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The Lion King | 51
Book review
The Aireginan Dream
Author:
Dupe Olorunjo
Name Of Publisher:
Father’s Heart Publishers
Place Of Publication:
Lagos, Nigeria
Year Of Publication:
2006
T
he Aireginan Dream, a
novel by Dupe Olorunjo
is based on the actuali-
zation of a desired dream
for the Nigerian nation. This
is a dream that ushers in
a triumphant era of social
and political fulfillment
in the Nigerian state. The
dream puts Nigeria on a
path of possibility, a cer-
tain assuredness that the
present state of drudgery
and poverty will be ad-
dressed by a determined
people. It is about rising
above the shadows of a
sordid past, a life so de-
pressing and hopeless.
In exploring Dupe’s di-
lemma in resolving social
issues, we are reminded
that she owes a responsi-
bility to both society and
her art to exhaustively tell
her story. The strength of
this novel lies in its narra-
tion and candour. Its vision
and message is meant to
humanize the soul.
The writer tries to prescribe
a new sense of order
where the dignity of man is
restored and civility be-
comes a strong conscious-
ness of the human mind.
She also explores issues of
justice and equity where
the individual is judged by
the content of his presenta-
tion and character, rather
than resorting to base in-
stincts such as ethnic con-
siderations. This is all about
the author’s desire to see
Nigeria taking its place in
the comity of nations as an
example of transformation.
She postulates that the
kind of people who would
effect this change are
people who will never
compromise hard work,
discipline and a God-fear-
ing disposition. The author
goes further to celebrate
these people: the upwardly
mobile in society, the
professionals who realize
that their honest contribu-
tion to development efforts
in their country could turn
the tide against ineptitude,
incompetence and all the
negative traits that dim the
vision of prosperity for the
nation state, Nigeria. As
the story goes, the profes-
sionals have to act, not
only for love of country, but
also to protect their inter-
ests and businesses from
imminent destruction.
The author, Dupe Olor-
unjo is a banker and an
inspirational fiction writer
who creates stories to
challenge her readers to
consider life changing pos-
sibilities sometimes outside
their normal reach. Dupe
is also the author of TAILED,
a compelling tale dealing
with troublesome issues in
family life.