Nigeria is a country with a lot of oil, but it hasn’t been able to make its own fuel. They had to buy fuel from other countries, which cost more money. A big new place called the Dangote refinery in Lagos got one million barrels of oil to start making fuel. This place cost $19 billion to build and will make things like diesel, airplane fuel, and cooking gas first, and then it will make petrol.

Nigeria is the biggest economy in Africa and it makes a lot of oil. But sometimes, there isn’t enough fuel for people to buy, and it can be very expensive. The president of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, stopped the government from making fuel cheaper, which made the price go up a lot. Some people who work in unions don’t like this, but the president says it will help the country in the future. The government says it saved a lot of money by not making fuel cheaper anymore, and it will use that money to help make people’s lives better.

The Dangote refinery is a big deal for Nigeria because it will help the country not need to buy fuel from other places. It will make enough fuel for Nigeria and even have some extra to sell to other countries. This is happening when fuel is hard to get in Nigeria and the price has gone up because the government isn’t making it cheaper. But the government thinks that not making fuel cheaper will be good in the long run and is using the money it saved to help people in other ways.

Original news source: Nigeria takes major step towards once again producing refined oil (BBC)

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Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Headline Creation
Instructions: In pairs or small groups, students will create catchy and informative headlines for the article. They can use the given information and their own creativity to come up with attention-grabbing titles. Afterward, they can share their headlines with the class and discuss which ones they think are the most effective.

– Word Association
Instructions: Write the word “fuel” on the board and ask students to brainstorm as many words or phrases related to fuel as they can in one minute. After the time is up, have students take turns sharing their responses. Encourage them to explain their associations and ask follow-up questions to promote conversation and vocabulary expansion.

– Pros and Cons
Instructions: Divide the class into two groups and assign one group to list the pros of the Dangote refinery project and the other group to list the cons. Give them a few minutes to brainstorm and then have each group share their points with the class. Afterward, facilitate a discussion where students can compare and contrast the different perspectives and express their own opinions.

– Speed Summarizing
Instructions: Provide each student with a copy of the article. Set a timer for three minutes and ask students to read the article as quickly as possible. Once the time is up, have them summarize the main points of the article in their own words. Afterward, students can pair up and take turns sharing their summaries. Encourage them to ask each other questions for clarification.

– Opinion Spectrum
Instructions: Create a line across the classroom, designating one end as “Strongly Agree” and the other end as “Strongly Disagree”. Read out statements related to the article, such as “The Dangote refinery will benefit Nigeria’s economy” or “The government should make fuel cheaper for its citizens”. After each statement, students should position themselves along the spectrum based on their agreement or disagreement. Once everyone has taken a position, allow students to explain their reasoning and engage in respectful discussion with their classmates.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What is the name of the big new place in Lagos that is making fuel?
2. Why did Nigeria have to buy fuel from other countries?
3. What things will the Dangote refinery make first?
4. Why did the price of fuel go up a lot?
5. Why do some people not like that the government stopped making fuel cheaper?
6. What will the Dangote refinery do for Nigeria?
7. How is the government using the money it saved by not making fuel cheaper?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Nigeria is a country with a lot of oil, but it hasn’t been able to make its own fuel. They had to buy fuel from other countries, which cost more money. A big new place called the Dangote refinery in Lagos got one million barrels of oil to start making fuel. This place cost $19 billion to (1)______ and will make (2)______ like (3)______, airplane fuel, and cooking gas first, and then it will (4)______ petrol.

(5)______ is the biggest (6)______ in Africa and it makes a lot of oil. But sometimes, there isn’t enough fuel for people to buy, and it can be very expensive. The president of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, stopped the government from making fuel cheaper, which made the price go up a lot. Some people who work in unions don’t like this, but the president says it will (7)______ the country in the future. The government says it saved a lot of money by not (8)______ fuel cheaper anymore, and it will use that money to help make people’s lives better.

