CORRUPT POLITICAL LEADERSHIP IN SELECTED YORÙBÁ NOVELS

Abstract

Corrupt political leadership and other issues related to misgovernance are some of the motifs in both pre-independence and post-independence Yorùbá novels. Existing studies on the novels have focused more on political consciousness, governance, political manoeuvring, general thematic features of political events, stylistic devices and characterisation than on the issues of corrupt political leadership in Nigeria. This study was, therefore, designed to examine the representation of corrupt political leadership in the pre-independence and post-independence Yorùbá novels with a view to critiquing how these motifs are narrated in the novels, and its implication for political leadership crisis in contemporary Nigeria.

Marxist Sociology of Literature and Postcolonialism were adopted as framework, while the interpretive design was employed. Eight Yorùbá novels were purposively selected based on their paradigmatic representations of corrupt political leadership in pre-independence and post-independence Nigeria. Out of these novels, two representingpre-independence period; three represent both pre-independence and post-independence periods, while three cover the post-independence period. These are Adébáyọ̀ Fálétí’sỌmọ Olókùn Ẹsin (Ọmọ) and Ọládipọ̀ Yémitán’sGbọ́baníyì; (pre-colonial);Akínwùmí Ìṣòlá’s Saworoide; Afọlábí Ọlábímtán’sBaba Rere (Baba); Olú Owólabí’s Ọ̀tẹ̀ Nìbò (Ọ̀tẹ̀) (pre-independence and post-independence), andAfọlábí Ọlábímtán’sOrílawẹ̀ Àdìgún;Ìjàmbá Ṣẹ̀lú (Ìjàmbá) and Lérè Adéyẹmí’s Àkùkọ Gàgàrà (Àkùkọ) (post-independence). The texts were subjected to critical literary analysis.

In all the texts, corrupt political leadership is projected as the major encumbrance to feasibility of good governance and democratic stability in Nigeria. The corrupt political leadership motifs that were depicted in the texts are violation of human rights in Ọmọ, perversion of justice in Baba and Orílawẹ̀; electoral manipulation in Gbọ́baníyì, Baba, Orílawẹ̀ and Ọ̀tẹ̀; godfatherism and propaganda Ṣaworoidẹ and Ìjàmbá; vandalism in Ọ̀tẹ̀, Orílawẹ̀; political assassination in Ṣaworoide; Character assassination in Orílawẹ̀; bribery and extortion in Gbọ́baníyì; marginalisation and ethnicity in Orílawẹ̀; nepotism in Àkùkọ; diversion of public funds in Ṣaworoidẹ, Ìjàmbá and Àkùkọ. Two strategies are deployed to perpetrate corruption in political leadership: manipulative and exploitative strategy.Manipulative strategy occurs in electoral manipulation, treachery, character-assassination, abuse of power, vandalism, godfatherism, political assassination, thuggery, coercion and propaganda as shown in Baba, Ọ̀tẹ̀,Gbọ́baníyì and Ṣaworoidẹ; ethnicity, marginalisation in Ọmọ and Orílawẹ̀; nepotism, perversion of justice and sit-tight syndrome in Ìjàmbá and Àkùkọ, while exploitative strategy manifests in bribery and extortion, kickback, suppression of press freedom, diversion of public funds as depicted in Ìjàmbá and Àkùkọ.In Ọmọ, Baba, Ọtẹ and Gbọ́baníyì, exploitative strategy is foregrounded.The implications of these vices on the nation are bad governance, emergence of leaders with questionable character, injustice, violation of the rule of law, subversion of standard and merit, mismanagement of public resources, democratic instability and underdevelopment.

Corrupt political leadership in Nigeria, as revealed in someYorùbá novels, is a major obstacle to the overall socio-economic and political development of Nigeria. Therefore, communal effort isrecommended in demanding for good governance as depicted in the selected novels.