Social-Darwinism and change in Nigerian drama: A study of Eni-Jones Umuko’s The Scent of Crude Oil

Abstract

The contemporary Nigerian nation has been in the throes of civil unrest of different kinds. This paper using Eni-Jones Umuko’s play The Scent of Crude Oil  attempts to argue that these uprisings are often aggravated by the methodologies adopted by government and other establishment apologists to  quell them. These methodologies the paper argues have their roots in the engagement style of the White colonial masters with the natives in pre-  colonial, colonial and postcolonial times. Specifically, it argues that social- Darwinism which draws its strength from the warped notion of superiority of  idea, action and development and which defines the approach of government to these crises has engendered anarchy and more conflict rather than  peace and has. Hence the paper advances for a change of approach in tackling social unrest or insurrection in the country as the method often employed  by the establishment to resolve civil unrest do not yield the desired impact which is peaceful resolution.