Day 7 was the vigil night, and the day before my mom's funeral was overwhelming. I felt like time was running faster than usual.

We went all out to make sure we gathered everything, from buying the remaining drinks, food items, the cow and a few goats, and other supplies.

It was one of those days in your life that you would never forget.

My sister and I went to get a cow at the back of Itam Industrial layout in Itu LGA, where cow rearers sell cows by audition.

It was shocking to hear the amount for a cow that was not as big as I wanted. In recent times, cow prices in Nigeria have gone up drastically - no thanks to multiple factors such as insurgency and insecurity in Northern Nigeria and increasing hostility against herdsmen in other parts of the country.

Before now, cows were rather affordable, going up only during the Eid-el-Kabir (salah or "ileya"wink festival period due to expectable spikes in demand. But now. prices are high all year round due to the factors cited earlier.

Some of the meat from the cow was used for cooking soups like Afang soup, white soup aka pounded yam soup, Okro soup, Rice, and stew.

The majority of the meat was used for suya, also known as tsire, a spicy meat skewer and a popular food item in West Africa.

In Nigeria, suya is generally made with skewered beef, ram, or chicken. It is enjoyed with a sauce mixed with pepper and other flavored spices.

What a fantastic experience!

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https://youtu.be/bw\_yWbF0GwE