BY VICTOR BUORO, For immediate past National President of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Comrade Ladi Bala, her humble beginning in her quiet town of Demsa, presently the headquarters of Demsa Local Government Area was one of mixed feelings.

A native of Batta with an Mbula tribe mother, Ladi Bala, who lived her early life in Demsa, will usually and boldly say that she rose grass to grace as a result of dint of hard work, commitment, determination to change the narrative with focus and zeal to succeed where others fail.

She particularly narrated part of her life story way back in Demsa as a young girl that faced the unfriendly conditions of life even though born into a royal home.

Ladi tells the story with nostalgia how she was almost betrothed to a palace guard in Hama Batta’s palace who was far older than her.

Hama Batta is the traditional head of the Batta chiefdom worldwide, with the headquarters of the stool domiciled in Demsa Local Government Area of Adamawa State.

The former number one female journalist in Nigeria recently received nomination by the Hama Batta, Humon Alhamdu Gladstone Teneke, to serve as the first-ever female to wear the cap of Nzubyalata, the official spokesperson of the chiefdom.

Bala is a princess of the Batta chiefdom being from the Nganbale royal clan—the ruling clan.

On Friday, December 22, 2023, Ladi Bala was accompanied by a congregation of journalists, friends, and associates on a thank-you visit to the Chiefdom during which she paid homage to the Humon Batta for running an inclusive cabinet by ensuring that women hold key positions.

According to Ladi, “the recognition and inclusion of women will inspire girls to focus on education and self-growth while aspiring to achieve big goals”.

She explained that the kind of inspiration she presently desires and exudes was lacking when she was a young girl who had only completed her secondary education.

In her words; “Teenage pregnancy and pregnancy-induced marriages, domestic abuse and poverty, were the order of the day—a phenomenon that also led to her family considering marrying her off to a middle-aged palace guard.

“At that time, everyone was getting pregnant, and to save the family from that kind of embarrassment, some family members felt it was a good idea to marry me off when the guard proposed marriage to me.

“But God revealed the bigger picture ahead of me to me and I boldly and instantly declined because I didn’t want to end up in the village. I wanted a better life for myself.

“Today, I have been conferred a title in the same chiefdom where my supposed suitor had worked as a guard,” she said.

Ladi Bala as she is fondly called by her friends and admirers, holds the strong view and very optimistic concerning the future which she believes holds greater prospects for her thus, determined to conquer and dominate irrespective of some obstacles that may be placed on her route.

Her common phrase “let people explore and achieve their purpose in life” has been her guiding light in telling and highlighting her story particularly as an advocate for “equal access to education for all children, especially women,”.

Ladi Bala believes that when people are given equal opportunity to explore their potentials, they will be in a better position to distinguish themselves in various fields of endeavours.

Ladi Bala, who began her career as a volunteer at the Adamawa state-owned Television, is presently an Assistant Manager News with the News Department of the Nigerian Television Authority Headquarters, Abuja.

A member of different professional bodies, Ladi Bala has occupied various positions in her professional body, the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), one of which was the Presidency of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) from November 2020 to 2023 during which she catapulted the name of the Association to national and international limelight, a development that attracted a lot of accolades to her.

Ladi Bala and other selected title holders will be officially conferred with her chieftaincy title of Nzubyalata Hama Batta (Spokesperson to the Hama Batta) on Saturday, December 30, 2023 at a grand royal ceremony in Demsa Local Government of Adamawa State.