Re-Reading Armah’s the Beautyful Ones are not yet Born and Achebe’s A Man of the People. Interrogating the Effectiveness of Opinion and the Law in Curbing Self-Interest and Irresponsibility of Power by Government Officials

Any democratic government should prioritise the interests of the people. In a democracy it is the majority opinion which determines legislation and government is conducted by the representatives of the people who are elected at regular intervals. However, like any other form of government, democracy is not without defects. Two common evils of democracy are self Interest and irresponsibility of power by government officials. With reference to Armah’s The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born and Achebe’s A Man of the people, this paper argues that ‘Opinion’ and ‘The Law’ have not always been successful in Curbing Self interest and irresponsibility of Power which are common in Post-Independent African Democracies, taking into consideration the role of literature as a reflection of Society.