According to the novel, who built the first-storey building in Nigeria?

Analyzing the question: This is a literature/general knowledge question asking who built the first storey building in Nigeria. The phrase "according to the novel" points to a reading text, but the question itself doesn't name the novel. So we rely on the historical fact, which is well documented.

The concept: Early missionaries in the 19th century brought new building styles to Nigeria. The first two-storey building in Nigeria is historically credited to the Church Missionary Society (CMS) missionary Henry Townsend, who built it in Abeokuta in 1840s (around 1842). It is often called the "Ake storey building" or "Townsend's house", and it is commonly cited as the first storey building in Nigeria. Note that a related claim is sometimes made that Samuel Ajayi Crowther's associates built the "Ake Church" or that the Badagry "Agia Tree" site featured early structures. The Badagry "first storey building" is often attributed to Rev. Henry Townsend as well, but the key name linked to the "first storey building" in Nigeria is Townsend.

Step-by-step elimination:

• A. Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther: He was the first African Anglican bishop and translated the Bible into Yoruba, but he is not credited with the first storey building.
• B. Lord Frederick Lugard: He was a colonial administrator who amalgamated Nigeria in 1914, not a builder of this structure.
• C. Henry Townsend: He was a CMS missionary and printer in Abeokuta who built the first storey building in Nigeria. ✔
• D. Lord Bernard Shaw: George Bernard Shaw was an Irish playwright, with no link to Nigeria's building history.

Answer: C. Henry Townsend

Tip: For this kind of question, link the names to their roles:

• Crowther = Bible translation and bishop
• Lugard = amalgamation and indirect rule
• Townsend = first storey building and printing press in Abeokuta (the first newspaper, Iwe Irohin, 1859)

Remember "Townsend builds Towers (storeys)" and you'll hold on to it.