Deliver Us from Evil

The book In The Name of Our Father is one that has embedded in it, themes peculiar to the Nigerian society. In fact, it is the story of a country lost in the dehumanising regime of a military junta and its struggle to relieve itself from the shackles of dictatorship. Also, it is a tale of pronounced religious hypocrisy, massive corruption and seamless impunity on the part of the ruling class. These gross societal irregularities remain commonplace for a seemingly long period of time, dashing all hopes of redemption until a miracle eventually occurs.

Set in 1990 Nigeria, it is a period when military autocracy was at its peak, devoid of any atom of human rights’ recognition, talk more of protection. In effect, the majority of the masses were helplessly docile, leaving only a few people – mostly journalists – to challenge the vicious dictators. Allusions are made to the election annulment of 1993 and the resultant violence in major cities across the nation, nonsensical judicial pronouncements made by kangaroo courts and the general violation of human rights.

Narrated in the first and third person concurrently, the author dexterously blends these two points of views to produce a coherent whole. There are two stories; the one we’re introduced to in the first parts of the book which is concluded in the latter parts and the other which is written by a character in the first. The former is narrated in the first-person narrative while the latter is told in the third person. The dexterity the author applies in narrating these two distinct stories is somewhat outstanding. The main character Justus Omoeko, a radical journalist who is at the vanguard of the movement to oust the “men in khaki” writes a book titled Angels Live in Heavenwhose provocative contents land him in jail. Just as the protagonist in his fictional piece struggles to remain prominent in his dubiously acquired religious position, he literally strives to stay alive.

In the novella written by Justus, we meet Alani whose story is quite an interesting one. Alani, a pauper who after a double tragedy befall him, concludes that his life has been worthless all along. He goes to meet Pastor David, a dubious pastor, for assistance. In no time, Alani’s fortunes are turned around and soon, he starts to associate with the big wigs in the society. He becomes known as Prophet T. C. Jeremiah and is initiated into The Brotherhood, a cult that has as its members, movers and shakers in different areas of the society. The church rat-turned-prophet holds sway in the religious scene for so long that he even gets the head of state psychologically caged for some time. His monumental progress in such a short period of time is chiefly due to the extreme gullibility of his church members. However, his eventual downfall is as drastic as his initial upsurge.

Written in a precarious era in the political history of his country, the fearless journalist braves all odds and goes ahead to publish the book, not caring whose ox is gored. In it, a lot of shady practices perpetrated by people from all walks of life, ranging from clergymen, bank executives, to prostitutes are brought to light. We discover that the majority of the people who involve themselves in these dishonourable occupations actually do so as a result of the harsh economic climate, among other reasons. This is found in the character Rebecca who runs away from her abusive father and squats with her friend Georgina, who introduces her to the ignoble profession of prostitution. Rebecca was obviously uninterested, but she has little or no choice, considering the unfriendly economic situation. Unlike Georgina, Rebecca takes utmost precaution in all her dealings and is even saving a huge chunk of the money she gets in order to leave the profession for good and start up a reasonable business someday. Another typical example is Alani, who discards his conscience and integrity and opts to become a fraudulent “man of God” due to his excruciating poverty and forlornness.

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At the same time, the author clearly captures one reason for the bastardisation of the political, judicial and religious systems in the country. It is this same reason that is behind the mistrust the public has for elements in these institutions. For instance, after Prophet T.C. Jeremiah brutally kills Hezekiah, a pastor in his church who threatens to jeopardise the former’s image by leaving the church abruptly over suspicions of clerical corruption, the pastor’s wife seeks justice to no avail. This is ensured by The Brotherhood, to whom the desperate “prophet” reports the matter. The statement made by the Cappo of the cult group, “You will only suffer harm if the brotherhood does not exist. Now we shall put heads together and come up with a blueprint of how to put this issue where it truly belongs: the trash can of history” and the ensuing press conference aimed at correcting the media’s impression on the matter speak volume of how the elites in the society work unanimously for the selfish interests of one another, leaving the common man to rot in penury.

Returning to the original book, we are exposed to another reality, albeit a not-so-different one. It is one filled with everything associated with the military dictatorship. Arrests are made at will which are swiftly followed by hasty and uncritical trials that result in either illegal incarceration or execution. Freedom of expression becomes a luxury as anything spoken or written against the incumbent government warrants due to punishment. It is in this dilemmatic situation that Justus finds himself. He has to choose between keeping quiet which will aid his safety and performing his duty as a journalist to the detriment of his life.

As would happen to anyone who the ruling dictatorial government considered a threat, Justus is arrested on a false basis and locked away in a cell. Asides the hasty and inhuman trial conducted by the special military tribunal, proper judicial procedure is not followed before verdicts are given. Thorough investigations into any of the cases are not made as the entire trial lasts for just half an hour. In effect, tendentious judgements are made.

Interestingly, it is worthy to note that many of the soldiers under the present regime are not happy about the goings-on in the country and the unscrupulous acts they’re made to carry out “in the name of their fathers”, that is superiors. They remain obedient so as not to lose their jobs. This is evident in the placating statements made by the likes of Dr Shagaya, the military doctor who catered for Justus, the military guard at the hospital, Lukman Sadiq’s kind gesture and the friendly soldier in the helicopter.

In conclusion, the book is a remarkable one as it presents to its readers the many ugly faces of one country and the noble struggles by well-meaning citizens to make it beautiful again. Although the country cannot attain a state of utopia, the struggle to make her better continues and as shown in the book, no matter how long evil thrives, good always prevails.