Nigeria Lesson Plan
Nigeria Lesson PlanINTERACTIVE SCENARIOS FROM NIGERIA, 1999
by Chris Joslin
Geography Standards: Element IV Human Systems
Standard 12: The processes, patterns and functions of human settlement.
Directions: Here are 22 short scenarios about life in Nigeria as seen by American travelers. They are intended to educate students about real life situations in Nigeria as well as compare and contrast similar situations in the United States.
Read the scenario and pick which answer would best explain the situation. These can be done in a game show format, a mini-drama format or as a paper and pencil activity. As a game show, the students may adapt the currently popular "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" into "Who Wants to Be a Nigerian?" with individual contestants and a moderator. As a mini drama, the scenarios can be used singly or combined and distributed to small groups of students who then act out the scenario and ask the remaining students to guess the answer. A selection of scenarios could also be copied and given to the students to work singly or in pairs to come up with the correct answer.
Follow up activities can be to discuss what makes these scenarios seem unusual to Americans, what American cultural practices might seem hard to understand to students in Nigeria and how some cultural practices are influenced by outside influences such as politics and popularity. Students could develop their own scenarios about life in the United States or about life in other cultures for which they have information. The scenarios can also be used to introduce such topics as economy and transportation issues.
Titles of Scenarios
Sons by different wives
Oyigbos
Ironing
Mistaken Identity
Auto accident I
Auto accident II
Auto accident III
Auto accident IV
Auto accident V
Tires in trees
Grass on carriageways
Muslim men on the road
Animals on the road
Water
Time for appointments
Electricity
Restaurant
Minerals I
Minerals II
Service
Juice
Cloth
SCENARIOS
There was once a first son of a man and his second wife. The boy was graduating from primary school with great promise and intellect. His instructors were impressed by his abilities. The boy's father would not allow him to take the exam necessary to enroll in the secondary school. It was not a problem with finances as the man could well afford to send the boy to school. One teacher, so certain of the outstanding ability of the boy, arranged for the boy to take the entrance examination without the permission of the father. Later, when the newspaper listed the results of the exam, this boy earned the highest score. The father was then faced with a great decision. He could send his son to school and go against the cultural norm or forbid his son to go and face the embarrassment that it would appear that the family was without money. Why did the father not allow the boy to take the exam?
In Nigerian culture:
A) A person who gets a low score is also an embarrassment to his entire family and the father didn't think the boy had the ability to score very highly.
B) The second sons of the first wives must have the opportunity to go to secondary school before a second son of the first wife could be allowed to go.
C) The father wanted to boy to enter a trade that would keep him in their hometown and graduation from a secondary school would take him to a larger city.
D) The school was in another town and boys are not allowed to live away from home before they are 18 years old.
Correct answer:
B. Rather than create jealousies and strife amongst the wives in a polygamous
marriage, there are many rules concerning the children of individual wives according
to birth order and sex. Many times this "rule" does not allow for individual
differences as in this case of the first son of a second wife wanting to go
further in school. In this case the father chose to let the boy go to school
rather than appear to be short of funds as losing status in the community would
be worse than placating his wives
A group of white, foreigners were visiting the city of Ibadan. Many times as they walked through monuments and market places, they could hear Nigerian children laughing and saying the word "oyigbo" (oh-ee-beau) as they passed. In the city hall, one small child in his mother's arms began to scream and sob loudly. As the group passed he cried even harder. The mother of the child, trying to calm her child, asked one of the white women to stop. She wanted the her to speak to her child because:
A) The white woman was making scary faces at the child and the mother wanted her to stop.
B) The child had been stung by a bee and the mother wanted the foreigner to give her money for medicine.
C) The child had never seen a white person before and thought the foreigners in the group were ghosts.
D) The mother pinched the child to get attention of the foreigners and asked the foreigners for money.
Correct Answer:
C. White people are infrequent visitors to some areas of Nigeria. The child
was overwhelmed with so many "white" faces at one time perhaps, never before
having seen one, that he began to scream thinking they were ghosts. Ghosts are
often portrayed as white shapes.
