Military Dictatorship in Nigerian Novels - A Study of Helon Habila’s Waiting for an Angel and Chinua Achebe’s Anthills of the Savannah

Aug 26, 2026

Writers are presented as central agents of social re-education, shaping attitudes and redirecting societies toward peace, unity, harmony, and peaceful co-existence. Fiction is argued to reflect real socio-political, religious, and economic realities rather than being mere invention. Focusing on Nigeria’s military dictatorship era, the paper analyzes how Chinua Achebe and Helon Habila capture and creatively document lived feelings during oppression, tyranny, brutal violence, and escalating corruption.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages15

Reading Time23 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Military Incursion in Nigerian Politics

An International Multi-Disciplinary Journal, Ethiopia Vol. 5 (3), Serial No. 20, May, 2011 ISSN 1994-9057 (Print) ISSN 2070-0083 (Online) Military Dictatorship in Nigerian Novels: A Study of Helon Habila’s Waiting for anAngel and Chinua Achebe’s Anthills of the Savannah (Pp. 275-289) Asika, Ikechukwu Emmanuel-Department of English, Anambra State University, Igbariam Campus, Nigeria Email: [excellency4life@yahoo.com](excellency4life@yahoo.com) [Phone number: 08038679214](Phone number: 08038679214) Abstract In all parts of the world, writers play very prominent and significant role in the social re-education, re-orientation and re-direction of their societies. Literature functions and helps to shape our attitudes to life which brings change in the society. This function implies that a writer must have some real sense of vision and commitment to live up to expectations as a writer. Writers are the soul of a society, the voice of conscience whose role is to champion the goal and task of leading the people unto a glorious and prosperous future. Writers reflect the hard socio-political as well as religious and economic realities of the people. The aim is on one hand to re-direct the society unto its peace, unity, harmony and peaceful co-existence and on the other hand, to save the past events from a humanistic point of view for the generation yet unborn, unlike the historian who deals only with facts and figures. This will help to give the future generation a vision that will help them access their past and determine their future. This paper concentrated on one of the peculiar events in the history of our country, Nigeria, the era of military dictatorship. The works of Chinua Achebe and Helon Habila, Copyright (c) IAARR, [2011: www.afrrevjo.com](2011: www.afrrevjo.com) 275 [Indexed African Journals Online: www.ajol.info](Indexed African Journals Online: www.ajol.info) Vol. 5 (3), Serial No. 20, May, 2011. Pp. 275-289 Anthills of the Savannah and Waiting for an Angel respectively were selected and studied. The focus is to determine and explore how these writers captured and creatively documented their individual feelings during that era of blood, tyranny, oppression, brutal killing, terror and alarming rate of corruption, the era of military dictatorship in Nigerian politics. Introduction Fiction is often regarded by many as an imaginary work of art which is not real but purely an invention from the author’s fountain of creative ingenuity. The Latin word ‘fictio’ from which ‘fiction’ had originated means‘counterfeiting’. Therefore, some people have been misled to believe that fiction is simply a ‘counterfeiting account’ of a presupposed real life event or rather a distorted pictorial presentation of a life that is imaginary which often has little or nothing to do with the reality of our world of flesh and blood. But it has been proven by several scholars and critics that fiction is a reflection of our real life situation, people and events from which we learn and see several truth and facets of our human existence. Writers only select materials from our real world and blend them into their fictitious works. It is the search for this truth in fiction that makes this paper to delve into the works of Chinua Achebe and Helon Habila to expose military dictatorship in the politics of Nigeria which is the bedrock of the novels. Military dictatorship ranks among the events in the history of many African countries that can never be forgotten nor its attendant injustice, brutalities, exploitation and backward blows dealt on the growth of the African nations be extinguished. Military Incursion in Nigerian Politics On January 15, 1966, Nigeria passed through a very crucial event of her life, an event that changed her physiognomy and the course of her history forever. It was the first military coup that usurped the civilian government of Alhaji Tafawa Balewa. The coup led by major Chukwuma Nzeogwu and others saw

FAQs

How does the paper define the role of writers in society?

It emphasizes writers as voices of conscience who champion societal goals and help reshape attitudes through literature.

Why does the paper argue that fiction is not purely imaginary?

It states that fiction reflects real life situations, people, and events, with writers selecting real materials and transforming them creatively.

What novels are analyzed to study military dictatorship in Nigeria?

The paper selects and studies Chinua Achebe’s Anthills of the Savannah and Helon Habila’s Waiting for an Angel.

Aug 26, 2026

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