akara balls
fried bean cakes popular as a breakfast food in Nigeria
amenable
responsive; open to suggestion; easily persuaded or controlled
anini
a small Nigerian coin worth very little
biro
a brand of ball point pen, often used to refer to pens in general
Bournvita tins
a brand of malted drink mixes that used to be packaged in small metal tins
Coal Corporation
a government-owned corporation with a monopoly in coal mining, production and sales; also known as the Nigerian Coal Corporation
commandeer
to officially take possession or control of something, especially for military or government purposes
demijohn
a large container, encased in wicker, often used for brewing
destitute
extremely poor
edifice
a large, imposing, seemingly important building
Enugu
the capital of the short-lived state of Biafra, established by rebelling Southeastern Nigerian provinces
ex gratia
a legal term used to describe awards or compensation given as a favor and not as a right; this designation allows payments to be made without the giver assuming liability or obligation
fortnight
two weeks
imperious
arrogant and overbearing
inestimable
too great or precious to calculate
katakata
Glencoe's literature guide suggests that this may be an onomatopoeia for machine gun fire ("Before You Read:Civil Peace" 70)
palm wine
an alcoholic beverage popular throughout Africa and Asia, created from the fermented sap of the palm tree
queue
a line of people
raffia bag
a bag woven from fibers of the raffia palm
retailed
sold directly to the public, as in goods or products
stock-fish
dried, un-salted fish
wey de for inside
a phrase that means "that went with it" in Nigerian slang ("Before You Read:Civil Peace" 70)
