SOCIO-POLITICAL SATIRE IN AHMED YERIMA’S HARD GROUND, LITTLE DROPS AND IPOMU

ABSTRACT

The minority regions in Nigeria have been victims of exploitation and abandonment, and this has deepened the glaring imbalance and poverty across the nation. This is because the natural resources that should be used to develop the different regions that produce them are amassed to serve the selfish interests of politicians. This study examines Ahmed Yerima’s exploration of this sad reality in his Trilogy; Hardground, Little Drops, and Ipomu. Engaging in a Socio-political satire, Yerima first laments the deplorable social conditions caused by the illegal exploitation of the region and the fact that what is left of it is poverty and ruin. Crimes like kidnapping, insurgency, rape, and war are the unavoidable outcome of this reality. Furthermore, the fabric that holds society together is broken by the irresponsibility of the government and power blocks in the region and there is a breakdown in familial relationships. Yerima also satirizes the politicians and those in charge of the region down to the local government level. This study then explores Yerima’s criticism of bad leadership and its devastating effects on the Niger Delta region. Above all, this research sheds light on the need to revisit the exploitation of minority regions and resolve the broader challenge of political irresponsibility that has plunged Nigeria into deeper levels of underdevelopment and decay.