CHAPTER SUMMARIES
She plans that her friend could keep
Chapter 1
The narrator Odili Samalu is a young school
teacher who awaits the arrival of Minister Nanga at Anata
Grammar School. Chief Nanga, formally known as Chief the
Honorable M.A. Nanga, is a former teacher in the said
school (but now a politician). The Minister is expected to
address the staff and students in the afternoon.
The villagers are excited to see Nanga, but Odili is
not. He considers Nanga’s political methods as unethical.
Chief Nanga emerges from his Cadillac wearing
demask and gold chains. The school principal introduces the
Minister to the teachers. As Chief Nanga immediately
recognized Odili's name, the Minister invites Odili to his
house after the school is closed for the holiday.
Although Odili is angry about the national
government, he is quickly charmed by Chief Nanga's
enthusiasm and charisma. Odili’s dislike towards Nanga
begins to fade after Nanga gives a speech. It is revealed that
Chief Nanga is considered by everyone to be the titular
"man of the people."
Chapter 2
Despite Odili's personal politics, the teacher
accepts Chief Nanga's invitation to stay at his home in the
country's capital, Bori, for the holidays. Odili had been
fortunate in that his secondary and university education
were catered for through scholarships. They discuss the
possibility of Chief Nanga organizing for him a scholarship
to go study in England. Odili had hinted to the Minister that
he had applied for a scholarship to study a postgraduate
Certificate of Education in London. The Minister had, in
return, told him they'll pay the Minister of Oversees
Training a visit at his home when Odili comes to the city.
Before leaving, the Minister gives him the address
of his residence.
Chapter 3
A month after the Minister’s invitation, Odili
arrives at his luxurious private residence in the morning.
Odili discovers that his suspicions are true. Though Chief
Nanga prides himself on his egalitarianism, he lives
luxuriously and reaps the benefits of his corrupt
governmental position.
He's warmly welcomed by the Minister, and
greeted by his wife and children. At about five in the
evening, they leave to see Mr. Simon Koko, Minister of
Overseas Training.
Ironically, Odili finds concrete evidence that Chief
Nanga knows very little about his nation's culture.
Chapter 4
The next morning, the Minister wakes Odili stating
he's going to his office. Later, Mrs. Nanga tells Odili that she
and the children will be leaving in 3 days for Anata (the
hometown of Odili and Chief Nanga as previously
mentioned). Odili is happy that he'll be able to bring his
casual girlfriend, Elsie, who works as a nurse in the city.
Chapter 5 & 6
Mrs. Nanga and the children leave for Anata on
Saturday. Odili visited Elsie at the hospital the day after he
arrived in the city to confirm whether she’d come with Odili
to the Minister’s house. Because Elsie knew that the
minister’s wife was not going to be around, Elsie had
organized for one of her nurse friends to accompany her
during those two days.
the minister occupied while she and Odili go on about their
carnal (sensual) reunion.
On Thursday evening, Mr. Nanga and Odili picks up
Elsie from her workplace. Elsie tells them her girlfriend
cannot come because she's not feeling well. Mr. Nanga
doesn't mind which astonishes Odili.
Chapter 7
Chief Nanga had prepared in advance that Elsie
should sleep in his wife's bedroom.
Odili is the first to retire to his room after dinner.
Elsie follows suit to her assigned room, and Nanga is the
last to retire to his room. Odili waits till Nanga leaves the
sitting room. He purposes to walk towards Elsie's room,
take her with him to his room. Hopefully, Nanga wouldn't
know of it.
As Odili ascends the stairs to Elsie's room, he
realizes that Chief Nanga and Elsie are sleeping with one
another. He dozes till a few minutes past four in the
morning. He packs his things on his suitcase. He changes to
his clothes, and leaves the room by the private door.
He walks for hours, then returns to Nanga's
residence. He meets Nanga outside the gate. He can't
believe the Minister slept with his girlfriend. Chief Nanga
doesn’t understand why this makes Odili angry.
He takes his suitcase, hails a taxi to drive him to
Max's place. He meets his Anata Grammar School's
classmate, Maxwell Kukumo, who is a practising lawyer.
