The Second Chance, Azukaoma Osakwe, The Book Producers Ltd, Ireland; 2016, pp. 374

By Henry Akubuiro

The first thing that comes to your mind is the apocalypse and the return of the Messiah once you come across the title of this book. But Osakwe’s The Second Coming isn’t an ecclesiastical rendering on the saviour stealing into the world like a thief in the night. This book, rather, explores Nigeria’s socio-political seesaws from its formative years to the present.

On the pages of The Second Coming, we are left with a sense of guilt regarding our actions and inactions in bringing Nigeria to its present sorry state, citing ethno-religious factors and avaricious tendencies for the developmental mooring.

As a product of research, The Second Coming begins with a chronological events in Nigeria starting from October 1 when the country became an independent nation to June 2015 when Nigeria assumed command of a regional military force to counter Boko Haram.

The first chapter of the book highlights the crisis in the Nigerian political system institutions vis-à-vis Africa’s underdevelopment, leading to calls for the recolonisation of the continent. The author, therefore, canvasses for economic, political and technological revolution. In pursuing this cause, he makes a case for technological adaptation and fabrication.

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Worried by the spate of religious extremism and intolerance in the country, Osakwe dedicates the second chapter to this saddening development. The author is miffed by the redirection of religion as an instrument of hatred, killings and destructions. As long as our beliefs do not constitute a hindrance to others, the author calls for religious tolerance.

Of course, you aren’t the only Nigerian worried about how a blessed country like Nigeria has become a benchwarmer in global development, for this is basically the crux of the third chapter of The Second Coming. This paradox is manifested in the insincerity of Nigerian leaders, whose actions are inconsistent with what they preach.  He makes nonsense of Nigeria’s pretensions to greatness when there are no pointers to it being the much touted giant of Africa.

The magenta skyline of Nigeria is giving the author a dizzy spell. This is against the backdrop of the fact, that since Nigeria became an independent nation, the streets of the country have been tinged with blood, with the government showing little determination to find a lasting solution to the endless bloodbath. In effect, Nigerians have become a subject of derision outside the shores of this country.

While the fifth chapter dwells on the rise and fall of the former Nigerian president, Goodluck Jonathan, the next chapter lampoons the Igbo elite for being instrumental to the underdevelopment of his Igbo ethnic group. This stems from the enmity among them, which has, unfortunately, led to their relegation in Nigerian politics, even as they compete to outmatch one another in the establishment of industries in other parts of the country.

The concluding chapters in The Second Coming centre on who are the real representatives of the people and the issue of intergenerational gap. In a world where leadership evolution is sweeping across the highlands and the lowlands, the author regrets that Africa hasn’t been impacted by this fundamental gale. Frowning at the leadership stasis, Osakwe makes a case for Nigeria’s/Africa’s youths to be given a chance to contribute to the political leadership of the continent.

Just as he blames the Nigerian leadership for the country’s failings, Osakwe’s The Second Coming blames the followers whose major interest is maximising the crumbs from the political class. No doubt, a detailed book worthy of recommendation to every Nigerian, however, its cover page doesn’t do justice to its fantastic exposé on Nigeria.