Young Critics Revisit Osofisan’s ‘The Best of Times’, Expose Nigeria’s Social Fault Lines

THE enduring political and social concerns in the works of Nigerian playwright and novelist Femi Osofisan came under close examination as three young literary critics revisited his collection of novellas, The Best of Times.

The discussion formed part of the preview sessions for the Femi Osofisan Review Season of the Lagos Book and Arts Festival (LABAF). The final session was held on Saturday 25 July 2026.

Moderated by Victor Adedapo, the session brought together Sanjo Oluwafemi, Agnes Johnson and Kehinde Folorunsho. The three critics examined the collection’s three novellas — Codelia, Ma’ami and Kolera Kolej — through the lenses of politics, poverty, institutional failure and social responsibility.

Literature as a Mirror of Dysfunction

At the centre of the discussion was Osofisan’s longstanding engagement with the political and social realities of Nigeria.

The critics argued that his fiction does more than tell stories. It interrogates the structures and behaviours that produce social dysfunction.

Oluwafemi particularly identified government failure as a central concern in Kolera Kolej. He argued that the story exposes a society that has become accustomed to dysfunctional systems.

His interpretation places the writer in the position of a social critic. Literature, in this sense, becomes a means of questioning what society has gradually accepted as normal.

The argument also points to a broader post-independence African experience. Political dysfunction does not survive only because of the actions of those in power. It can also persist when citizens struggle to organise against oppressive systems.

The Politics of Poverty in ‘Ma’ami’

The discussion of Ma’ami shifted attention to poverty and the abuse of power.

Johnson focused on the economic hardship experienced by the central character. Her poverty is not presented simply as the result of personal failure. It emerges from a system in which those who control economic and political resources can determine the survival of vulnerable citizens.

The character refuses both an occult relationship and sexual demands from a government official. Her refusal comes at a cost. Her stall is destroyed, cutting off an important source of livelihood for herself and her son.

Folorunsho expanded the argument by connecting the story to the political economy of poverty in postcolonial societies.

From this perspective, poverty can become a mechanism of control. Citizens who lack economic security may become more vulnerable to political manipulation, exploitation and coercion.

The novella therefore moves beyond an individual woman’s struggle. It becomes an examination of how power can turn economic vulnerability into a tool for controlling ordinary people.

‘Kolera Kolej’ & the Failure of Institutions

The critics also examined the symbolic significance of the cholera outbreak in Kolera Kolej.

Folorunsho viewed the university setting as significant. The institution represents a community expected to generate knowledge and contribute solutions to society’s problems.

Yet the outbreak exposes institutional weakness.

The university becomes a metaphor for a society possessing intellectual resources but struggling to convert knowledge into effective solutions.

Folorunsho also identified another layer in the novella. The cholera outbreak can be read as a reflection of the unintended consequences of modernity and scientific development.

The pandemic therefore operates beyond its literal meaning. It becomes a vehicle for questioning how societies respond to crises created or intensified by their own systems.

The Role of Citizens in Political Change

The discussion also examined the question of leadership beyond those who occupy formal political offices.

Folorunsho argued that the university intellectuals in Kolera Kolej represent a form of alternative leadership.

Their position suggests that solutions to social problems may not necessarily come from conventional political authorities. Intellectuals, professionals and citizens also have responsibilities in confronting institutional failure.

That interpretation gives Osofisan’s work a broader democratic dimension. The problem of governance is not exclusively a problem of government. It is also a question of citizenship, accountability and collective action.

‘Codelia’ & the Cost of Political Conflict

The political consequences of instability emerge differently in Codelia.

The novella examines social insecurity through a failed marriage and the relationship between a lecturer and Codelia.

The lecturer becomes involved in protecting her from public outrage and possible mob justice because of her father’s alleged involvement in a coup.

The personal story therefore becomes connected to a larger political crisis.

For the critics, the narrative demonstrates how political upheaval rarely remains confined to government institutions. Its consequences can extend into families, relationships and ordinary lives.

Political conflict can therefore become a private tragedy as much as a public crisis.

A Blending of Literary Forms

Beyond the political content, the young critics examined Osofisan’s literary technique.

They noted the way the three novellas draw from poetry, drama and prose fiction.

The narratives use imagery, humour and theatrical elements to create a compact but layered reading experience.

That stylistic mixture allows Osofisan to address difficult political questions without reducing the works to political essays.

The stories retain their dramatic and literary qualities while carrying strong social criticism.

A New Generation Reading an Older Voice

The Lagos discussion also demonstrated the continuing relevance of Osofisan’s work to younger readers.

Although the stories engage with particular moments and conditions, the issues identified by the critics — poverty, corruption, institutional weakness, political violence and social inequality — remain familiar within contemporary African society.

The title The Best of Times itself invites an ironic reading. Its apparent optimism recalls Charles Dickens’ famous opening formulation in A Tale of Two Cities, but Osofisan’s collection turns that optimism into a more complicated reflection on societies experiencing political and social contradictions.

For the young critics, therefore, Osofisan’s work remains valuable not simply because of its literary craftsmanship, but because it provides a framework for interrogating the conditions that shape society.

The final preview session consequently became more than a discussion of three novellas. It became an examination of the continuing relationship between Nigerian literature and the country’s unfinished political and social questions.