Chapter 8
Odili settles inside Max’s house, but he began
thinking about how Chief Nanga gets on his way and
humiliates him, and decided to to make revenge by looking
for Edna, the young and beautiful woman that Chief Nanga
intends to make her as his wife. At night, there are 8 people
who arrived at Max’s house to discuss the political situation
of the country and the formation of the political country,
the Common People’s Convention or CPC, this includes
Max’s fiancée and Eunice, and he was enrolled at the party
as a foundation member.
Chapter 10
Odili came again to Mr. Nanga’s house at the
Anata village in the morning, hoping that he could see Edna
but she can’t see her. 2 hours pass and Edna arrives while
being inside Mr. Nanga’s car. Rushing to Mr. Nanga’s room
that is reserved specially for VIP members, carrying a tray
that has a bottle of beer and a glass. He immediately talked
to her and convince her why she shouldn’t be married to
Mr. Nanga, wrapping his arms around Edna’s waist, but she
immediately turned him down.
Odili is summoned by Max for a consultation for
them to talk about how Mr. Nanga's People's Organization
Party (POP) opposes Max's Common People's Convention
(CPC), they primarily discussed about their political strategy
on how they will turn Mr. Nanga down. And right after it,
Mr. Nwege called him to his School office, handed him a
month salary and a dismissal letter after he know that he’s
contesting Mr. Nanga.
Odili decides to visit Mrs. Nanga's place. She's
furious at seeing Odili due to the fact Odili will be
contending against her husband. To show his care and
support for Edna’s family, he goes to the hospital where
Edna's mother is hospitalized but didn’t see Edna’s mother,
so his next stop is at Edna's home.
Edna pleads with Odili to leave because her father
is angry, but Odili ignores her despite her terror. When her
father arrives with a machete, Edna calls for her mother,
fearing for Odili's safety. An hour later, Odili leaves for his
car, and although Edna wants to see him off, her father
threatens to beat her if she does.
Chapter 11 & 12
Odili chooses his village as a safer base for his
campaigns and enlists four local bodyguards. Chief Nanga
visits Odili's rural home to dissuade him from challenging
his position, offering money and a scholarship. Despite his
father's advice to accept the offers and respect Chief
Nanga, Odili firmly refuses both.
The next day, Max and his campaign team arrive at
Odili's home with several vehicles and loudspeakers to
launch their campaign. Despite Odili's concern about his
father being the local chairman of the opposing party, his
father dismisses the worry. After the campaign, Odili visits
Edna, who angrily tells him to leave and insists she will
marry Nanga, suggesting he return to his city girlfriend,
Eunice.
Chapter 13
Odili attends Chief Nanga's inaugural campaign
meeting. He disguises himself by wearing a hat and
sunglasses. A local trader and a man of Chief Nanga,
however, manages to identify Odili. He tries to escape
when Chief Nanga told the crowd to stop the thief. Nanga
instructs him to get on the stage. While there, the Chief
slanders Odili and explains how he is disappointed in his
former student. Odili, intent on exposing Chief Nanga's
corrupt behavior, takes to the microphone. However,
before Odili can finish his opening sentence, he is slapped
by Nanga and later ambushed by the entire crowd. He loses
consciousness and wakes up in a hospital bed.
During his recovery, Odili discovers that he has lost
the election and that Max has been killed by Koko during
the night of the election. This is after he began investigating
an illegal activity carried out by Chief Koko's wife. Max was
killed in a car accident by Minister Chief Koko’s men; after
Chief Koko learned that Max had information that could
ruin his career as a politician. Max’s fiancé, who was with
him during the accident, managed to shoot and kill Chief
Koko and was subsequently arrested.
Although Chief Nanga’s party wins the election,
the aftermath is unrest and chaos, and ultimately the young
army overthrows the government through a coup. Then the
people of the country come forward and talk about how
terrible the former government was, despite their support
for the same elected officials when they were in power.
They asserted they'd return the nation to the civilians when
the country returns to normalcy.
Eunice was later released after the coup, and Max
was labeled a national hero for all the work he did fighting
corruption in the country. Edna stands by Odili through his
recovery. Odili manages to pay Edna's dowry even though it
took several tries before Edna's father accepted Odili to
marry her.