The Dangote (9)______ is a big deal for Nigeria because it will help the country not need to buy fuel from other places. It will make enough fuel for Nigeria and even have some extra to sell to other countries. This is (10)______ when fuel is (11)______ to get in Nigeria and the price has gone up because the government isn’t making it cheaper. But the government thinks that not making fuel cheaper will be good in the (12)______ run and is using the money it saved to help people in other ways.
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Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What is a refinery?
2. How would you feel if your country had to buy fuel from other countries?
3. Do you think it’s important for a country to be able to make its own fuel? Why or why not?
4. What do you think about the president’s decision to stop making fuel cheaper?
5. How do you think the Dangote refinery will help Nigeria?
6. Do you like the idea of Nigeria being able to sell extra fuel to other countries? Why or why not?
7. How do you think the high fuel prices affect people’s lives in Nigeria?
8. What do you think the government should do with the money it saved by not making fuel cheaper?
9. How do you think the Dangote refinery will impact the economy of Nigeria?
10. Do you think it’s important for a country to be self-sufficient in terms of fuel production? Why or why not?
11. How do you think the Dangote refinery will affect the price of fuel in Nigeria?
12. What are some other ways the government could use the money saved from not making fuel cheaper to help people?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. refinery
2. petrol
3. expensive
4. president
5. unions
6. government
7. extra
8. economy
9. deal
10. future
11. saved
12. countries

Meanings:
(A) A place where they make fuel
(B) The people who make decisions for a country
(C) Places where people live and have their own governments
(D) The time that will come after now
(E) A type of fuel for cars
(F) More than what is needed
(G) Groups of workers who join together to protect their rights
(H) The leader of a country
(I) Kept money for later use
(J) The way a country makes and uses money
(K) Costing a lot of money
(L) Something important or special
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Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Why did Nigeria have to buy fuel from other countries?
(a) Nigeria wanted to support other countries.
(b) Nigeria couldn’t make its own fuel.
(c) Nigeria didn’t have enough money to make its own fuel.
(d) Nigeria didn’t have any oil.

2. How much did it cost to build the Dangote refinery?
(a) $19 billion
(b) $1 million
(c) $100 million
(d) $10 billion

3. What will the Dangote refinery make first?
(a) Petrol, diesel, and cooking gas
(b) Petrol, airplane fuel, and diesel
(c) Diesel, airplane fuel, and cooking gas
(d) Cooking gas, petrol, and airplane fuel

4. What is the president of Nigeria’s name?
(a) Bola Tinubu
(b) Dangote
(c) Lagos
(d) Nigeria

5. Why did the president stop the government from making fuel cheaper?
(a) He wants to make more money.
(b) He doesn’t like unions.
(c) He wants to buy fuel from other countries.
(d) He thinks it will help the country in the future.

6. What will the Dangote refinery do for Nigeria?
(a) It will make fuel more expensive in Nigeria.
(b) It will make Nigeria’s economy smaller.
(c) It will help Nigeria not need to buy fuel from other places.
(d) It will make Nigeria’s economy bigger.

7. Why is fuel hard to get in Nigeria?
(a) The Dangote refinery is not working.
(b) Nigeria doesn’t have any oil.
(c) Other countries are buying all the fuel.
(d) The government is not making it cheaper.

8. What is the government doing with the money it saved?
(a) Buying more fuel from other countries.
(b) Using it to help people in other ways.
(c) Building another refinery.
(d) Making fuel cheaper.

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. The government believes that not making fuel cheaper will benefit the country in the long run and is using the saved money to help people in other ways.
2. Nigeria is not the biggest economy in Africa and produces a lot of oil.
3. Nigeria is a country that has a lot of oil, but it couldn’t make its own fuel before.
4. The Dangote refinery will not help Nigeria become self-sufficient in fuel and even have extra to sell to other countries.
5. Sometimes, there isn’t enough fuel in Nigeria and it can be very expensive.
6. The refinery cost $19 billion to build and will not make diesel, airplane fuel, cooking gas, and petrol.
7. The Dangote refinery in Lagos is not a new place that will make fuel from oil.
8. The president of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, stopped the government from making fuel cheaper.
Go to answers ⇩

Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.

Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.

1. Why did Nigeria have to buy fuel from other countries?
2. How much did the Dangote refinery cost to build?
3. What will the Dangote refinery make first?
4. Why did the president of Nigeria stop the government from making fuel cheaper?
5. What will the Dangote refinery do for Nigeria?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What is the name of the big new place in Lagos that is making fuel?
The big new place in Lagos that is making fuel is called the Dangote refinery.

2. Why did Nigeria have to buy fuel from other countries?
Nigeria had to buy fuel from other countries because they couldn’t make their own fuel.

3. What things will the Dangote refinery make first?
The Dangote refinery will first make things like diesel, airplane fuel, and cooking gas.

4. Why did the price of fuel go up a lot?
The price of fuel went up a lot because the president stopped the government from making it cheaper.

5. Why do some people not like that the government stopped making fuel cheaper?
Some people do not like that the government stopped making fuel cheaper because it made fuel more expensive for them.

6. What will the Dangote refinery do for Nigeria?
The Dangote refinery will help Nigeria not need to buy fuel from other countries. It will make enough fuel for Nigeria and even have some extra to sell to other countries.

7. How is the government using the money it saved by not making fuel cheaper?
The government is using the money it saved by not making fuel cheaper to help people in other ways and make their lives better.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) build
(2) things
(3) diesel
(4) make
(5) Nigeria
(6) economy
(7) help
(8) making
(9) refinery
(10) happening
(11) hard
(12) long
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. refinery
Answer: (A) A place where they make fuel

2. petrol
Answer: (E) A type of fuel for cars

3. expensive
Answer: (K) Costing a lot of money

4. president
Answer: (H) The leader of a country

5. unions
Answer: (G) Groups of workers who join together to protect their rights

6. government
Answer: (B) The people who make decisions for a country

7. extra
Answer: (F) More than what is needed

8. economy
Answer: (J) The way a country makes and uses money

9. deal
Answer: (L) Something important or special

10. future
Answer: (D) The time that will come after now

11. saved
Answer: (I) Kept money for later use

12. countries
Answer: (C) Places where people live and have their own governments
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Why did Nigeria have to buy fuel from other countries?
Answer: (b) Nigeria couldn’t make its own fuel.

2. How much did it cost to build the Dangote refinery?
Answer: (a) $19 billion

3. What will the Dangote refinery make first?
Answer: (c) Diesel, airplane fuel, and cooking gas

4. What is the president of Nigeria’s name?
Answer: (a) Bola Tinubu

5. Why did the president stop the government from making fuel cheaper?
Answer: (d) He thinks it will help the country in the future.

6. What will the Dangote refinery do for Nigeria?
Answer: (c) It will help Nigeria not need to buy fuel from other places.

7. Why is fuel hard to get in Nigeria?
Answer: (d) The government is not making it cheaper.

8. What is the government doing with the money it saved?
Answer: (b) Using it to help people in other ways.
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. The government believes that not making fuel cheaper will benefit the country in the long run and is using the saved money to help people in other ways. (Answer: True)
2. Nigeria is not the biggest economy in Africa and produces a lot of oil. (Answer: False)
3. Nigeria is a country that has a lot of oil, but it couldn’t make its own fuel before. (Answer: True)
4. The Dangote refinery will not help Nigeria become self-sufficient in fuel and even have extra to sell to other countries. (Answer: False)
5. Sometimes, there isn’t enough fuel in Nigeria and it can be very expensive. (Answer: True)
6. The refinery cost $19 billion to build and will not make diesel, airplane fuel, cooking gas, and petrol. (Answer: False)
7. The Dangote refinery in Lagos is not a new place that will make fuel from oil. (Answer: False)
8. The president of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, stopped the government from making fuel cheaper. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