Staying in a guest house lodge the American teachers were told they could have their laundry done by the hotel staff. They gave their clothing to the houseman and it was returned to them three days later neatly pressed and folded. On closer inspection they noticed that everything had been ironed, including their underwear. They were impressed with the thoroughness of the Nigerian laundry and marveled at the attention to detail with the ironing. They were surprised to learn that one must iron all laundry because in Nigeria:
A) There are flies that lay eggs in damp cloth. These eggs when hatched can burrow into ones skin and cause many problems later and the heat from the ironing kills these eggs.
B) There is an old custom that says wearing unironed clothing is bad luck and will bring great dishonor to your family.
C) There is a laundry union that dictates what shall and shall not be ironed. Underwear must be ironed under this ruling.
D) This is a universal scam used by laundries to charge more money for their services.
Answer:
A) These flies lay microscopic eggs that can burrow into the skin as they hatch
causing infections and major skin problems. All laundry that is dried in the
air must be ironed to kill the eggs. There are very few Nigerians that can afford
an electric or gas dryer which would also kill the eggs.
The group continued to a meeting with many officials of the city. After everyone was introduced, with appropriate attention to name, and purpose for being in Nigeria they received a cordial welcome from the Nigerian officials. After the meeting the teachers were able to speak personally with the city fathers. One Nigerian gentleman approached Chris and told her how pleased he was to see her again and hoped that she was enjoying her return trip to Nigeria. He asked about her research in anthropology. This was quite astonishing to Chris as this was her first visit to anywhere in Africa, and was not an anthropologist. What was the reason for the mistaken identity?
A) All white people look alike to Nigerians. They recognize the whiteness before looking for distinguishing characteristics.
B) She bore a striking resemblance to Margaret Meade.
C) A person by the same name had been in the area a year before them.
D) The official was affected by a touch of malaria.
Correct Answer
A. As strange as this may seem, even with people of different hair colors and
statures many white people are not easily differentiated by Africans.
While driving a borrowed car from Lagos to Ibadan, two of the teachers have a small accident when a car driven by a Nigerian suddenly pulls into their lane. In America it would be called a "fender bender". Both cars pull over to the side of the road. The teachers, Dan and Aaron get out of the car to look at the damage that includes a minor dent in the front fender and a broken headlight. They begin to look for their insurance papers for the car they are driving. No insurance varification is to be found. The Nigerian comes over and apologizes for the inconvenience and offers them 700 Naira for the expenses. Dan notices that the Nigerian car has some damage too and suggests that they exchange insurance information. The Nigerian's eyes widen and he says "I do not think that would be wise. Perhaps 800 Naira would be sufficient." The reason the Nigerian did not want to exchange insurance information is because:
A) He had no insurance on his car.
B) He thought the money would be cheaper.
C) Traffic accidents of such a minor nature are never submitted to insurance companies.
D) It was not his car.
Correct Answer
A. Cars are not insured or insurable in Nigeria. All traffic accidents are negotiated
in cash on the spot.
Not quite understanding the man's offer, Aaron suggests that they call the police to handle the accident.
The Nigerian's voice changes and in a quiet whisper says "Please, I will make it 900 Naira. There is no need to call the police." Why is involving the police in traffic accidents something that Nigerians would not want to do?
A) There are few police personnel and the delay in finding one could last several hours.
B) Police are more likely to cause more problems, including impounding both cars and giving both drivers large fines.
C) Police are usually kinder to Nigerians than foreigners and the Nigerian wanted to protect them.
D) Police policy states that they are not to be involved in accidents under 10,000 Naira in damage.
Correct Answer:
B. The police are armed with machine guns and are controlled by the government.
They have been known to cause a great many problems and higher costs than what
can be arranged on the location of the accident. Bribery of the police is quite
common. The person willing to share the most money with the policeman at the
site will be declared innocent.
