corruption and injustices in festus iyayi’s violence and chinua achebe’s a man of the people
CORRUPTION AND INJUSTICES IN FESTUS IYAYI’S VIOLENCE AND CHINUA ACHEBE’S A MAN OF THE PEOPLE
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE
DEDICATION
CERTIFICATE
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ABSTRACT
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.1 Background to the Study
1.2 Statement of the Problem
1.3 Purpose of the Study
1.4 Significance of the Study
1.5 Objectives of the Study
1.6 Scope and Limitation of the Study
1.7 Research Methodology
1.8 Bio-Data of Festus Iyayi
1.9 Bio-Data of Chinua Achebe
CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
CHAPTER THREE: CORRUPTION AND INJUSTICE IN CHINUA ACHEBE’S A MAN OF THE PEOPLE
3.1 Analysis of Achebe’s A Man of the People
3.2 The theme of Corruption in Achebe’s A Man of the People
3.3 Style in Achebe’s A Man of the People
3.4 Characterization in Achebe’s A Man of the People
CHAPTER FOUR: CORRUPTION AND INJUSTICES IN FESTUS IYAYI’S VIOLENCE
4.1 Analysis of Festus Iyayi’s Violence
4.2 The Theme of Corruption and Exploitation in Iyayi’s Violence
4.3 Style in Iyayi’s Violence
4.4 Characterization in Iyayi’s Violence
CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 Summary
5.2 Conclusion
5.3 recommendations
Works Cited
ABSTRACT
This research work focuses on corruption and injustices in Festus Iyayi’s Violence and Chinua Achebe’s A Man of the People. The two novelists are regarded by critics and scholars in the review of related literature as Nigerian popular writers whose writings expose a non-fictional lifestyle in Nigerian society and how the Nigerian leaders exploit and imposes various afflictions to the poor Nigerians. Their works also portrays how the masses live in object of corruption, injustices, exploitation and oppression.
Morever, in Violence, Iyayi criticizes Nigeria as a capitalist country where little or no opportunity is given to the poor. Correspondingly, he uses a wealthy business woman, Queen and her business mates to sample the way Nigerian leaders deliberately exploit their labourers, despite their sincerity and obedience. He also uses the health workers as agents of dehumanization where doctors have no sympathy over the sick one as seen in the novel under investigation.
However, in A Man of the People, Achebe uses Chief Nanga as a greedy and corrupt Nigerian politician whose aims into politics is for his personal gain and not to serve his people. He also oppresses the masses and members of the cabinets through corrupt lifestyle. At this point, Iyayi and Achebe see the Nigerian business men and women as well as the politicians as greedy, corrupt and bias in their leadership style. They also see the causes of Nigerian predicaments like corruption, violence and poverty as the downfall of the country because of corrupt and exploitative leaders and business men.
The study therefore recommends good literature novels using the above authors to the learners and pupils and students in Nigerian schools as it would enable to eradicate the issues of corruption and injustices in Nigeria as a country.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Festus Iyayi and Chinua Achebe are Nigerian prolific and proficient writers who use their novels to reflect the corrupt practices, injustices, oppression and exploitation of Nigerians. Then, they depicted the suffering of the poor masses within a particular historical background and show a sense of growing disgust and unrest. Because, according to them, Nigeria is a society that has started to emerge from the ‘colonial complex caused by years of denigration and self-abasement. In sum, they explore the condition of the working class in such a way that, a grim picture of their abject condition of living is revealed.
In Violence, for instance, Iyayi reflects the suffering of the working class, the masses and how they are down-trodden, oppressed and exploited and made credible with vivid imagery. For example, the dialogue amongst the wretched of the Nigerian society attests to this view: it is so unfair. One man has enough to eat, so much that he throws some away. Yet we are hungry. Well, all fingers are not equal. Everything is God’s work Patrick said. Kai, it is not God’s work, it’s man-made…Omoifo disagreed (20).
However, the above quotation is a clear illustration that, Iyayi holds the capitalist system for the plights of the down-trodden. Iyayi identifies himself with the masses by trying to expose their suffering and aspiration and conscious efforts of the proletarians to organize themselves to effect some positive changes in their conditions of living.
