NIGERIAN CIVIL WAR: THE BIAFRAN INVASION OF MIDWEST AND INTER-GROUP RELATIONS IN THE REGION

Peaceful coexistence is a major challenge in a multi-ethnic region like the Midwest. After the creation of the region in 1963, ethnic distrust dominated the region's body politics. The Biafran invasion of Midwest remained one invent that heightened ethnic distrust in the region. Although, scholars have examined the invasion, the need to re-examine it arises from the fact that the event made ethnic antagonism among the groups in the region more intense than ever before. It is against this backdrop that this paper examines the Biafran invasion of Midwest and its implications on inter-group relations in the region. Relying on primary and secondary sources, the paper is of the opinion that the intense group antagonism and suspicion emanated from the fact that the Biafran incursion into Midwest caused division among the groups in the region. The groups that were loyal to the Nigerian Government opposed the groups that supported Biafra. The paper further argues that the ethnic tension was also as a result of the assumption by the non-Igbo groups in the region that Biafrans were in the region to promote the interest of the Igbo groups.

To Develop Resources for Learning Resource Centre Lrc to Teach English in Primary Class 1

Teaching English is both fun and a complex process that requires utilization of lots of teaching techniques and methodologies. Especially during teaching English in primary classes, resources are very essential elements. In most government run primary schools, private and NGO-based, English is taught as a subject, with an emphasis on reading and writing skills including textbook exercises. Quite often, students are not given enough learning opportunities, as they are taken as passive listeners, who are just prepared for passing examinations by rote memorizations. Research suggests that children learn more through activities. They learn language through interaction, learning environment, observation, and discovery. They explore new ideas and also learning by doing things practically (Krashen, 1985; Piaget, 1973; Vygotsky, 1962). All these things are possible through resource-based teaching. Hence, I decided to work on developing resources for teaching English reading and writing for primary classes, as my educational project. This project entailed activities, such as; workshop for teachers on teaching of reading and writing skills, sessions on resource development, demo lessons to show use of these full form resources, visit to Aga Khan University-Institute for Educational Development (AKU-IED) Learning Resource Center (LRC), and development of resources for school's Learning Resource Centre. All activities, throughout the project were monitored to gauge strengths of the activity and also areas of improvement. Various monitoring tools were used, for example; my daily reflective notes, observation checklist, teachers' evaluation form, and my ongoing observations throughout the educational period. The monitoring data and the overall experience suggest that these activities enhanced team work, generated confidence and raised participants' self-esteem. It also enhanced teachers' pedagogical content knowledge, skills and helped in changing the attitude towards resource-based teaching and learning. It provided me a way to improve myself and to develop more resources within limited time. An important aspect of any educational project is its sustainability. Following strategies are adopted to ensure the same on a long-term basis of this project; participant teachers will train other teachers, teachers will bring their classes into the LRC especially for the teaching English, and the school management will get involved in maintenance and adding new resources to the LRC. All the activities that were done during the project built our confidence and our understanding as to how resource-based teaching enhances learning of Language.