Wristwatch repairer for Nigeria fear say phone and technology don take di only job wey e know

Im father go travel all over West Africa for six months at a time – from Senegal to Sierra Leone – fixing timepieces.

At one stage, Baba Bala bin base for di capital, Abuja, where many of di country elite, top pipo dey live – and e make a good living taking care of di watches of di wealthy.

E say im best customers be top officials of di state-owned oil firm Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC).

Some get Rolexes – wey an average one fit cost around $10,000 (£8,000).

E say dem dey beautiful – and summarise im love for all watches from Switzerland. E imself get one Longines, another anoda Swiss brand, wey e dey only remove wen e dey sleep.

“If I step out of my house and I forget am, I have to go back for am. I no dey dey without am – that na how important e dey to me.”

For im shop, e keep one beautiful big framed photo of im father, Abdullahi Bala Isah, wey dem snap as e look up from im work bench some years before im death in 1988.

Isah wey be ogbonge horologist and im contacts for Freetown and Dakar go call am to take a trip wen dem get enough watches for am to repair.

E go also make regular visits to Ibadan, wey be metropolis for di south-west of Nigeria – literary hub and home to di country first university.

Baba Bala say no-one for di family know where im father learn di work – but e go be during di time of British colonial rule.

Dem born e himself four years before Nigeria’ independence for 1960.

“My father be popular wristwatch repairer and im skill take am to many places. E teach me when I dey young and I dey proud to follow in his footsteps.”

Baba Bala bin start to take a close interest in understanding wetin di wheels and levers inside a watch dey do when he be 10 – and e happy to discover dat as e dey grow, e become a good source of pocket money.

“When my fellow students bin broke for secondary school, I get money to spend at di time because I don already dey repair wristwatches.”

E remember say im skill even impress one of im teachers: “E bin get issues with some of im wristwatches and bin don carry am to several places and dem no fit do dem. When dem tell am about me, I dey able to fix all three of di watches by next day.”

At one point, watches bin dey seen as important as clothes for Nigeria and many people bin feel lost without one.

Kaduna bin get a dedicated area where many watch-sellers and repairers set up their businesses.

“Dem don demolish di place now and e and dey empty,” Baba Bala tok sadly, adding say most of im colleagues don either die or don given up on di business.

One of those wey admit defeat na Isa Sani.

“Going to my repair shop daily mean sitting down and getting no work – that na why I decide to stop going for 2019,” di 65-year-old tell BBC.

“I get land and my children dey help me to farm on am – that na how I dey able to get by dis days.”

E lament: “I no think say wristwatch go ever make a comeback.”

Di young pipo wey dey work for di building supply shops next to Baba Bala agree.

Faisal Abdulkarim and Yusuf Yusha’u, wey both be18, no never get watches before as dem no see a need for them.

“I fit check di time on my phone whenever I want to and e always dey with me,” one tok.

Dr Umar Abdulmajid, wey be communications lecturer for Yusuf Maitama University in Kano, believe say things fit change.

“Conventional wristwatches are no doubt dey die and with am, jobs like wristwatch repairs too, but with di smartwatch I think dem fit make a comeback.

“Di fact say a smartwatch ft do much more dan just show you di time mean say e fit continue to attract pipo.”

E suggest say make old watch-repairers learn how to work with dis new technology: “If you no move with di times you go dey left behind.”

But Baba Bala, wey return from Abuja to Kaduna to set up im shop about 20 years ago as e bin want dey near im growing family, say dis wan no interest am.

“Dis na wetin I love to do, I consider myself a doctor for sick wristwatches – plus I no dey get any younger.”

Im tight family remain loyal to im profession – im wife and all im five children dey wear watch and dey often go visit am for d shop, where some of di timepieces on display be forgotten objects from old customers.

“Some bring dem many years ago and no return for dem,” e tok.

But Baba Bala refuse to give up and still dey open shop everyday – im eldest daughter, wey dey run a successful clothes boutique nearby, dey help am with bills when im business dey slow.

Without much to keep am busy – or tok-tok and gossip of im customers, Baba Bala say e now most times dey listen to im radio for company, enjoying di Hausa language programmes for di BBC World Service.

For afternoon, im youngest son, Al-Ameen, come to visit after school – di only one of im children wey dey show interest in learning di art of watch-repairing. But e no go encourage am to take am up as a profession.

E dey happy say di 12-year-old don tell am say e wan be pilot – continuing di family tradition of seeing more of di world.

For im cockpit, e go face many watch-like dials – wey be like from im father workshop.