A Review of Chinua Achebe’s "A Man of the People" by Rodiyah Omotoyosi Mikail

Achebe tells a story of the political climate of post-independent Nigeria. According to our man, Odili, the government is constituted of a group of thieves who saw an opportunity when the white man left the country and quickly capitalised on it by immediately stepping into their shoes. He believes all they do in office is loot the national treasury.

He's not alone in this thought tho, his people all think so too. But they do not care, afterall, when the white man had been there, they had accepted whatever they did. 'Let them eat,' was the people's opinion, 'after all when white men used to do all the eating, did we commit suicide?' They're resigned to what they think is their fate.

"As he gave instance after instance of how some of our leaders who were ash- mouthed paupers five years ago had become near-millionaires under our very eyes, many in the audience laughed. But it was the laughter of resignation to misfortune."

So our very principled school teacher, Mr Odili, wants to go into politics too. Not for any noble reason as helping the people and bringing home their share of the 'national cake', but to avenge the humiliation he suffered in the hands of Chief the Honorable MA Manga who hijacked his 'girlfriend'.

The book, like many of Achebe's books, gives us an insight into Nigeria's post independent government and politics, where anyone who tried to play clean most often ended up hurt, the types which can still be found today. It highlights the attitude of resignation of the people who have left the minority in government to do as they please as long as they get little crumbs of the 'national cake'.