Since Dan and Aaron had borrowed the car from a faculty member at the University of Ibadan they knew that the resources to have the damage fixed were limited. They decided to repay the professor's kindness of lending them the car by having the headlight and fender repaired. When asked for a mechanic's shop they were directed to a large lot full of car bodies in varying states of disrepair, many without tires and up on cement blocks. Dan looked and Aaron and said, "If this is a sample of the workmanship, perhaps we should go somewhere else. "The Nigerian who had recommended the shop said, "No, he is the best in the area as you can see by the number of cars." How could he tell by the number of cars how good the shop would be.
A) He couldn't. The mechanic was his brother and the family needed the business.
B) The mechanic was prosperous enough to buy old cars to cannibalize for use in repairing other cars This indicates that he was a good mechanic by how much work he had done.
C) The mechanic was a good mechanic because he was still working on so many cars.
D) There was a sign on all of the cars' windshields that read "Nigeria's Best Mechanic"
Correct Answer
B. Because of the lack of replacement parts and the high cost of importing them,
non-working cars are torn down and used to repair other cars. Some people also
buy parts for their cars when they have the money and leave the parts at the
mechanics until they have the money to pay for the repair work. Some people
must save for several years before the cash can be found to do the actual work.
When the men asked how much it would cost to repair the dent and the headlight, the mechanic looked at them as though they were asking directions to get to the moon. Why did he look at them as though they were crazy?
a) They were sweating profusely from the heat and stress.
b) All foreigners are suspect of their stability.
c) The mechanic had chewed too many cola nuts and was not focusing well.
d) Mechanics do not stock parts and to find a replacement headlight could take several days to find besides traveling after dark is both dangerous and foolhardy so repairing the small dent and headlight would be very costly for what it would benefit.
Correct Answer
D. Using one's headlights are considered to be a show of lack of skill and eyesight.
Dents abound in cars all over Nigeria though most Nigerians fortunate enough
to own their own cars take very good care of them and would get the dents removed
if it was financially feasible.
After the mechanic told Dan and Aaron his reasons for not believing that they would want the car fixed, they asked him to do so anyway. He eventually found the parts in his car-part-lot and they waited while it was completed. He used handmade tools to pound out the dent and very old tools to repair the headlight. It was getting close to 6:00 PM and he wasn't done. He told the men to go home and return in the morning and he would repair the light. They asked if he was closing for the night and he said no, but was adamant that it would be better for them to return in the morning. Why should they leave and come back in the morning.
A) It was supper time and the mechanic was hungry.
B) The young men looked exhausted and the mechanic was worried about their health.
C) The sun would set in less than an hour. Most Nigerians who drive at night do not use their headlights and someone could run into them again.
D) No one works after 6:00 p.m. as it is a religious custom to spend the evening at church.
Correct Answer
C. Very view people travel at night because of robberies and abductions of motorists.
Those who do travel at night do not use their headlights for three reasons.
1, not to announce to the robbers that they are on the road, 2) not to strain
their batteries 3) to prove their strength of their eyes as only men with weak
eyes need lights to see in the dark. The exception to this is when several large
buses travel together at night. They will not only use headlights but will also
carry armed guards for protection.
As Dan and Aaron continue on their way back to the University on the divided highway called a carriage way, they notice that every two to three miles there is an old tire hanging in a tree.
They were puzzled as to why Nigerians would hang old tires by the side of the carriageway. What does the hanging of an old tire indicate?
A) It marks the location of a fatal accident.
B) It marks the location of a fast food restaurant called "The Spare Tire".
C) It is a mile marker to indicate miles driven from the last major town.
D) It marks a tire-repair shop
Correct Answer
D. Since gas stations are limited and things fall apart from use, there is a
great demand to repair aging tires. The tire-repair shop may be only a man with
a patch kit on a wide spot on the road to a lean too with a few spare tires.
