Preview Of “Beneath The Surface“

A renowned Professor and erstwhile Dean of Arts astatine the University of Uyo, Professor Joseph A. Ushie, FANA, has lauded the publication Beneath the Surface – Essays connected Nigeria’s Chequered Journey by Dr Dakuku Peterside and provided a broad reappraisal of it. In that review, helium states,

Beneath the Surface – Essays connected Nigeria’s Chequered Journey is simply a compendium of essays by Dr Dakuku Peterside, nationalist argumentation adept , absorption turnaround nonrecreational and 1 of the finest and astir regular contributors to mainstream Nigerian media connected issues cardinal to the improvement of the Nigerian State. Published successful 2025 successful Lagos, Nigeria, by Makere Publishers, the 70 essays, totalling 496 pages, are grouped into six parts. Given the immense kaleidoscope and extent of each of the 70 topical polemical essays, immoderate effort to spell into the details of immoderate 1 of the contributions successful a preview specified arsenic this would beryllium similar an effort to drain the waters of the Atlantic Ocean utilizing a tablespoon. However, reviewing conscionable the titles of the six sections of the publication could output a wide representation of the spectrum of issues covered by the full book.

But earlier we delve into the contents of the book, it is indispensable to marque a tangential reflection astir the beforehand cover, wherever the existent communicative appears to beryllium told done pictorial representation, aligning with the wide rubric of the book. There are 4 antithetic pictures connected the beforehand screen arranged vertically, each of which signifies thing unsocial astir the country, Nigeria. The archetypal representation connected apical of the page, with Nigeria’s Green-White-Green emblem arsenic background, depicts lone palms waving somewhat triumphantly to the skies. Ostensibly, this represents Nigeria astatine its independency successful 1960. The adjacent photograph is an orderly, sane, and serene-looking emblematic modern city, showing commuters and assorted kinds of vehicles. As we determination to the pursuing picture, we spot young, vibrant-looking Nigerians of antithetic taste and taste backgrounds staring expectantly ahead, arsenic if towards a future. Then, astatine the bottommost of the beforehand cover, oregon beneath each the different pictures, is simply a representation of angry, protesting Nigerians with their fists raised successful defiance, showing despondency and maximum frustration. Thus, close connected the beforehand screen of the book, overmuch of the communicative of its contents is revealed arsenic dealing with a nine that began with precocious hopes but has present been enveloped successful shrouds of angst, despair, and despondency. In sum, therefore, the keen scholar understands, conscionable from the beforehand screen of this work, that “beneath the Surface” of independency and its euphoria, beneath the aboriginal sprawling Nigerian cities that were the envy of the country’s contemporaries, beneath the hopes and aspirations of the comingling Nigerians, is hopelessness and wailings and endless protestations and anger.

This is the beforehand screen that wraps the six sections of the compendium. Essays that autumn into Part One are summed up nether the title, “The People and the State of the Nation”. This conception contains the highest fig of 19 chapters, and the ascendant themes of the writer successful the full conception are hunger and education. Indeed, hunger among Nigerians, for instance, is specified a cardinal interest to the writer that helium has christened a section successful the enactment “Hunger Republic of Nigeria”, and another, “Hunger Is Real and Present”. Education, mediocre energy supply, the exodus of younker to different lands nether the fashionable “Japa” syndrome, (im)morality and the request to springiness women a accidental to pb are different issues that bask prominence successful this archetypal portion of the book. Part Two, titled“Governance and Leadership Issues” holds 13 essays, which mostly x-ray what the writer calls“Dark Chapter for the Judiciary”, questions if ideology has failed Nigerians, showcase the bully illustration of Borno State’s Governor Zulum, and, again, bring into the orbit the gender-equality bills, among different topical issues of governance and enactment of the Nigerian State.

Essays specifically addressing“Elections, Politics and Power”constitute Part Three of the compendium, and determination are 9 essays successful this section. The contributions successful this conception bring to the aboveground matters related to the nation’s electoral strategy that person remained beneath the Surface for the mean Nigerian voter.Among the 9 chapters are “Crowd for Hire”, “Manifestoes that Will Not Manifest”, “Judicial Intervention arsenic Extension of 2023 Elections”, “Unwritten Rules of the 2023 Elections” and “Security and the 2023 Campaigns”. Parts Three and Four of the measurement stock circumstantial attributes. Part Four is christened “Crime, Violence and National Security”. Like Part Three, Part Four has 9 chapters, and the 2 sections look to beryllium the epicentre of the explosive quality of the e...