Corrupt Practices in Wole Soyinka’s The Road and Chris Egharevba’s the Labourer’s Blood

 

CHAPTER ONE

 INTRODUCTION

1.1       Background to the Study

Two major concepts presently bedeviling the Nigerian society today, these include corruption, violence and social vices. These two concepts through independent seem to always generate conflict in the society. Therefore, political corruption is the use of power by government officials for illegitimate and private gain. This point is seen in Chinua Achebe’s The Troubled with Nigeria he said:

There is nothing wrong with the Nigerian character…but, that Nigerian’s problem is the unwillingness or inability of its leaders to rise to their responsibilities (5).

He further maintains that, the Nigerian leaders are corrupt … and this consequently makes the corruption easy…and corruption is difficult to practice, the Nigerian atmosphere will be convenient for the masses. Based on Achebe’s views on The Trouble with Nigeria it is clear that nothing is wrong with the Nigerian character.

In Soyinka’s The Road and Egharevba’s The Labourers Blood, these writers believes that, Africa generally and Nigeria in particular have been portrayed simultaneously as a failed continent and a failed country, betrayed by rulers who have mismanaged its economy and destroyed its political ethics. In the bid of getting into power at all cost, writer like Kenneth Harrow maintains that;

The nation state in African today is in crisis misrule….. and corruption have danced across the land provoking widespread skepticism towards the mechanism of government and a sense of resignation over the inevitable indifference of the wealthy and powerful to the enormous social problems at hand. Globalization and Aids has spread their pandemic effects, war and economy have gained the terrain, so that walking down town or driving at night have become risky under taking in many areas one has merely to mention the words southern Sudan or eastern Congo to elicit a shrug of despair (33).

The above has shown that, the consequences of the loss of predictable political power in any society is one thing, at the national level but they are quite different.

1.2       Statement of the Problem 

Corruption affects the way countries and the leaders are ruled. It is a disease, a cancer that eats into the cultural, political and economic fabric of the society, and destroys the functioning of vital organs. The attempt to create a common understanding has led to the research of this project.

13.       Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this work is to analyze the corrupt practices with reference to Chris Egbarevba’s The labourer’s Bloodand Wole Soyinka’s The Road.            

1.4       Significance of the study

This work will be significant to the government to look into this issue of corrupt practices and how the masses are disillusioned without care of favour. The study will also serve as a good material to students and researchers on the issues of corrupt practices in our contemporary African societies with reference to the two plays in this work.