Summary
Chapter 1: First witness - Christopher Oriko
The first chapter begins in the midst of a heated conversation between His Excellency and Christopher Oriko, the Commissioner for Information. They argue about His Excellency making a trip to Abazon, which he refuses to do and insists that Christopher Oriko is wasting everyone's time by even suggesting that. Christopher reflects that a year ago, he would have never made such concessions. He also projects into the future in his narration to tell the reader that he has continued to make observations about the government, implying that he will be one of the narrators for the duration of the book.
The mood of the room can change instantly depending on the mood of His Excellency. The fate of his advisers hinges on his mood when he wakes in the morning, and it can change multiple times throughout the day. His Excellency has recently won an election to serve for life, with his advisers declaring it a mandate by winning three out of four provinces, though His Excellency concedes that it was not 100% of the vote. A newspaper editor had declared that His Excellency should only serve for life if he earned 100% of the vote, which His Excellency is tempted to abide with, but his advisers insist that His Excellency never agreed to that condition and should have no obligation to "keep faith with heretics."
As the meeting comes to an end, His Excellency leaves only to return shortly thereafter, asking the room what they know about a mass of people who are converging on the Presidential Palace. The Chief of Police leaves to investigate, and 30 minutes pass in silence. The silence is broken when Professor Okong is summoned by His Excellency and Christopher Oriko provides background information on Professor Okong. He is a "fighter of sorts and totally self made," with minimal political morality. Oriko and Okong met when Oriko was the editor of the National Gazette and Okong wrote a column for the paper. When His Excellency asked Oriko for a short list of names for the Cabinet, Professor Okong was at the top of the list because he was skilled at translating complicated ideas to the public. While the reader does not know for sure at this point, Oriko believes that Okong is headed for prison when he is summoned by His Excellency.
Chapter 2
The second chapter opens as Professor Okong is led in to His Excellency's office and instructed to receive a delegation that has traveled from Abazon to declare their loyalty to His Excellency. During the course of this conversation, Okong apologizes multiple times on behalf of himself and the rest of the Cabinet who His Excellency believes provided poor advice. His Excellency is condescending and degrading towards Professor Okong and the rest of his Cabinet. They discuss the motives of the delegation, and say they are a peaceful and loyal coalition but also may be here to solicit a visit from His Excellency. His Excellency has a standing policy to decline any request because he believes it will lead to chaos and his eventual ousting.
He does not, however, want to dismiss the group outright, which is why he has summoned Professor Okong. Professor Okong is ordered to find some "nice words to say to them" to decline their request to see His Excellency. Perhaps, the President suggests, he can tell them that he is on the phone with the President of the United States of America or the Queen of England, which he believes will impress the group of peasants. Abazon is introduced as a problematic place, where a rebellion once started and also as the one province that did not vote for His Excellency to serve for life. Professor Okong suggests that the drought they are experiencing is God's punishment for all of the trouble they have caused in the country.
Professor Okong attempts to turn His Excellency against the Commissioner for Information and the Editor of the Gazette, but he does so unsuccessfully. After he is dismissed by His Excellency, he thinks of himself as a disgrace while he exits. This transitions to His Excellency's internal rumination on what Professor Okong meant with his warning, as well as a statement to himself that he will not tolerate his Cabinet members gossiping about one another. The Attorney General then enters the room and His Excellency asks him what he thinks of the intelligence that suggests the Commissioner for Information is not as loyal to His Excellency as he might seem. The Attorney General initially says that he only relies on hard evidence, but eventually he relents and admits that he does not think Christopher Oroko is 100% behind him because he no longer shows any joy or enthusiasm in matters concerning the government. He suggests that Chris cannot reconcile the image of His Excellency as a boy at Lord Lugard College and the ruler of the country. The Attorney General, however, has no problem worshiping His Excellency because he went to a simple school and had a simple upbringing. His Excellency is satisfied with the answer—or at least says it is an interesting theory, and then dismisses the Attorney General.
Chapter 3
Chapter 3 opens with a phone call between Chris and Ikem, the Editor of the Gazette. Chris is instructing Ikem about a story that will be printed in the Gazette about a goodwill delegation from Abazon, which Ikem finds unbelievable and objects to. Ikem does not want to print the story because it is his name that will go with the story, not the name of the Commissioner for Information. Chris replies that he has the constitutional right to control what is printed in the Gazette. The next scene is Ikem stuck in very bad traffic, where he is dueling for position with a taxi driver. The reader learns that Ikem has no wife or children at home, so he is not particularly careful with the condition of his car.