From the foregoing, one can therefore rightly say that ‘corruption and injustice’ are an integral part of exploitation simply because the non-producers in position of power utilize their advantage to deprive producers and their family of their rights. Therefore, it is on the above bedrock the researcher investigated the effect of corruption and injustices in Festus Iyayi’s Violence and Chinua Achebe’s A Man of the People
Corruption and injustices in festus iyayi’s violence and chinua achebe’s a man of the people
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Obviously, the problems facing the contemporary Nigerian societies are multi-dimensional and in phases. Day in and day out, the country is racked by afflictions, corruption, injustices, ill-treatment, disasters, macro-economic crises and dysfunctions, debt over-hang, high level of illiteracy, squalor, disease, hunger and other negative and destabilizing conditions thrown up the greedy and unpatriotic ruling class. Therefore, these writers, mentioned the above as a result of the myriad of social, political and economic problems facing the country and bad leadership styles that have refused to change for the better in spite of the rapid developmental trends all over the world today.
1.3 Purpose of the Study
The main purpose of this study is to portray how corruption and injustices in Festus lyayi’s Violence and Chinua Achebe’s A Man of the People affects the fictional characters with reference to our contemporary Nigerian society.
1.4 Significance of the Study
Importantly, this study will be of immense significant to the reader of this research work with a view of having more knowledge on the effects of corruption and injustices in Festus Iyayi’s Violence and Chinua Achebe’s A Man of the People, will serve as a good material to student’s research. The research work will also show how the government plays their role and make the citizens to suffer due to corrupt leadership role. And various injustices corruption has disordered everything.
1.5 Objectives of the Study
The objectives of this study are to:
i. examine the corruption and injustices in Festus Iyayi’s Violence and Chinua
Achebe’s A Man of the People
ii. portray the effects and consequences of corruption and injustices in the fictional characters in the two novels.
iii. investigate the authors aims of writing the two novels and provide solutions to the issues of corruption and injustices in the Nigerian society.
1.6 Scope and Delimitation of the Study
The scope of this study is delimited to corruption and injustices in Festus Iyayi’s
Violence and Chinua Achebe’s A Man of the People.
1.7 Research Methodology
The major source for the material in the writing of this project work restricted to Festus Iyayi’s Violence and Chinua Achebe’s A Man of the People. The secondary sources will be on library and the internet due to the inability of conducting a private interview with the novelists under study. Other information will also make use of African writers in regard to corruption and injustices in the Nigerian society.
Corruption and injustices in festus iyayi’s violence and chinua achebe’s a man of the people
1.8 Bio-Data of Festus Iyayi
Festus Iyayi was born on 29th of September, 1947 in Edo State, Nigeria. He started his primary school education at Annunciation Catholic College (ACC) and completed his studies in 1966. In 1967, he went to Government College at Ughelli and graduated in 1977. And there he won the Kennedy Essay Competition organized by the United State Embassy in Nigeria. He went to Ukraine in pursuit of his higher education and obtained an M.sc in industrial economics. Thereafter, his Ph. D at the University of Bradford, England.
Morever, Iyayi returned to Nigeria in 1980 and begin his lecturing job in the Department of Business Administration at the University of Benin. He was also the president of the Academic staff of Universities in 1986. Thereafter, he rose as the President of National Association of the Organization. Some of his published works are: Violence 1979, The Contract 1982 and The Heroes 1986. He died at the age of 66 years in a ghastly motor accident on November, 2013.
1.9 Bio-Data of Chinua Achebe
Chinua Achebe was born in Ogidi in Nigeria in 1930 to the family of Albert Chinualumogu Achebe. He was born a member of the Igbo tribe, one of the four main tribes of Nigeria. Indeed, his parent was converts to the protestant church mission society in Nigeria. However, at the age of 12 years, Achebe moved away from his family to the village of Nekede, four kilometers from his home town, Owerri. Furthermore, he enrolled as a student at the central school, where his older brother called John taught.
In addition, while in Nekede, he gained an appreciation for a traditional Art. Notably, in 1944, Achebe sat for entrance examination and was accepted at both the prestigious Jennish Memorial Grammar School in Onisha and Government College in Umuaha and University College in Ibadan while at the University; Achebe contributed several stories and essays to its magazines.
Then, in 1953, he graduated with a B.A before joining the Nigeria Broadcasting Corporation Service (N.B.C) in Lagos. Furthermore, in 1956, he was selected at the staff school run by British Broadcasting Corporation (B.B.C). Thereafter, in 1958, his novel was sending for recommendation in London by one of his teachers, Gilbert.
In addition, in 1961, he met a woman in Enugu named, Christiana Chinua Okoli. They got her married that same year at the University of Ibadan main campus and was blessed with children. Lastly, Achebe died at the age of 82 on 21 March, 2013. Finally, some of his selected works includes: Things Fall Apart (1958), No Longer at Ease (1960), Arrow of God (1964) and A Man of the People (1987)
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