Telling the Nigerian Story in Comic

The idea that they will sit in front of 200-page books leafing through the amalgamation stories and the nationalist struggles, etc, is not one that will excite them, obviously. There has to be some creative way of passing the message across to millions of Nigerian children.President Goodluck Jonathan has just done that: he has chosen […]

The idea that they will sit in front of 200-page books leafing through the amalgamation stories and the nationalist struggles, etc, is not one that will excite them, obviously. There has to be some creative way of passing the message across to millions of Nigerian children.
President Goodluck Jonathan has just done that: he has chosen to tell the story in comic form. Children love visuals, no doubt, and in “The Story of Nigeria”, a children’s comic authored by the President to celebrate 100 years of Nigeria, the history of the country from 1914 to 2014 is told in a colourful and illustrative style. The all-gloss all-colour comic, published by 360 Learning Solutions Ltd, has 24 pages. The cover depicts Jonathan sitting in front of children in a typical village setting, where parents tell stories to children before they go to bed. The children represent the different segments of Nigeria, North and South, male and female. Jonathan introduces himself to the children as the President of Nigeria and the children address him as “uncle” whenever they want to ask questions or make remarks.
Jonathan narrates the story of Nigeria in a simple, straightforward way: the Amalgamation of 1914, the Aba Women Riot of 1926, the nationalist struggles, the Independence in 1960, the first national elections conducted by Nigerians themselves, the first coup in 1966, the Isaac Boro one-day revolution also in 1966, the events that led to the civil war, the end of the war, Nigeria’s football victories, the various coups that took place in the 1970s and 1980s, the June 12, 1993 stalemated election, the death of General Sani Abacha, the return to democracy, the Niger Delta militancy, the Boko Haram insurgency and his own rise to power after the death of his principal, Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.
The comic also contains very interesting facts about Nigeria: the first storey building, the first primary school, the first secondary school, the first hospital, and many other firsts: engineer, medical doctor, lawyer, university, female professor, female professor of mathematics, female high court judge, among others. The comic further gives vital information on outstanding Nigerians who won international prizes and awards – such as Wole Soyinka, Sheikh Abubakar Gumi, Chimamanda Adichie, Helon Habila, Ben Okri and several others. Some information the school children will also find valuable: the leaders of political movements in Nigeria’s history, including Ernest Ikoli, Aminu Kano and Olufunmilayo Ransome-Kuti.
The comic, which is in A4 size and carries a tag of “Free – Not for Sale”, is no doubt a very inventive way of telling history without boring the children. The strokes are children-friendly and the language is simple. Such big words as “amalgamation” are defined. The President is depicted as saying “…Lugard amalgamated Northern and Southern Nigeria”. A child is depicted as confused, thinking: “What does ama… ama… mated mean?” As if reading her thoughts, the President quickly defines amalgamation. The comic also provides good information on the types of dams: hydro-electric, irrigation and water supply. It lists the major dams in Nigeria. Women and minorities are well represented in the narration, so children are able to learn a bit about Margaret Ekpo, Gambo Sawaba, Festus Okotie-Eboh, Grace Alele Williams, Ken Saro-Wiwa and many others.
Although the production is excellent – with quality paper and quality printing – there is a slight typographical error on page 13, where Toun Ogunseye, the first female professor in Africa, has letter “g” missing from her surname. Otherwise, the proofreading is flawless. It is also noted that the age category for which the comic is intended is not clearly stated, although it can be deduced that it is for primary and junior secondary school pupils. It is also not expressly stated who owns the copyright. Is it the President? Is it the Federal Government of Nigeria? Is it the publishers? This information may seem irrelevant, but it is part of international standards for publications.
It is not clear yet if the comic will be made available to all school children in Nigeria, as initial reports point to the fact that only public school pupils in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have received copies. Perhaps, this is the pilot print. It will not be surprising if the distribution is eventually done nationwide. It would be unfair to limit it to FCT alone. The comic is a very valuable, modern, creative and educative way of telling the history of Nigeria in an engaging, entertaining style. With the high quality of the strokes and the printing, school children are surely going to like it.
*Dr. Abdulfatah, an educationist, is the co-ordinator of  Tell the Children the Truth, an Abuja-based advocacy group.