Ikem composes a "Hymn to the Sun," which tells the story of Abazon. A horrible drought has scorched the land and led to a famine, which has happened before in Abazon. Previously when the drought had occurred, the people had deserted the land, abandoning everything. The deserters stumbled upon the village of Ose and pillaged the town, renaming it Abazon. Now, history is repeating itself, but it is no longer possible for the inhabitants of a village to flee, slay the people of another village, and say that they had to do it because they were staring death in the eye. Instead, they must send a group of elders to the government and ask for help.
Analysis
Chapter 1: First witness - Christopher Oriko
In the course of the exchange between His Excellency and Christopher Oriko, the reader senses the anger and volatility of His Excellency. The Cabinet members fear His Excellency, and even Christopher, who became a Cabinet member through his former friendship with His Excellency, feels "the fury of (His Excellency's) eyes" and must lower his eyes in an attempt to appease His Excellency. Despite serving as advisers, it is clear that it is an unequal relationship in which the Cabinet members must constantly flatter His Excellency in order to avoid conflict. The reader learns that Christopher's deferential behavior has intensified over the past year, which is important to note moving forward in the novel. The first chapter moves between dialogue between the Cabinet members and His Excellency and reflections by the narrator, Christopher Oriko.
Part of the reflections by Oriko provide information on the personal evolution of His Excellency from the time he became the President to today. Initially scared, His Excellency constantly worried about the people falling into dissatisfaction and rioting against him. He was insecure and unsure of what to do with his new position of power, and so he appointed his friends to Cabinet positions and relied on them for ideas. It is unclear how much time has passed since that moment, but from Oriko's point of view, the president is much more volatile at this point in time and his advisers fear him greatly.
Chapter 2
Chapter 2 foreshadows conflict between His Excellency and Abazon, who has sent a coalition to the Presidential Palace. His Excellency says that they have come to pledge their loyalty but also may have a petition about the drought in their region. His Excellency says, "Everybody knows my attitude to petitions and demonstrations and those kinds of things." This statement hints at the disdain that His Excellency has for political participation by citizens and his lack of skill to deal with conflicts in a tactful or peaceful way. He views the coalition's petition as "sheer signs of indiscipline," things that should not be tolerated, foreshadowing conflict to come and providing insight on his ruling style. He is not shy about lying to his citizens, which he asks Professor Okong to do on his behalf. His Excellency orchestrates moments to control the flow of information and his public perception. When Professor Okong is dispatched to deal with the Abazon coalition, he is also instructed to bring the Commissioner for Information and the Chief of Protocol so they can shape the public narrative of the event. His Excellency wants to be extremely careful about what the public sees and how they interpret the series of events.
Mr. Ikem Osodi is introduced for the first time and is associated with the problems of Abazon, which is described in a negative way that has brought trouble for His Excellency's rule. Osodi and His Excellency are set up to be in conflict with one another, but many of the details are still unclear. Achebe has been slowly releasing small pieces of information about Abazon, His Excellency, the Cabinet, and the state of the nation as the chapters progress, leading to a gradual build up of tension. Chapter 2 is also the first sign of discontent within the Cabinet; Professor Okong warns His Excellency that his friendship with the Commissioner of Information and the Editor of the Gazette may cause trouble for his rule in the future. Professor Okong does this in an attempt to win His Excellency's favor, but he is dismissed when His Excellency says, "I deal with facts not gossip." This leads to the first time the novel uses His Excellency as a first-person narrator, which is important because all previous knowledge of His Excellency came from the observations of others.
Once again, His Excellency's inconsistencies are shown in this chapter, where at one moment he dismisses Professor Okong for raising concerns about the Commissioner of Information's loyalty but then one moment later raises the same question to the Attorney General. The exchange with the Attorney General also shows how vulnerable His Excellency is to flattery and excessive compliments. The Attorney General denigrates himself repeatedly at the feet of His Excellency, and the Attorney General wins the favor of His Excellency by the end of the interaction.
Chapter 3
Ikem tells the story of Abazon via a religious prayer. It is a story of creation and destruction, and the cycle is repeating itself. When drought first destroyed the land where the people of Abazon originated, they fled and eventually found a small village that they conquered and renamed Abazon. Now that Abazon is facing the same serious drought, their only option is to plead with the government for help. While this is the first time that the story of Abazon is told in a more contiguous manner, the narrator still provides information in an ambiguous manner. The reader can assume that Ikem is related to the region of Abazon in some way.
