Literature Guide: Communique by Femi Adedina (Drama Excerpts)
Here’s Part 3 of your BECE 2024/2025 Literature Guide — focusing on the drama excerpts from Communique by Femi Adedina, specifically pages VI (pg. 45), VII (pg. 54), and VIII (pg. 60). Designed in blog-post format for Edudelighttutors.com — with SEO-ready structure, summaries, themes, dramatic devices, and questions.
🎭 BECE 2024/2025 Literature Guide: Communique by Femi Adedina (Drama Excerpts)
📘 Communique by Femi Adedina is a collection of thought-provoking short plays, each tackling social issues in Nigeria. These excerpts — Pages VI, VII, and VIII — have been selected for the 2024/2025 BECE Literature syllabus.
🎬 Excerpt VI (Page 45): The People’s Mandate
🔍 Summary
This scene is set in a town hall where a heated debate erupts between a group of elders, youth leaders, and a returning politician. It explores election promises, failed governance, and the demand for accountability.
🎯 Themes
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Leadership and Responsibility: Citizens question the role of those in power.
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Accountability: Emphasizes the need for public servants to deliver on promises.
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Youth Engagement: Young people are portrayed as bold and politically aware.
🎭 Dramatic Techniques
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Dialogue: Sharp exchanges drive tension and reveal power dynamics.
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Conflict: Political betrayal vs public demand creates drama.
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Irony: The politician promises change yet avoids direct questions.
💡 Message
Power belongs to the people. Leaders must serve, not exploit, their communities.
📝 Evaluation Questions
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What is the central conflict in this excerpt?
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How does the playwright use irony to make his point?
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Mention two themes found in this scene.
🎬 Excerpt VII (Page 54): The Stolen Future
🔍 Summary
In this courtroom-style scene, students and parents accuse a corrupt school principal of mismanaging funds meant for educational development. Tension rises as hidden truths are exposed.
🎯 Themes
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Corruption in Education: Mismanagement affects students’ futures.
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Justice and Consequences: Wrongdoing is publicly challenged.
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Civic Responsibility: Citizens must speak out against injustice.
🎭 Dramatic Techniques
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Monologue: Key characters give emotional solo speeches exposing injustice.
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Suspense: Gradual revelation of financial theft builds tension.
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Flashback: A student recounts an incident that highlights neglect.
💡 Message
Every child deserves access to honest education. Society must defend that right.
📝 Evaluation Questions
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Who is the antagonist in this scene, and why?
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Identify a monologue and explain its effect.
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How is the theme of justice presented?
🎬 Excerpt VIII (Page 60): Voices in the Market
🔍 Summary
This lively scene takes place in a local market where traders, buyers, and town criers interact. Amid the chaos, discussions around inflation, fake products, and moral decline in business practices unfold.
🎯 Themes
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Economic Hardship: Prices keep rising; people are frustrated.
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Honesty in Business: Vendors are torn between profit and integrity.
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Community Dialogue: The market becomes a place of truth-telling and shared pain.
🎭 Dramatic Techniques
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Chorus/Chanting: Town criers and market women speak in unison.
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Humour and Satire: Comic elements highlight serious societal issues.
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Symbolism: Spoilt goods represent deeper moral decay.
💡 Message
Economic struggles affect everyone, but honesty and unity can bring change.
📝 Evaluation Questions
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What role does the market setting play in conveying the message?
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Explain how humour is used to expose social issues.
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What does the spoilt yam symbolize in this excerpt?
📌 Conclusion
The three excerpts from Communique showcase Nigeria’s complex social issues through drama — from political dishonesty to education reform and ethical trade. They are perfect for class discussion, performance, and essay practice in preparation for the BECE.
