GST 112 Test Compilations 14

Study Summary: Nigerian History, Culture, and Society

This summary provides key facts derived from questions Q517 to Q592, covering various aspects of Nigerian history, culture, politics, and social dynamics.

1. Foundational History & Traditional Societies

• Most of the languages spoken in Nigeria belong to the Kwa group of languages.
• The Itshekiri oral tradition credits the founding of their kingdom to Iginua.
• The seven states established by Bayajida's legitimate sons were known as the Hausa Bakwai.
• Bayajidda is credited as the ancestor of the Hausa people.
• The name Yoruba was first applied to the Oyo sub-group.
• The Fulani people are categorized into two main groups: Town Fulani and Cattle Fulani.
• Major ethnic occupants of the Edo Central Senatorial District are the Esan.
• The Hausa population is found in large numbers in states such as Kebbi, Kaduna, and Kano.
• Land administration in most pre-colonial societies was entrusted to Chiefs and rulers.
• Amongst the Ibibio, the death of a child was ascribed to witchcraft.
• In some parts of Igboland, it was an abomination for a freeborn to marry an outcast.
• Traditional titles such as Erelu, Iyalode, and Iyaloja were held by prominent Yoruba women.
• In traditional Nigerian society, those who engaged in corrupt acts were openly shamed.
• Mutilation of a dead child in some societies was believed to alter re-incarnation.

2. Colonial Era & Nation Building

• Sexual immoralities were enhanced by urbanization in Colonial cities.
• During colonialism, Enugu primarily served as an administrative seat, industrial base, and commercial centre, but not a spiritual headquarter.
• Kaduna was founded by the British in 1913.
• Kaduna was favored as an administrative headquarters due to its proximity to the Lagos-Kano Railway.
• Nigeria emerged as one entity in 1914 after the amalgamation.
• The Second World War stimulated a sense of Nationalism in Nigerians.
• The concept of “autochthones” or “stateless societies” was used by British colonial scholars to describe Nigerian communities with non-centralized political structures.
• One feature of dependency for a colony is its reliance on the external or metropolitan economy.

3. Nigerian Political History & Governance

• Chief Obafemi Awolowo was the Vice-Chairman to Gowon in the Federal Executive Council (FEC) of Nigeria.
• The Federal Government's use of “police action” during the Nigerian civil war was aimed at capturing Ojukwu and ending secession.
• During the Nigerian Civil War, the Biafran delegation's reaction to the OAU's suggestion of a peaceful settlement in 1968 was to stage a walkout.
• At the end of the Nigerian civil war, Gowon extended the olive branch.
• Aguiyi Ironsi was the first military Head of State in Nigeria.
• Goodluck Jonathan lost his Presidential election.
• The Women's Commission was created under the regime of General Ibrahim Babangida.
• The current anti-corruption institution in Nigeria was established by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.
• The judiciary can support the anti-corruption war in Nigeria, provided that the judges are not compromised.

4. Social Structures & Gender Dynamics

• Education of women enhanced informed motherhood, reduced superstitious beliefs, and improved hygiene, but not violence.
• The need for a new dimension to women's participation in Christianity led to the establishment of churches by women.
• Seclusion in purdah may curtail the freedom of women.
• The Aba Women Riot of 1929 was arguably the most prominent women's riot in Nigeria.
• Westernized Women's organizations emerged and developed during the Colonial era.
• Women made independent decisions to engage in both local and long-distance trade, which brought prosperity to their families and communities.
• After independence in Nigeria, political awareness among women increased.
• Party, religious, and ethnic allegiances hindered gender solidarity amongst women following independence.
• One impact of Nigerian Pentecostalism on females is that it has gradually broken religious barriers that hitherto hindered women's rise to leadership positions.
• Patriarchal structures do not hinder the elevation of women in the African Indigenous Churches (AICs).

5. Religious Landscape

• Hausaland experienced the wave of Islamization during the reign of Sarki Rumfa.
• Mai Umme Jilmi (Jilme) is believed to be the first Kanem-Borno ruler to accept Islam.
• Islam in Hausaland was aggressively promoted in the 15th century by Abdul Karim Al-Maghilli.
• The installation of the Ooni in the 19th century did not contribute to the spread of Islam in Yorubaland.
• Relics of early missionary activities in Nigeria, according to J.F. Ade Ajayi, included the First Storey Building in Badagry.
• The first attempt to introduce Christianity to Southern Nigeria was undertaken by the Portuguese.
• The early Christian missionary activities in Nigeria had a three-pronged approach: Christianization, Commerce, and Civilization.
• The Ebenezer Baptist Church was founded in Lagos in 1888.
• The introduction of Islam to Nigeria affected religious life, family life, and dress code, but not the climate of the people.
• The Ogbomoso Peoples Institute was formally opened in October 1938 with Eyo Ita as its first principal.
• The "African" or "Native" Churches in Nigeria were led exclusively by Nigerians.
• The functions of the Ulama (Islamic scholars) included interpreting religious knowledge, providing legal support, and guardianship, but not the conquest of the faithful.
• On matters of faith, the Pentecostals could be considered the most intolerant Christian group among those listed.
• Shitta Bey, a Muslim Creole, donated 400 pounds for the building of a mosque in Lagos in the 1890s.
• Causes of religious crises in Nigeria include incitements, ignorance or lack of information about religious groups, and fanaticism, but not good neighbourliness.

6. Urban Development & Infrastructure

• Modern functional facilities in a city should include standard roads, electricity, and piped borne water, but should not include unprotected ravines.
• A historical explanation of a city comprises its origins, growth, and the interactions of various groups in time perspectives.

7. Economic & Social Challenges

• In the post-colonial period, the culture of corruption in Nigeria has spiraled to all segments of the Nigerian state.
• When crude oil export replaced agriculture in Nigeria, the culture of corruption also escalated.
• Causes of corruption in Nigeria include a poor reward system, greed, and weak and ineffective institutions, but not the weather system.
• Transparent allocation of resources does not encourage corruption in Nigeria.

Miscellaneous Concepts

• The process by which a child learns things about his/her culture is socialization.
• A major aspect of culture is that it is dynamic.
• The initial leader of Boko Haram was Muhammed Yusuf.
• Corruption could be categorized as bureaucratic, judicial, and electoral corruption, but not megalomania.
• Cultural heritage includes marriage, naming, and funeral ceremonies, but not matriculation ceremonies.