As they near Ibadan they notice clumps of grass about two feet tall on one lane of the carriageway at regular intervals that gradually force the driver into the second lane. Not far up the road they notice a slow down in traffic and many cars driving into the median and up the right side of the other two lanes of the carriageway going in the opposite direction. They decide to take their chances in the outside lane. Soon they pass a semi that has broken down. Looking out the left hand window they watch as the cars which had switched to the other side of the carriageway are now in the inside lane forcing the oncoming traffic into the outside lane. Once past the stopped semi, the cars slowly drove down the median and back onto the correct lane of the carriageway. Dan and Aaron are astounded as well as confused. Answer the two following questions:
A. Why was there clumps of grass on the highway? And why did the cars
A) This warns motorists of an impending need to merge into the other lane.
B) It is a rare type of plant that grows in the cracks of the highways in tropical areas.
C) It is a common prank done by teenagers to slow down traffic.
D) It is a way to slow down traffic in order to arrest speeders.Correct Answer
A. Motorists who break down pull up the plants that grow by the side of the road to warn other motorists that there is a break down in one lane similar to our warning triangles.
B. Why did the other cars move into the on-coming traffic in the other carriage way?
A) All Nigerian motorist have a death wish
B) Slow downs happen so often this is an acceptable way of driving around them.
C) Slow downs happen so seldom that drivers do not know what to do so they improvise.
D) A car can drive on either side of the carriageway in Nigeria under any circumstance.Correct Answer
B. There are very few motorized police and travel is by skill, luck and guts. This is an acceptable way not to lose time which is an important part of the driving skill in Nigeria.
Later in the week, Dan and Aaron have the opportunity to drive to the city of Jos. They are anxious to get to their destination before the sun sets. On the outskirts of Jos late in the afternoon on Friday they round a corner and to their surprise there are many cars completely stopped on the highway. They come to a stop behind the last car and get out to investigate what is blocking the traffic going in both directions. Up ahead on the road there seems to be many people kneeling in the roadway. None of the other motorists seem upset and some are not even in their cars. What is going happening?
A) The chief of an important tribe has lost a contact lens and his followers are looking for it on the road.
B) There has been an epidemic of the stomach flu and it has hit the entire crowd at the same time.
C) These are Muslim men who stop to pray at this time every Friday by bowing towards Mecca.
D) These Nigerians have a death wish and these men are daring the motorists to run over them.
Correct Answer
C. This is a common scene in northern Nigeria where there is the highest number
of Muslims. This lasts for about 10 to 15 minutes and when it is over motorists
return to their vehicles and continue on.This is less common in the southwest
and southeast where the religious majority is Christian, however, it is a mark
of courtesy that fellow travelers respect the Muslims desire to pray as Muslims
respect Sundays for Christian believers. Drivers also stop for a funeral motorcade
out of respect.
As they drive into Jos they notice many chickens running free and when they slow down to drive into the courtyard of the missionary guesthouses where they will stay, they notice several small goats running free. The reason for this is:
A) Goats and chickens are sacred and allowed to run free and untouched.
B) Goats and chickens are owned by the city and have the run of it.
C) Farmers have no way to fence them in.
D) It is part of the culture for the goats and chickens to graze where they can as grass is scarce.
Correct Answer
D. Surprisingly the goats
and chickens go home in the evening to their individual homes. Sometimes chickens
are marked by dying a feather or two a bright color to indicate ownership. They
seem to learn quickly how to stay away from heavily trafficked areas. The live
stock is also a walking bank account as chickens can be sold quickly to purchase
a book for a child going to school, for instance.
Chris and Anne are two of the American teachers who have come to Nigeria to study. Anne takes her shower in the evening and Chris prefers to bathe in the morning. There is plenty of water for Anne's shower but in the morning, no water is running at all. Why did this happen?
A) Water is only available from the tap whenever it isn't shut off for some reason
B) Anne took a long, leisurely shower and used it all up the night before.
C) Chris left a tap on after brushing her teeth and that drained off all the water by the morning.
D) The water was siphoned off by "water raiders" in the middle of the night who then sell it by the 5 gallon bucket the next day.
