By Prisca Sam-Duru

The novel, “I Will Not Bear Witness”, is a modest account of Dr Tony Nwaka on the stinking depth of public graft which is sinking the country called Nigeria.

This latest novel by the author of “Mountain of Yesterday” is a valuable adventure into the menace of selfish and unscrupulous politicians polluting the country’s political space, while caging the poor masses in perpetual impoverishment.

“I Will Not Bear Witness” exposes what politicians do for self-aggrandizement, and for the benefit of their political party, to the detriment of the people. The wasteful lifestyle of the top brass in the civil service as well as the elite is also captured in the book, while reasons politicians strive to remain in office for eternity are exposed. 

In order for the looting to continue, this group of people will rather move from one post to the next, while defecting from one political party to the other. This is the reason the book describes politicians in this part of the world as individuals without political ideologies, prostituting from one political party to the other.

The 460-page eloquent prose explores themes of corruption, betrayal, relationship, loss, trust, treachery, eye service, etc. It mirrors the abysmal performance of the elite who delight in public graft which has been drowning the economy for decades. How best to describe these Nigerian politicians other than as “a decadent gang that had not only impoverished the country but also put the people in dire hunger, and mortgaged the future of unborn generations.”

Set in a fictitious state — Uru, Abuja, the novel flows with a simple plot, revolving around Ebifa Baldwin, the Executive Assistant to the Director-General of the Directorate of Homeland Affairs, Chief Humphrey Dulibe. Ebifa could pass for a principled technocrat whose naivety about political gimmicks leaves his life and family in shreds. His is the tale of an upright man caught in the web of nefarious activities of crooked politicians.

Following a tip-off from a mysterious source, words spread through an online outlet after the traditional media cover up the misappropriation of funds in Chief Dulibe’s office. Chief Dulibe and Ebifa are cited by the report as key suspects in the two-billion-naira fraud case. Interestingly, both men suspect each other of betrayal without confronting themselves. They are oblivious that a mole posing as a friend in the office is bent on destroying their relationship for his own selfish gain. Due to his loyalty to his boss and for the fact that he has benefited handsomely from Chief Ebifa’s benevolence, Ebifa refuses to expose his boss, the culprit in the fraud case. 

Pressure mounts from friends and family who trust his innocence while the anti-graft agency — Incorporated Crimes Commission — hounds him to speak the truth. All through, Ebifa remains unwavering in his resolve not to bear witness against his boss even when he knows that will set him free; he pays the ultimate price. Besides a few vague hints, the author did not state exactly what happened to Ebifa at last.

A publication of Glit Publishers, GP, Kaduna State, Nwaka’s fiction also draws attention to prejudices and preconceptions about some professions, including politics. This can be found in chapter 7 during a conversation between Ebifa and Jenifer, his little daughter: “Dad are you a thief?…My teacher said a politician is a person who steals from the government.” In an attempt to correct the erroneous view, Ebifa said, “I agree that people may have prejudices and misconceptions about some professions. But it is not permissible for a teacher to introduce innocent young minds to a blanket condemnation of certain occupations simply because a few traits are observed about the dishonourable ones among them.”

Well, those traits can be found in Chief Humphrey Dulibe who represents those politicians who are catapulted overnight from poverty to opulence. The palatial premise of his new mansion is evidence of misuse of public funds. The words of an old friend of Dulibe, Dr Thaddeus, during his visit to Dulibe’s new mansion say it all:  “You weren’t as light skinned as you are now. Wow! We thank God for his mercies. Who would believe that Humphrey, who was coming barefooted to school, is now the owner of all these?”

The way Dulibe lavishes his ill-gotten wealth, especially during his house warming party, without bothering about the fraud case in his office, is proof that the masses are dealing with hardened criminals.

