iPostThisWeek

Introduction The story of Otondo in Jerry Chika Okeke’s Mmadu Ka a na-ria is not just a literary portrait of a mischievous schoolboy. It is an allegory; one that mirrors the cycles of pretence, opportunism, and selective morality that shape Nigeria’s political and social landscape. Otondo is the child who never passed an exam yet kept getting promoted. He is the bully who suddenly becomes a saint when a position is at stake. He is the student who transforms overnight, not because he has changed, but because he wants something. And when he does not get what he wants, he returns to his old ways. This is the Otondo Effect : the performance of goodness without the substance of transformation; the appearance of reform without the discipline of character; the sudden morality that evaporates once power is secured or denied. Nigeria knows this effect too well. How Otondo Mirrors Nigeria’s Power Culture The story of Otondo is our story: your story and my story. We can visualize it in m...