Harvest of Corruption by Frank Ogodo Ogbeche

                    

   MAJOR CHARACTERS

                               Aloho

 She is the main character in the play, a young and native university 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.

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 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 get a job.

                   Chief Ade Haladu-Amaka

 He is the Minister of External Relations and the epitome of corruption in the play. He is the ring leader of a criminal network of drug peddlers.

 He engages in bribery, 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.

                          Ochuole

 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 drug trafficking in the guise of helping her to secure a job with the Ministry of External Relations.

                         Madam Hoha

 Madam Hoha is the Manager of Akpara Hotel. The hotel where Chief perpetuates his criminal activities.

 She is sentenced to ten years imprisonment with hard labour along with Ochuole and her hotel was sealed.

                            Ogeyi

 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.


PLOT

 The play revolves around Aloho, who is a jobless university undergraduate, desperately in need of 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.

 Asides being an Administrative officer, Ochuole is involved with some illegal jobs for Chief Ade at Madam Hoha’s hotel.
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 the 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.
                     
MAJOR THEMES

 Corruption : Frank Ogodo Ogbeche shows how corruption permeates government institutions and every aspect of the society as well as the devastating effect corruption has on oureveryday life.

 All through the play, the prevalent
issue is corruption. The playwright seems to
pass this play as a commentary on this anomaly.
 Everywhere you turn, in Jacassa, you see
corruption, even in places you least expect. With Chief Ade-Amaka at the forefront of this evil, stealing, fornicating and abusing public office at will, Ogodo-Ogbeche seems to wonder why corruption is always thought to be only stealing of public funds.

 Aloho's gullibility and desperation, Ochuole's mistress role to Chief, Madam Hoha's role, as well as Justice Odili's,
the Police Commissioner's extortion of Chief and even Ayo's request for bribe, all point to the fact that corruption is not limited to those at the helm of affairs.

 It permeates every facet of life of the
people who sow it. Just as in the play, public
officers in Nigeria have almost
always culturalised corruption, with a single individual, a chief of staff to be precise, stealing a mindboggling sum of $2.1b meant for arms purchase.

 Unemployment : Unfortunately, many job seekers have lost their dignity because of their desperate attempt to be gainfully employed. But can we blame them? How can it be justified that after rigorous school life, one spends two to three years still job hunting? No wonder, jobless graduates are quick to succumb to societal pressure; they engage in any form of activities in
the name of job insofar something comes out of it.

 Aloho and Ochuole are victims of this terrible situation in Jacassa. Consequently, one dies and the other is sentenced to jail.

SETTING OF THE PLAY

 The play is set in Jabu, a fictional Nigerian city. The action takes place in different locations like: 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.