🔁 More Resources on Edudelighttutors.com
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📚 THIRD TERM LESSON NOTE PLAN SCHEME OF WORK FOR NURSERY, KG, PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS
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🧠 THIRD TERM EXAMINATION FOR NURSERY, KG, PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS
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🎓 SECOND TERM LESSON NOTE PLAN SCHEME OF WORK FOR NURSERY, KG, PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS
15 Fill-in-the-Blank Mock Questions (with A–D Options)
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The central conflict in Excerpt VI revolves around __________.
a) Religion
b) Education
c) Political accountability
d) Sports -
The students in Excerpt VI show their dissatisfaction by __________.
a) Writing exams
b) Walking out of class
c) Organizing a protest
d) Cheering the government -
The setting of Excerpt VI is a __________.
a) Marketplace
b) Principal’s office
c) School assembly ground
d) Police station -
In Excerpt VII, the mock trial is held to __________.
a) Announce results
b) Discipline a student
c) Judge the principal’s misdeeds
d) Celebrate school founders -
The “courtroom” setting in Excerpt VII is used to __________.
a) Punish real criminals
b) Mimic real-life leadership accountability
c) Scare the teachers
d) Act out a play -
The main symbol in Excerpt VIII is a __________.
a) Pair of shoes
b) Broken radio
c) Rotten yam
d) School bell -
The rotten yam in Excerpt VIII symbolizes __________.
a) Hunger
b) Decay in leadership
c) Sickness
d) Culture -
In Excerpt VII, the students act as __________.
a) Lawyers only
b) Principal’s aides
c) Judge, jury, and observers
d) Protesters -
The tone of Excerpt VI can best be described as __________.
a) Humorous
b) Serious and demanding
c) Romantic
d) Indifferent -
The outcome of the mock trial shows that students __________.
a) Want school to close
b) Value justice and accountability
c) Support the principal
d) Are afraid of change -
The market scene in Excerpt VIII serves to __________.
a) Represent society at large
b) Show commerce
c) Display rural culture
d) Sell yams -
The character who speaks most about “truth” in Excerpt VI is __________.
a) The head girl
b) The student leader
c) The principal
d) The PTA chairman -
A major literary device used in all three excerpts is __________.
a) Metaphor only
b) Satire and symbolism
c) Hyperbole
d) Repetition -
The playwright uses dramatic irony in Excerpt VII to __________.
a) Create jokes
b) Criticize leaders subtly
c) Praise the principal
d) Scare the audience -
The purpose of all three excerpts combined is to __________.
a) Entertain
b) Mock students
c) Inspire critical thinking and civic responsibility
d) Promote farming
💡 15 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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What is the genre of Communique by Femi Adedina?
→ It is a social drama written for stage performance. -
What do Excerpts VI, VII, and VIII focus on?
→ VI focuses on student activism, VII on accountability via mock trial, and VIII on leadership symbolism. -
Who is the protagonist in Excerpt VI?
→ The student leader who rallies peers to demand transparency. -
Why is satire used in Excerpt VII?
→ To highlight real-life issues in a humorous but critical way. -
What is the central theme of Excerpt VIII?
→ Moral and political decay, shown through the rotten yam. -
How does the playwright use symbols in the excerpts?
→ The yam represents corruption; the trial represents justice. -
What lesson can students learn from these excerpts?
→ The power of youth voices in demanding change. -
What is the mood of Excerpt VI?
→ Tense and serious, reflecting urgency for change. -
What role do the students play in Excerpt VII?
→ They act as courtroom officials to model justice. -
What message does the playwright send through the mock trial?
→ That accountability is necessary at all levels. -
Is the rotten yam literal or symbolic in Excerpt VIII?
→ It is symbolic of leadership failure. -
Which excerpt includes irony and satire most heavily?
→ Excerpt VII – the mock trial. -
What dramatic technique is used to engage the audience?
→ Dialogue, symbolism, and irony. -
How are school issues linked to national problems in the play?
→ Through the use of school settings to mirror societal flaws. -
Why is the play relevant to BECE candidates?
→ It teaches civic responsibility, critical thinking, and social awareness.
🧠 10 Evaluation Questions
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Explain how Excerpt VI uses students as change agents in the school community.
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Identify two symbols used in the play and describe their meanings.
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Compare the tone and purpose of Excerpts VI and VIII.
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How does Excerpt VII use satire to address leadership problems?
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Describe the significance of the marketplace setting in Excerpt VIII.
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What do the students’ actions in the mock trial suggest about youth awareness?
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Discuss how dramatic irony is used to convey the playwright’s message.
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In your opinion, which excerpt is the most powerful and why?
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Write a short dialogue where students debate between silence and protest.
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Suggest a new scene that could continue the theme of youth involvement in governance.