With 43 chapters, Nwaka also exposes how bribery and corruption, even in the anti-graft agency, mars the war against the monster called corruption. The author avails readers the opportunity to understand some hidden truths behind some of the scandals normally spread by the media. Most often, upright office holders’ image is smeared simply because they refused to join the bandwagon of thieves. These are few actually. Once an upright staff is seen as an obstacle to frauds, allegations are levelled against him and ultimately forced to either resign or fired. This describes the situation of the protagonist and his mentor, Professor Abraham, who experiences the bitter taste of false allegations for discharging their duties assiduously. At this juncture, Nigeria’s political space as captured in “I Will Not Bear Witness”, can best be described as a jungle where one either eats or is eaten. 

Ebifa’s prayer for his daughter to become a politician with a difference on page 235/236, shows a decent citizen who falls into the trap of a deceitful benefactor and a treacherous friend, Boniface, Dulibe’s Chief Press Secretary. Ebifa is told clearly by a co-worker that he is suffering for blocking others from stealing. This is outrageous!

The book further notes how hard it is to find a politician who can serve based on ethical convictions. No need to imagine how burdensome it is for Ebifa to support his only child’s ambition of becoming a politician in the future.

The thematic concerns of the novel are explored further with the exposé on behind the scenes of elections in Nigeria, employing the fictitious Uru state. As the book reveals politicians’ insatiable appetite for position, page 288 lays bare why morally sound intellectuals are frustrated from winning elections. Here, readers will notice that not even what Nwaka refers to as ‘brilliance’ of Mr. Adimabua, Chief Dulibe’s fellow contestant for Town Union President-General of Igba Ukuiji Development Union, could give him victory. Adimabua, a “former school principal astonished the delegates with the brilliance of his intellectual and authoritative grasp of local realities, so much so that they stood for minutes clapping in appreciation of his erudition”. So why did he lose to Chief Dulibe who ‘was not gifted in oratorical strength’? This chapter strengthens the exposition of the disgraceful underbelly of election processes in the country which have always been marked by irregularities; where the heaviest spender is declared winner.

The author further gives a vivid narrative of why people with ethics and moral convictions hardly emerge victorious in elections. He releases a bombshell in Chapter 34 that readers will find troubling. This part exposes how Nigerians have been unfortunate due to the kind of people in government. How is it that a person who is supposed to be atoning for murder case in prison, is a commissioner? The revelation is astonishing!

At this point in the enthralling tale of intrigues, the author postulates that “If the members of parliament do their jobs the way they should, the political officeholders will sit up, and most of the lamentations about the failure of politicians will reduce.”

In exploring the theme of relationship, the book indirectly teaches that husbands should listen to their wives, the very sensible ones actually. Ignore their premonitions or advice, at your peril.

A master of his craft, Tony Nwaka’s power of description which gives life to the characters in this fiction, is commendable. Readers will easily relate with the characters and events described in the expository exercise.

The title is apt and resonates all through the plot. The language is quite sophisticated yet comprehensible, and most often poetic. For instance, while describing a scene at a club on page 357, the author writes, “…with her busts practically jutting out of her bandeau, Ebifa realised that he had come for the wedding banquet of Bacchus and Jezebel…young men and women in stark nudity began to wiggle and flaunt their endowments…Ebifa saw that he had finally arrived the kingdom of Sodom, with just a footstep away from the combined dishonor of Gomorrah.” Also, on page 353, he writes, “…No similarity could be more fitting than the innermost sanctum of the feminine soul. Of a truth, a woman’s heart is an indecipherable shrine to which the masculine ego owes perpetual libations.”

The story is masterfully weaved, capturing pertinent issues in Nigeria’s political landscape. However, it is short of measurable entertainment to dilute the intensity of the subject matter. The joke about ‘point and kill’, in the book, is smart and fun but it should have been expanded with fresh corrupt characters to create a vivid picture of how promiscuous, most elite are. They waste looted funds, gifting mansions and posh cars to their mistresses and campus babes who give them blow jobs. This would have spiced up the plot more with an additional fun, while dousing the intensity of the tales of woes.

“I Will Not Bear Witness” is a must-read by everyone, especially the youth who need to know how these politicians have mortgaged their future. It is fascinating that the book also condemns the attitude of people particularly the youth who would rather be busy discussing the latest on foreign football while the country submerges in corruption. Unfortunately, they are the first to complain about bad governance.