A Man of the People Lesson Plan

Why does Odili state that Chief Nanga was a born politician? How does this character trait help the Chief? What are some examples of Chief Nanga using this trait to his advantage?

Odili notes that Chief Nanga has the ability to get away with nearly anything: "He had that rare gift of making people feel that there was not a drop of ill will in his entire frame." This ability to manipulate situations shields Chief Nanga from normal consequences of misconduct as well as from humiliation due to his ignorance. Even Odili, when he overhears conversations chock full of overt corruption, doesn't take Chief Nanga's words seriously. After all, Nanga had been "so open and kind to...