Violence in Nigerian Politics: A Feminist Perspective of Esiaba Irobi’s Nwokedi

Abstract

Violence has taken an upper hand in Nigerian politics. Sincerity has become a misnomer and politics has turned to a do-or-die affair. Gender disparity is imminent in politics, too, as gender inequality becomes very conspicuous in the distribution of political positions in Nigeria. Politics in Africa generally is characterised by corruption and inefficient leadership. Its basic characteristics are embezzlement, domineering attitude, unemployment and selfishness. The nature of politics and the leadership style hinders development as it generates conflict between the young and old. Irobi proffers social rehabilitation as a solution in Nwokedi, a play. The only way out of the perennial political canker that has eaten deep into the fabrics of Africa, Nigeria precisely, is the possession of honest, selfless, patriotic leadership that can identify with the youths in particular and the masses at large. The theoretical framework of this paper is the feminist literary theory, Womanism precisely. This paper therefore verifies violence in Nigerian politics in three different ways namely: violence in politics; culture, politics, existing knowledge therefore is as a sanitizing tool to the political decadence in Nigeria. The main thrust of this paper is the exposition of the misnomer in politics, the fate of women and youth, and the need for sanity to be restored in politics/society.