Correct Answer
A. water is an interesting commodity. If it is pumped by electricity it is at
the mercy of the electric company. Sometimes it is turned off by the water company
or by a breakdown of the pumps themselves. Most Nigerians who have running water
fill the bath tub or several large buckets when it is running to guard against
being caught without it.
George and Kathy are American teachers visiting the University of Jos. There is a meeting scheduled for 9:00 AM with several of the professors at the college of geography. Kathy and George arrive promptly at 8:55, eager to impress the faculty. No one shows up before 9:30 when they arrive at staggered intervals offering no apologies. What is wrong?
A) Nigerians tell foreigners to come 30 minutes early so they will be on time as they are Americans are notoriously late.
B) Kathy and George forgot to reset their watches from Paris time.
C) The water came on again at 8:30 and everyone stayed home until they had their bath tubs and water buckets full.
D) Kathy and George misunderstood the time and are half an hour early.
Correct Answer
C. Water is a precious commodity
and it may be even more important to store water while it is running than to
meet foreign visitors.
Anne and Chris are jarred awake at 3:00 AM by the sudden blaring of the television and are startled to see that all the lights in the guest house where they are staying are now switched on. From beyond the hall way door they can hear clapping and a collective sigh of relief. What is happening?
A) Dan and Aaron have arrived and in the dark they accidentally tripped the main circuit causing a power burst.
B) Kathy and George have finally met their professors and have turned on the TV and lights to announce the results of their meeting.
C) Anne and Chris forgot to turn them off when the power outage occurred at 7:00PM and they are just coming back on now.
D) The guesthouse management thought that Anne and Chris wanted a 3:00 AM wake-up call.
Correct Answer
C. Like water, electricity supply is sporadic. The electricity may be off for
a few minutes, a few hours or a few days. There is rarely a pattern or reason
for the outage. Candles or flashlights (called torches in Nigeria) are a needed
appliance at night and a staple in Nigerian homes. It is not uncommon for people
to cheer the "return" of the electrical power as it often means the return of
water pumping too.
After a long morning of visiting the market in Jos, the party of six American teachers goes to a nearby Nigerian restaurant at noon. They are shown to a table with linen table cloths and flowers in a vase on the table. They are handed an elaborate menu. Chris orders, followed by the rest. They are all amazed at the variety of foods that are offered. The waiter patiently writes down all of the orders even though it is obvious his English is limited. He takes the orders to the kitchen. A few minutes later, he returns to apologize that the items that they ordered are not available. Each person searches the menu for a different item. The waiter takes the second choices to the kitchen. Again, a few minutes later, he returns with the news that those items are also not available. This happens a third time, before George asks to know what is available. The waiter responds that there is chicken and chips, jollof rice and omelets. Each of the group orders one of these three. What was the problem?
A) The waiter, knowing that they are foreigners, is playing an elaborate trick on them.
B) The foreigners don't know that they must say "Mother may I?" after their order before the cook will make it.
C) Food supplies are scarce in some areas and these are the only dishes the restaurant has the materials to cook.
D) The foreigners did not know how to read the menu and were ordering food available only for Sunday evenings.
Correct Answer
C. Not only is food supplies scarce but the delivery of food is unreliable.
Few restaurants keep large supplies of persibles on hand due to the intermittent
power outages. Many menus are extensive as they are a carry-over from the more
affluent days in the 1980's and to change them would be an embarrassment to
the establishment.
The waiter asks them what they would like to drink. The group would like soda/pop. On the menu there is only bottled water and minerals. When they ask what kind of "minerals" are available, the waiter replies, "Zit, Mirinda and Afri-kola". All the group except Aaron who was feeling rather adventurous, order bottled water. What did they pass up?
A) Soda pops that are citrus, mandarin orange and cola flavored, respectively.
B) Water flavored with zinc, iron and magnesium
C) The African equivalent of Gatorade
D) You don't really want to know.
Correct Answer
A. Sodas are called minerals as they were introduced during the British sovereignty.
Many other British words are still in use, such as carriageway, torch and boot
of the car. Zit has a citrus flavor and is quite refreshing. Afri-Kola is a
cola product that rivals Coca-Cola which has several large plants in Nigeria.
