The Portrayal of Corruption in Nigerian Political Drama: A Study of Selected Plays by Wole Soyinka

This study analyses the portrayal of corruption in Nigerian political drama, focusing on selected plays by Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka. Soyinka's dramatic works have consistently engaged with the failures of post-colonial governance, elite corruption, and the moral bankruptcy of Nigerian leadership. The research examines how corruption is dramatised, satirised, and critiqued in three major plays, identifying the dramatic techniques, symbolic elements, and character constructions employed to convey socio-political critique. A qualitative literary and dramatic analysis methodology was adopted, drawing on postcolonial theory and critical political theatre frameworks. The study finds that Soyinka uses comic irony, grotesque characterisation, and ritual dramatic structures to expose systemic corruption in ways that are simultaneously entertaining and politically incisive. The research also notes that Soyinka's representations of corruption remain relevant to contemporary Nigerian governance challenges, suggesting the enduring timeliness of his dramatic vision. The study concludes that political drama serves as a critical mirror for public reckoning with governance failures and recommends that Soyinka's works be more prominently featured in Theatre Arts curricula across Nigerian universities. Keywords: political drama, corruption, Wole Soyinka, Nigerian theatre, postcolonial critique.