fighting the Germans and all that drama. To fund their war efforts, they needed all the moolah and resources they could get their hands on, and that included Nigeria.

They went all out, building stuff like harbours, roads, and even hospitals, just to make it easier to exploit Nigeria’s resources. They even drafted thousands of Nigerian men into their army, but guess what? They still needed MORE!

To deal with the money shortage, they put in place some strict monetary policies and food rationing. Can you believe it? People had to stand in crazy-long lines for days just to get their hands on some precious garri!

And wait for it, they even wanted to tax the market women! But then, our hero, Alimotu Pelewura, stepped up like a boss and led a massive protest against it. She was like, “Hey, why should Nigerian women pay tax when all our country’s wealth is being shipped off to Britain?”

 She organized the markets and called for a boycott of garri sales to the government. That made the British Government go all “Oh no, she didn’t!” and they declared war on the garri black market.

But, you know Nigerians, we’re resourceful! The “Fa-ya-wo” (smugglers) came to the rescue! These crafty folks would sneak around like sneaky ninjas, crawling on their bellies to snatch garri from the government stores and sell it privately.

Garri had its own underground scene, can you believe it? The government was scratching their heads, trying to figure out how to stop this madness. They even tried to bribe Halimatu Pelewura to join their side, but she was like, “Nah, my conscience is worth more than all the garri in the world!”

So there you have it, a piece of garri history that’ll blow your mind! Next time you grab that bowl of garri, give it a little nod of respect. It went through some serious adventures, and thanks to the brave folks like Alimotu Pelewura, we can enjoy our garri freely today! Keep slurping, yes garri is slurped not drank, so take note