Also available are Seven-Up, Sprite and Fanta orange. These do not taste exactly
like what is available in the US as different areas around the world uses a
slightly different amount of sugar and flavors.
Aaron takes a chance on Mirinda. The waiter brings the unopened bottle to the table. He opens it in front of Aaron and lightly replaces the cap on the bottle. Why did the waiter do that?
a) He is pretending that he works in a five star restaurant.
b) He is making sure that Aaron knows that the bottle had not been previously opened and replaced the cap to keep out bugs.
c) The waiter is making a silent statement. He has a particular aversion to foreigners and little do they know that to serve the mineral in that fashion is extremely rude.
d) Aaron, though in graduate school, looks very young. This is the way minerals are served to small children and teenagers.
Correct Answer
B. When the waiter opens the bottle in a patron's presence it indicates that
the bottle has not been watered down before it was served. Keeping the lid on
the bottle reduces the risk of bugs, attracted to the sugar in the soda from
landing in it. Bottled soda is safe to drink as is bottled water.
It seems like the meal is taking a very long time to be served. The six travelers are becoming a bit anxious about their food. They have been served their drinks but it has been 15 minutes since the waiter disappeared into the kitchen. Talk has been lively but their stomachs are beginning to notice the lack of food. About 5 minutes later, Chris receives her meal, an omelet. In another 5 minutes, Dan, Aaron and George receive their meals one at a time of chicken and chips. After another 10 minutes, Kathy's jollof rice is served. Why were the meals not served at one time?
A) It is not polite for six people to eat at one table. This made it difficult to serve them at the same time.
B) They were served in order of their importance. In Nigeria, the first person to order is of the greatest rank. Since Chris ordered first, the waiter assumed that she was the most important and so the first to be served first.
C) Kathy had taken several photos inside the restaurant and the that is very rude thing to do in Nigeria. The waiter was so appalled he served her last.
D) The meals were served in the order that they were finished cooking.
Correct Answer
D. Cooking is a labor intensive process as most of it is done completely from
scrach. Omelets cook quickly while chips and chicken are deep fried and take
longer. Jollof rice takes at least 40 minutes to cook the rice.
At breakfast the next morning, Dan would like some fresh fruit. He politely asks the waiter what kind of fresh fruit is available. The waiter replies, "We have juice." Dan tells him that he does not want juice but rather fresh fruit such as a banana or orange in the peel. The waiter replies again "We have juice." Dan decides not to order the juice and purchase an orange or banana from a street vendor later in the day.
Why did he not want to drink the juice?
A) Dan is a finicky and hard to please individual.
B) Dan has a stomach disorder that does not tolerate juice.
C) Dan is wise not to drink juice as it may be made from concentrate and diluted with tap water.
D) The only juice available is made from bananas and is not pleasant.
Correct Answer
C. Visitors can not be sure of the sterility of juices unless they are drinking
it from an unopened carton which is rarely served at a restaurant.
Kim and Cindy are entranced with all the beautiful cloth that is available to purchase at the markets. The printed material was brightly colored and of unusual designs. They also saw many women dressed in the clothing made of the fabric. Later that day at a dinner party, they commented on their hostess's dress. When asked at what dress shop she had purchased it, Mrs. Okofer stared at them with a puzzled look on her face. "Dress shop?" she asked. Then she realized that:
A) Kim and Cindy as foreigners did not know that a dress shop was the local term for a butcher shop.
B) Mrs. Okofer was a bit deaf and she thought they asked about a "dress spot" and was concerned that she had spilled something on her dress.
C) as Americans, Kim and Cindy did not know that there are no ready made dress shops in most of Nigeria.
D) Kim and Cindy were only joking as it was April Fool's Day.
Correct Answer
C. There are very few ready-made dress stores in Nigeria. Most clothing is made
at a tailor's shop. Fabric purchased at the market could be made into clothing
by taking it to the tailor's shop.
