Nigeria Life


Nigeria – ‘A country of happy people.' The New Scientist - 2003

 Clothes
Nigerians are known for their ostentatious taste in clothes.  All Nigerians like to dress well and look good regardless of the fashion origin, Men normally wear agbada, sokoto and cap; women wear blouse and wrapper. Traditional African fabric can be made into western style dresses for both men and women. Western suits can be worn by all when they fancy. Jewellery consists of gold and beads, and other trendy styles.

 
Family life
Most families in Nigeria are extended. This means that a family unit consist of mother, father, children, cousins, uncles and aunties.

Few families are nuclear like in the West where there is just a father, mother and their children.    

All family units provide members with food, shelter, love, company, education, support and a sense of belonging.
 

In your view, what are the advantages and disadvantages of belonging to an extended family? 

Read the statement below:  

Most of our children are graduates.
They move away to the cities and other parts of the world. We are concerned about the survival of our traditions and customs.  

This is referred to in economic terms as 'brain drain'. Research the term and complete a PMI (positive, minus & interesting points) of the people migration. Do you think the chiefs and elders concerns are justified? Why do you think so?



Childhood
Nigeria is a country of contrast. A child's experiences   will depend on whether they are from a rich or poor family. 
For rich children, their experiences will be similar to those of the children in the West. For poor children, it is the case of making do with available resources from the land. They will mostly help their parents out on the farms and in the evenings, tell stories or visits friends. 

 
All children whether rich or poor, enjoy playing and watching satellite, cable network television and DVDs of African drama.  
 
Girls spend less time playing with dolls; they prefer playing outside with their friends.  
 
All Nigerian girls learn to plait hair from a very early age. It is part of the fun of growing up. 
 
Games all Nigerian children play include:
The age old popular Snakes & ladders.
Jigsaw puzzles can fill the time.
Card games are popular with both boys and girls. 
 
Nigerian children can also select from a wide variety of passed down traditional games, stories, poems and rhymes.
 
Click on the weblink below to see some of them: 
Activity: Select one of the stories from this web site and illustrate it in cartoon stripes for a younger class. 
Childhood in Nigeria can be fun, exploratory and educational.
 
Board games clip art

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