Corruption in Contemporary Nigerian Poetry: A New Historicist Perspective

Abstract

Discussions on corruption in Nigeria are dominated by economists and social scientists with their scholastic discourse on the subject growing by the day that one wonders whether Nigerian creative writers, especially contemporary poets are not perturbed by the rising wave of corruption in the country. This article attempts to investigate the contributions of some Nigerian poets like Niyi Osundare, Odia Ofeimun, Idris Amali, Joe Ushie, Amanze Akpuda, Musa Idris Okpanachi, Darlington Ogbonnaya and Eddie Onuzuruike in the fight against corruption in Nigeria. Hence a new historicist approach was adopted to discuss their imaginative portrayal of corruption and its impact on the war against graft. Their artistic perspectives of corruption were identified in order to better understand the various forms of corruption as well as the historical dimensions and their suggestive mitigating effects. From the findings, it is evident that Nigerian poets have raised strong voices against corruptive tendencies by exposing the various categories of corruption in Nigeria and their destructive and debilitating effects.

Opsomming

Gesprekke oor korrupsie in Nigerië word oorheers deur ekonome en sosiaal-wetenskaplikes, en hulle skolastiese diskoers oor die onderwerp neem daagliks toe. ’n Mens moet wonder of kreatiewe skrywers in Nigerië, veral kontemporêre digters, ook ontstig word deur die groeiende vlaag van korrupsie in die land. Hierdie studie stel ondersoek in na die bydraes van Nigeriese digters soos Niyi Osundare, Odia Ofeimun, Idris Amali, Joe Ushie, Amanze Akpuda, Musa Idris Okpanachi, Darlington Ogbonnaya en Eddie Onuzuruike tot die stryd teen korrupsie. Hulle artistieke perspektiewe is geïdentifiseer om die verskillende vorme van korrupsie, die historiese dimensies daarvan en versagtende effekte te verstaan. Die bevindinge toon dat Nigeriese digters beslis hulle stem verhef teen korrupte neigings deur verskillende kategorieë van korrupsie, asook die vernietigende en verlammende uitwerking wat korrupsie in Nigerië het, aan die kaak te stel.