Dissecting the Bitter Truth about Our Politics and Leadership: A Study of Emeka Nwabueze’s A Parliament of Vultures

Abstract

In our contemporary Nigerian society, the mantle of leadership rests wholly in the hands of selfish mediocrities. The elites with positive intentions to redeem the nation are frustrated with politics. The shameless mediocrities in politics are daring and ready to maim in order to achieve their selfish aims hence the masses and unfortunate elites watch without action. Emeka Nwabueze, like other concerned Nigerians, believes that the trend needs to be changed. They believe that the only sure means to fight the malady is through satire and not with guns and matchets. In his A Parliament of Vultures, he vividly X-rayed the activities of the politicians and presented the same in such a way that people’s consciousness would be awakened for corrections to be made. The researcher observed that Emeka Nwabueze got the inspiration for the play from society and therefore, in this research, the researcher aims to parse the facts about Nigerian polity as satirised in the play. In doing so, he considers the Realistic Approach as the apt theoretical framework for the work.