Your Local History, Documented
The capstone project for Nigerian History: Peoples, Power and Culture from Nok to Now — a free Civic & Life Skills course. Pass it and you earn a certificate anyone can verify.
- Free
- 6 steps
- Pass mark 65%
- Graded within minutes
- Beginner-friendly
The project unlocks once you complete the lessons. The workbook is free to download now so you can see exactly what is expected.
What you will submit
One shared link (Google Doc, Notion page or PDF set to 'anyone with the link') containing the scoped question, two interview write-ups with consent noted, two or more cited written sources, a ten-event sourced timeline, four or more credited images, and the 1,200-2,000-word illustrated article.
What to do, step by step
- Part 1 — Choose and scope: pick one subject in your own town, village, family or institution — a market, a church or mosque, a school, a chieftaincy, a festival, a family migration, a factory, a road, a riot, a football club. State in 100 words why it matters and what question you want to answer about it (for example: when did Oja Oba market start, and who controlled it?).
- Part 2 — Oral sources: interview at least two people who remember the subject directly or through their parents. Record with consent (say who they are, their age, their relationship to the subject, and that they agreed). Write up each interview as notes with the date and place. Note where the two accounts agree and where they disagree.
- Part 3 — Written sources: find at least two written sources — a book, a newspaper archive, a government gazette, a church or school record, a thesis, a reputable website — and cite them fully (author, title, publisher or site, year, page or URL, date accessed). Show one place where a written source corrects or confirms an oral one.
- Part 4 — Timeline: build a dated timeline of at least ten events for your subject, each with the source it came from. Mark uncertain dates as approximate and say why.
- Part 5 — Images: include at least four images — your own photographs, family photographs used with permission, or images from Wikimedia Commons or another free-licence source — each with a caption stating what it shows, who made it, and the licence or permission. No images copied from social media or news sites without a licence.
- Part 6 — The article: write 1,200-2,000 words that tell the story in order, explain why it matters, quote your interviewees, cite your written sources, and end with what is still unknown. Put the article, interview notes, timeline and images in one shared document and submit the link.
Files to work with
Project workbook (fill in, then submit)The whole brief, an evidence checklist, the grading rubric as a self-check and the link-sharing steps in one file. Opens in Word, Google Docs or WPS.Word · 7 KBHow it is graded
| Criterion | Weight |
|---|---|
| A clear, local, answerable question with a 100-word statement of why it matters | 10% |
| Two or more oral interviews properly documented with consent, date and place, with agreements and disagreements between accounts noted | 20% |
| Two or more written sources fully cited, with at least one example of a written source confirming or correcting an oral account | 20% |
| A sourced timeline of ten or more events with uncertain dates honestly marked | 15% |
| Four or more images, each captioned with content, creator and licence or permission; nothing lifted without rights | 15% |
| The article tells the story in order, explains its significance, quotes and cites its sources, and ends with what remains unknown | 20% |
You need 65% overall to pass. A failed submission comes back with feedback and can be revised and resubmitted.
Before you submit: make your link public
If your work lives in Google Drive or Google Docs, open Share → General access and change “Restricted” to “Anyone with the link” (Viewer). Then paste the link into a private browser window: if it opens without sign-in, you are ready. A private link cannot be graded — it is the single most common reason a good project fails.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to finish Nigerian History: Peoples, Power and Culture from Nok to Now before submitting the project?
Yes. The submission screen opens once every lesson in Nigerian History: Peoples, Power and Culture from Nok to Now is marked complete. The lessons are where the methods, the Nigerian context and the worked examples the project depends on are taught.
How is the project graded?
An examiner scores each rubric criterion from 0 to 100 and weights them as shown on this page; you need 65% overall to pass. Most submissions are graded within minutes and you get written feedback on what was strong and what to improve.
Can I resubmit if I fail?
Yes. A failed project comes back with feedback; revise the weak parts and resubmit. A passed project is final — the certificate is issued and cannot be re-rolled.
What do I actually submit?
A write-up of what you did (under 5,000 characters) plus a public link to your work — a Google Drive folder, Google Doc, spreadsheet, GitHub repository or video. The link must open without sign-in; a private link cannot be graded. The free project workbook on this page walks you through all 6 steps.
Is the certificate real?
Yes. Passing this project issues a certificate with a unique verification code. Anyone — an employer, a client, a school — can open the verification page and see that the certificate is genuine and which project earned it.
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Ready to earn this certificate?
Nigerian History: Peoples, Power and Culture from Nok to Now is free and self-paced. Finish the lessons, complete this project, and the certificate is yours to share.
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