21/08/2026
Challenges I Have Faced as a Professional Alaga in Northern Nigeria — Part 1
AWARENESS & ACCEPTABILITY
One of the biggest challenges I have faced as a professional Alaga in Kaduna is getting people to understand that Alaga is a profession.
In the Southwest, especially among Yoruba communities, the role of an Alaga is already well known. But here in the North, we are still at the stage where people are learning what an Alaga actually does and the value of having one for your traditional wedding or introduction.
And I have experienced this first-hand…
One experience that really opened my eyes happened last year when I was booked for an introduction in Kaduna.
While discussing with the bride, she casually mentioned that a friend had introduced me to her. She also told me that in her family, all her older sisters who had gotten married had their introductions anchored by an MC.
I was genuinely surprised.
I asked her, “MC anchored the introduction?” 😳
Because traditionally, a Yoruba introduction and traditional wedding are ceremonies that an Alaga is trained and professionally equipped to handle.
She couldn't really explain what the previous MCs had done because that was simply what her family had always known.
So I went there and anchored her introduction as an Alaga.
And the experience was completely different.
Everything felt new to them—the structure, the traditional engagement procedures, the interaction between both families, the songs, the coordination and the way the ceremony was brought together.
At the end of the event, people were coming to collect my number. Some were asking questions. Some were telling me they had never seen an introduction handled that way before.
And that day taught me something:
Sometimes, the problem isn't that people don't want the service. They simply don't know that the service exists.
That is one of the biggest challenges I have faced as a professional Alaga in Kaduna—awareness and acceptability.
We are still introducing the profession to a place where the role of an Alaga is not yet as established as it is in the Southwest.
And honestly, that is also one of the reasons I am passionate about what I do.
This is only Part 1. There is so much more I have experienced as an Alaga in the North❤️
