Harvest of Corruption by Frank Ogodo Ogbeche

Harvest of Corruption by Frank Ogodo Ogbeche

- Plot Account & Summary of Havest of Corruption 
- Roles Of All Characters in Harvest of Corruption 
-Setting of the play Harvest of Corruption 
-THEMES OF HARVEST OF CORRUPTION 
- Poetic Techniques or literary device in the poem At this text you should be able to answer the following question:
1. Account full for the plot of Harvest of Corruption 
2. Discuss in full the theme of corruption and the abuse of office 
3. Examine in full the motif of planting and Harvest of Corruption in Harvest of Corruption 
4. Identify three of the dramatic feature used in the play and fully examine them 
5. Explain fully how the antics of the madma tally with the goings-on in jacasa 
6. Discuss Chief Haladu's activities as a 'pen-robber'

Analysis of Havest of Corruption

Plot Account
Harvest of Corruption is centred on the acts of public servants and Madam Hoha in a country called Jacassa. The principal public servant in the play is Chief Haladu Ade Amaka, the minister of external relations. know for his unusually large tummy, he is a glorification of corruption, unpatriotic fervour and sexual perversion . He maintainns a retinue of girls whom he philanders with and who also do cocaine trips for him . He is an exploiter of the state who robs her blind in an act popularly referred to as "Pen-robbery. Others who aid and abet him in these nefarious activities are the police commissioner who serves at the police headquarters inn Darkin; Justice Odili a round and robust man with a pot belly, Ochuole who organizes girls for cheif Ade-Amaka, including those who bear cocain for him; Aloho a girl who has just been offered a job in chief's office as a protocol officer; madam hoha whose restaurant/hotel is a haven for criminal activities under the guise of beer parlours; and Defence Counsel who fought hard to defend the corrupt chief. Massed against this pack of corrupt individuals are Ogeyi, the vituous friend of Aloho; ACP Yakubu who sees to it that chief pays for his barefacedness ; Inspector Inaku who obtains at a fee the relevant documents for prosecuting Chief from Ayo the clerk in the office of the Honorable Minister; Doctor, who would not abort Aloho's pregnancy for chief haladu ade-amaka; Prosecution Counsel who doggedly proscuted chief; Costable Ojo; and Customs Officer who refer aloho's drug-case to the Jacassa Drug Law Enforcement Agency (JDLEA) 
The play revolves mostly around Aloho, a naïve and jobless university undergraduate who is desperately searching for a job. She meets Ochuole, a notorious old school mate of hers who is the Chief Administrative Officer at the Ministry of External Relations. Ochuole offers to help her secure a job by speaking with the Honourable Minister of External Relations, Chief Ade Haladu-Amaka on her behalf. Aloho is offered a job as one of Chief Ade Haladu-Amaka’s protocol officers. However, she does not know that Ochuole is actually being used by the Chief to perpetrate criminal activities especially drug trafficking. Madam Hoha’s hotel is the hideout for these criminal activities. Chief Ade Haladu-Amaka gives Aloho a package containing hard drugs to deliver in the United States of America. Aloho unknowingly accepts the package and gets arrested at the airport by drug law enforcement officers. Chief Ade Haladu-Amaka bribes the judge and the prosecutors to set Aloho free. Upon Aloho’s release from detention, she discovers she is pregnant for Chief Ade Haladu-Amaka. She makes futile attempts to abort the pregnancy and eventually dies while giving birth to the child. Meanwhile, a honest police officer, ACP Yakubu initiates investigations into allegations of embezzlement of the sum of One point two billion naira embezzled by Chief Ade Haladu Amaka. Ayo, a clerk in the office of Chief provides necessary documents to the police to unravel the crime after receiving a bribe. Ogeyi, Aloho’s friend seeks justice by reporting Chief to the police. Justice prevails in the end as all the corrupt characters are punished and made to pay for the crimes committed. Summary of Harvest of Corruption 

Roles Of All Characters in Harvest of Corruption

1.Role of ALOHO in Harvest of Corrption 

Aloho is the main character in the play. She is a young and natïve university female graduate desperately searching for a job. In her desperation, she ignorantly becomes part of a criminal network involved in drugtrafficking in spite of her friend’s constant warning to keep away from notorious Ochuole. Aloho is arrested and detained for drug trafficking. Upon her release, she suddenly realizes that she is pregnant for Chief Haladu- Amaka and eventually dies during child-birth. The author uses Aloho’s character to portray the ordeals of many young and jobless Nigerian graduates, how they are easily taken advantage of and lured into crime in their desperation to eke out a living. 

2.Role of OCHUOLE in Harvest of Corruption

Ochuole is Aloho’s classmate in the University. She is portrayed as notorious and wayward. Ochuole works as Chief Administrative Officer at the Ministry of External Relations. She aids Chief’s sexually immoral lifestyle by providing him with ladies. She lures Aloho into drugtrafficking in the guise of helping her to secure a jobwith the Ministry of External Relations. 


3.Role of CHIEF ADE HALADU-AMAKA in Harvest of Corruption

He is the Minister of External Relations and the epitome of corruption in the play. He is the ring leader of acriminal network of drug peddlers. He engages inbribery, large scale embezzlement of public funds,sexual immorality and fraud. His character is ironical. As a Minister of External Relations, he is supposed to promote his country’s image in the comity of nations. On the contrary, Chief Haladu- Amaka through his many vices portrayed his country in a bad light. 

