If you have ever been to the southern part of Nigeria and tried the street snacks, there is a high percentage that you have come across Madiga.

Madiga is one delicious street snack that is like bread but whitish, firmer and usually sold with corned beef and/or butter. It is made from simple ingredients like flour, sugar, and water and shaped into compact squares

This snack is not only delicious, especially when it is fresh, it can also be quite filling and perfect for those days when you need something fast to eat before your main meal.

Madiga is not just your everyday street snack, it actually has quite an interesting history.

Madiga was created by a businessman, Elder Matthew Dinafemowei Ganagana. He was a native of Enekorogha in Burutu LGA, Delta State. He was well-traveled, educated, and deeply community-oriented.

Ganagana earned a diploma in sugar engineering in the Caribbean and at first, he worked as a supervisor at the now-defunct Nigerian Sugar Company in Kwara State.

Ganagana would return home in the early 1970s and with the technical know-how and entrepreneurial spirit he’d gained, he launched his own special snack, a “short cake bread” and named it after his initials: MAtthew DInafemowei GAnanagana giving birth to the name - Madiga.

It didn't take long before “Madiga” became synonymous not just with the cake, but also with the man himself. In 2015, Ganagana passed away and he left many legacies.

He chaired local committees, served as advisor, and advocated for education. His pride in seeing nearly all 23 of his children reach university spoke of his belief in learning and progress.

More prominent is the Madiga legacy. His son, Senior Comrade Francis Enewareseimokumor Ganagana is still running the Madiga company

On the streets of Warri, Sapele and even to surrounding states, people still enjoy this street snack known as Madiga.

Now you know the history behind this street snack, the next time you eat it, I bet you will understand it better.