LEADERSHIP, CORRUPTION AND REVOLUTION IN CONTEMPORARY NIGERIAN DRAMA: AN ANALYSIS OF CHARLES NWADIGWE’S UDOJI AND EMEKA NWBUEZE’S A PARLIAMENT OF VULTURES

Abstract

Right from the colonial period to this post-colonial era, the Nigeria political space has constantly faced one recurring problem; leadership. Almost all crises that have occurred at different periods of Nigeria’s political history have all been leadership instigated. From the conflict that characterized the indirect rule introduced by the imperialists during the colonial era, to the Nigeria – Biafra civil war of the postcolonial period, down to the coups and counter coup d’états that held sway during the military era, then to the more contemporary times during which various security challenges like farmers - herders clash, boko haram insurgency reared their heads. These instances are all fallouts and aftermaths of poor leadership institution in the Nigeria nation-space right from time immemorial. As a result of this weak leadership structure which was first built by the colonial masters as exemplified in Charles Nwadigwe’s Udoji, corruption like an incurable virus infested the blood stream of Nigeria’s political system and so instead of service to the people becoming the primary and sole purpose of vying for leadership positions, wealth acquisition through flagrant embezzlement of public funds became the motivating factor as portrayed in Emeka Nwabueze’s A Parliament of Vultures. From all indications, Nigerian dramatists who are also adversely affected by this vampire-leadership style that suck the nation dry are obviously in the forefront of the anti-corruption campaign. This is in recognition of the potency of drama as a viable tool for interrogating salient sociopolitical issues that require attention. Hence, the two plays studied demonstrate that the nation’s leadership institution is infested by a can of worms and so needs urgent sanitization if the country must be redeemed from an impending total collapse. The researcher employed the qualitative methodology thus while Udoji and A parliament of Vultures – the two plays studied in the work – were used as primary tools for the critical analysis of the research problem, library and internet materials provided secondary sources of data. The playwrights having utilized the Marxist aesthetics prescribe revolution as the effective means of pulling the nation out of the cesspool of corruption she is enmeshed in. There are therefore glimmers of hope that by taking such radical step, Nigeria will be redeemed from the clutches of bad leadership.