4. Role of OGEYI in Harvest of Corruption

Ogeyi is Aloho’s friend and confidant. Aloho lives with Ogeyi in her small apartment in Pannya. She tries to discourage Aloho from taking Ochuole’s job offer and warns her to keep away from Ochuole. She seeks justice for Aloho by reporting Chief to the police. She is the voice of reason in the play. 

5. Role of MADAM HOHA

Madam Hoha is the proprietress of Akpara Hotel. The hotel is where Chief perpetuates his criminal activities.She is sentenced to ten years imprisonment with hardlabour along with Ochuole and her hotel was sealed. 

6. ACP YAKUBU

Yakubu is an Assistant Commissioner of Police. He stands out as an incorruptible and honest police officer. He withstood pressures from his boss, the Commissioner to stop investigating Chief’s activities at the Ministry of External Relations. His investigations led to the arrest and prosecution of Chief, Ochuole, Madam Hoha, the Commissioner of Police and the corrupt Justice Odili. 

7 Roles of Alice (Tea Girl)

She is the tea girl in the office of the secretary to the Minister of External Relations, she speaks Pidgin English, The first time she speaks she accuses Ayo, the Clerical Officer, of being gossipy for which latter warns and taunts her. 

8 Roles of AYO

We are introduce to Ayo as a clerk in the Ministy of External Relations. He is a bare-face liar who claims not to knw about the embezzlement in the ministry until he is bribe. He is slim and slim and hungry-looking 

9 Commissioner of Police

He is said to be tall "a tall athletic young man of about forty years." He is "dark in complexion, he has thin and slender fingers" and possesses "red lips with black spots" His teeth is said to be broken and coloured probably because "he is a chain smoker and an alcohol addict . Chief Haladu is visit him just as he did justice odili with a lot of goodies 


10 Constable Ojo 
11 Customs Officer 
12 Defence Counsel 
13 Doctor 
14 Inspector Inaku 
15 Judge 
16 Lady 
17 Madman 
18 Madam Hoha 
19 Market Woman 
20 Mrs Obi 
21 Nurse Halimatu 
22 Okpotu 
23 Prosecution Counsel 
24 Registrar 

Setting of the play Harvest of Corruption

The play is set in Jabu, a fictional Nigerian city. Much of the action takes place in different locations- ogeyi’s apartment in Pannya, Madam Hoha’s hotel at Darkin, Police Headquarters at Darkin, Ministry of External Relations in Maisama, and the Court Room.The play was written during the period of transition to democratic government. 

THEMES OF HARVEST OF CORRUPTION

1. Retribution 
This is the central theme of the play. The main idea is that a man reaps what he sows. All the corrupt characters are brought to book in the end. Chief is convicted and sentenced to twenty-five years in imprisonment with hard labour and ordered to refund the embezzled funds. This punishment is his harvest of corruption. The humiliation suffered by Aloho for drug trafficking, her pregnancy and death also portray her harvest of corruption. Ochuole and Madam Hoha are sentenced to ten years in imprisonment with hard labour while Madam Hoha’s hotel is also sealed. This is their harvest of corruption. Justice Odili and the Commissioner of Police are sentenced to twenty years in imprisonment for receiving bribe. Ayo, the clerk is also punished as he is sentenced to five years imprisonment for receiving a bribe. 


2. Corruption 
The author illustrates the bribery, large-scale embezzlement in official quarters, drug trafficking, sexual immorality perpetuated by highly placed personalities who are supposed to be policy makers and law enforcement officers. Frank Ogodo Ogbeche shows how corruption permeates government institutions and every fabric of the society as well as the devastating effect corruption has on our everyday life. 
3. Betrayal of Public Trust Chief Haladu-Amaka, the Minister of External Relations betrayed the trust reposed in him by virtue of the public office he holds through large-scale embezzlement of public funds, forgery, fraud and bribery. The author advocates a political, social and moral re-birth. 

symbols used in the play " Harvest of Corruption"

1. Chief Haladu Ade Amaka Chief Haladu Ade Amaka and his activities symbolizes Corruption 
2. The suffering of Aloho The suffering of Aloho symbolizes the suffering of the masses in the country 
3. Aloho's Dream Aloho 's dream , it is a nightmare , in the dream she saw a coffin in front of her this symbolizes her death 
4 The Madman The appearance of the dirty and tattered mad man carrying a heavy boundle of tightly wrapped bits and pieces of junks drooping over his face symbolizes the country " JACASSA " in need of " sanitation " or enviromenta Only ACP Yakubu was able to understand the symbolism of the mad man' s appearance 
The use of symbols in harvest of corruption 

Poetic Techniques or leterary device in the poem

The use of symbols in harvest of corruption 
1]The use of Antithesis- 
2]The use of Biblical allusion- 
3]The use of Apostrophe- 
4]The use of Alliteration- 
5]The use of Anaphora- 
6]The use of Oxymoron- 
7]The use of Personification- 
8]The use of Metaphor- 
9]The use of Inversion- 
10]The use of Dramatic Monologue- 
11]The use of Rhetorical question- 
12]The use of Sarcasm- 
13]The use of Prefiguration- 
14]The use of Synecdoche- 
15]The use of Contraction-