A summary of Chapter 1, Second Class Citizen

Chapter 1, “Childhood,” introduces protagonist Adah Ofili at eight years old. Adah was living in Lagos with her mother, father, and little brother Boy. At this time, Adah's mother and the other Ibuza women (Ibos) were excited because a lawyer named Nweze was coming home to Lagos after studying in the United Kingdom (U.K.). Adah dreamed of going to school, even though serious education was usually reserved for male children. One day, while Adah's mother was distracted by visitors, Adah snuck out of the house and went to school, even though she was not enrolled. The teacher, Mr. Cole, was kind and let her stay. After school, Mr. Cole walked Adah home, and there they learned that Adah's mother had been taken to the police station because Adah had gone missing. The police forced her to drink a chalky flour substance called gari as punishment for losing her child. Adah's mother was very angry with her, and her father hit her with a cane, but not very enthusiastically. He was partial to Adah, partly because she was named after his mother, who on her death bed promised to come back to him in the form of his first daughter.

Despite the trouble she caused, Adah was permitted to return to school, but that meant she was not able to go to the wharf to welcome Nweze home. Adah's father and his friends drank to the river goddess Oboshi for Nweze's safe return. Adah dreamed of going to the U.K.