Evaluating Sylvanus Iniobong Udoidem’s Poem “Nigeria” in His Philosopoetry Using the Reader – Response Approach to Isolate, Demonstrate and Remedy the Intractable Question of Nigeria’s Socio-Political Woes

Abstract

Sylvanus Iniobong Udoidem’s book, PHILOSOPoetry, provides in one of its poems an unrestricted source for the unbiased criticism and analysis of Nigeria’s socio-political woes and misgivings. The target poem would be “NIGERIA” which opens with the cynical statement that saw Nigeria as, “A mystery and an enigma.” The poem examines the numerous problems that give rise to the endurance level of Nigerians, the contradictions, the resentment and love of a country and what has gone wrong with patriotism in this country. This issues from Socrates contention that “an unexamined life is not worth living. We will feel the pulse of the Philosopoet, author of the book and distinguish the succinct expressions of extreme temperaments by the Philosopoet which were primarily directed at drawing support from the mass of the people and engender the needed change. We will try to isolate and discuss the myriads of these problems that has bedeviled this nation in our jinxed efforts to make progress on the political and economic front through valid suggestions. For emphasis, we will examine the Philosopoet’s outbursts in specific lines or stanzas of the poem and make comparisons with the work or with other relevant materials which will lend credence to our speculative acumen. We will conclude by closing in on these problems and from the poem raise options and considered views that could be invoked to help clear the mess that has become Nigeria if she is to reassert its place as the hope of Africa, of the world.