Non-fiction: The Trouble with Nigeria

Overview
Chinua Achebe's The Trouble with Nigeria is a compact, uncompromising diagnosis of the political and moral ailments afflicting postcolonial Nigeria. Published in 1983, it centers on the conviction that national failure stems less from external obstacles than from internal choices: the character of leaders and the attitudes of citizens. Achebe frames his argument around a memorable thesis, arguing that "the trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership," and he follows that claim with a forceful exploration of what such failure looks like and how it might be remedied.

Main Arguments
Achebe identifies a pattern of patronage, greed, and short-term calculation that has transformed public office into a vehicle for private enrichment. He traces the erosion of civic values to elite behavior: politicians who swap promises for patronage, officials who equate public resources with personal entitlement, and a culture of impunity that discourages accountability. At the same time he refuses to absolve ordinary citizens, insisting that silence, apathy, and a readiness to benefit from corrupt arrangements make reform difficult. The result is a vicious cycle in which bad leaders exploit public passivity, and public passivity is reinforced by the apparent futility of resisting corruption.

Diagnosis of Causes
Achebe situates moral decline within historical and structural contexts without allowing them to serve as excuses. He acknowledges the colonial legacy and the disruptive effects of economic factors such as oil wealth, which produced a rentier state with weakened incentives for taxation, civic engagement, and responsible governance. Yet his emphasis remains moral and practical: institutions matter, but institutions depend on people who choose to honor public trust. The book stresses that leadership is not merely the product of circumstance but also of character, and that the cultivation of virtues like honesty, courage, and restraint is essential for reversing national decline.

Prescriptions and Urgency
The remedies Achebe proposes are less technocratic than ethical. He calls for leaders willing to act with integrity and citizens ready to demand it. He urges education that fosters civic responsibility, the strengthening of legal frameworks that punish abuse of power, and the cultivation of a public-spirited culture that prizes service over self-enrichment. Achebe's prescriptions combine immediate practical steps, greater transparency, accountability, and enforcement, with longer-term moral regeneration, emphasizing that structural reform without a change in temperament will be insufficient.

Tone, Style, and Rhetoric
Written in a direct, conversational voice, the book blends moral passion with sharp irony. Achebe's prose is concise and often caustic, aiming to provoke and to shame complacency into action. Anecdotes and contemporary examples give urgency to his claims, while rhetorical questions and pointed admonitions seek to engage readers as both critics and participants in national life. The result is not a dispassionate policy treatise but a moral appeal meant to awaken conscience and spur collective responsibility.

Impact and Legacy
The Trouble with Nigeria provoked intense debate on leadership, citizenship, and the possibilities of postcolonial reform. It became widely read across Nigeria and beyond, cited by activists, scholars, and politicians as a trenchant statement of national self-criticism. Its core insistence, that political institutions require moral citizens and moral leaders to function, continues to resonate in discussions about governance, corruption, and civic renewal in Africa. The book remains valued both as a historical document of a turbulent era and as a succinct moral challenge that transcends its moment.