With approximately 200 million inhabitants, Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa. The country is viewed as a multinational state, as it is inhabited by over 500 ethnic groups, of which the three largest are the Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba; these ethnic groups speak over 500 different languages, and are identified with a wide variety of cultures. The official language is English. Nigeria is divided roughly in half between Christians, who live mostly in the southern part of the country, and Muslims in the northern part. Calabar a town and a port is the capital of Cross river state. The people spoke Efik language and Pidgin English. We reported at the State School Board Calabar. Mr. Akpan was the chairman of the board and I was posted to Mary Knoll College Ogoja, and my brother-in-law Raju was posted to Itam Sec. School Uyo a distance of 350 Km, from Ogoja. Ogoja on the road from Abakaliki is a major trade center for yams, cassava, corn, rice, palm oil, kernels and kola nuts. It is mainly inhabited by the Ekoi peoples. Mary Knoll was situated at Okuku in Yala.

Mary Knoll College was started in 1953 by the Mary Knoll fathers from Ireland. The first batch consisted of five students and the Principal was Fr. McCracken from Ireland. He was a very tough disciplinarian who never compromised on the quality of education and discipline. One of the students from the first batch Dr. Mathias Ofoboche became the deputy governor of Cross River State in 1979, another student Joseph Ukpo became the first indigenous bishop of Ogoja in 1973 and later archbishop of Calabar, and a third student Joe Igbe became the first indigenous principal of Mary Knoll College, Ogoja. Over the years Mary Knoll College had expanded so much with the help of the World Bank that by the time I joined, it had become the premier institution of Cross River, the only school which was offering A-Level courses. There were 42 staff houses inside the compound, built by the World Bank project and ultra-modern science laboratories.

Mr. Joe Igbe was the principal in 1978 when I joined the college. I also met Mrs. And Dr. Andrews, Mr. and Mrs. Jacob and Mr. Babu from Kerala as teachers, and also teachers from other countries. There were 1500 students on roll and 43 teachers. The atmosphere was superb. Soon I found the students hardworking, respectful and committed. They work with determination, hope, patience and aspiration. Nigeria is a hot country and so the college timing was from 8.00 am to 1.00 pm. Mary Knoll was partly a boarding school, nearly half of the student population stayed in the boarding.

I had started experiencing the African culture and African time. After two weeks we were scheduled to have a special staff meeting on one evening at 4 pm. I am being very conscious of time, arrived the staff room at 4 pm. To my dismay, there were not even a single soul. I waited for half an hour and then went to Dr. Andrews's house to inquire. He laughed and told me that they follow African time, people would start coming only by 6 pm. I was surprised. When the meeting finally started at 6.30 pm, there were lots of drinks, beer, palm wine and soda to share during the meeting. It was another shock for me. There were endless discussions because people were discussing under the effect of alcohol. Drinks were served in most of the staff meetings.

Okuku market was one of the biggest markets in the region and the market day occurs after every five days. People from all over the place flocked to the market to buy and sell things. Kola nut was sold in the market and every family who came to the market bought a few pieces of kola nut. Kola nut is used to welcome guests at home, and served at any gatherings. It would be passed around so that everybody can share. Yams of huge size, weighing about 20 kg were available and it was one of the staple food in Cross River. The yam is peeled, boiled and pounded until a soft elastic sticky dough is formed called 'yam fufu'. It is served with pumpkin and melon soup. Pumpkin leaves are cooked with melon seeds, crayfish, onions, garlic, tomatoes, hot pepper, chicken or beef and raw palm oil. The soup is very delicious and healthy. People in a house or a gathering sits around a table with a dish containing a heap of yam fufu and a container with pumpkin soup on the table. A calabash filled with palm wine would also be kept on the table. It is impossible to imagine a gathering without serving palm wine. Yam fufu was my most favorite food in Nigeria. Palm wine was sold in the market. So was the Scotch whisky. Heaps of Scotch whisky bottles were placed on gunny bag carpets on the roadside or in the market and sold, a sight which cannot be seen anywhere else. The hospitality of the Nigerian people is extremely warm and courteous.

Mary Knoll Catholic Church was adjacent to the school. Fr. O' Flynn from Ireland was the chaplain and I used to attend the daily mass at 6.30 am. I became a member of the parish council. Sunday services were very colorful. The congregation came to the church in their best attire, men wearing suits or traditional attire, women with their colorful head scarf and children in fancy dress. They were coming to God's house. There were lots of singing and dancing during the mass. Every Sunday is a celebration in the church. During the offertory everybody, including children will move towards the altar to put their offerings in the coffer. People also brought goat, chicken, eggs, yam, plantain etc. as offerings. After the mass, people will greet each other before they disperse.