ABSTRACT
CHARLES OKUMU Odilora, Ude b. Nigeria teacher and novelist Ude Odilora, a schoolteacher by profession, has published only one novel,
Okpa Aku Eri Eri (The Miser) (1981), albeit a novel that is extremely popular with students, teachers, and the general reader in Eastern Nigeria. This is apparently because of its theme, which addresses the Igbo perennial love of material acquisitions and wealth to the point of worshipping material
possessions. In his preface to the novel, Odilora points out that the pursuit of wealth and material possessions is in itself not bad, but when it becomes an obsession to the total disregard of the fine virtues and sane values of human existence it invariably leads to tragedy. Success through hard work is advocated, but success which negates pleasure and good neighborliness is the bane of human existence. These are the aspects of life portrayed in the story and symbolized by the hero, Akubuzo, from the checkered nature of whose experiences in life the author asks the reader to learn. Okpa Aku Eri Eri is a wellcrafted novel which has been praised for the structural unity of its plot, a conscientious development of true-to-life characters, and a dexterous use of language. Critics draw attention to charming imagery, the absence of proverb clusters, exquisite narrative skills, and the blending of exciting action with well spaced-out moments of suspense. Although Ude Odilora has only one novel to date to his credit, he is regarded by readers, teachers, and critics of Igbo literature as a major contemporary Igbo novelist who has contributed immensely to the form and art of the modern Igbo novel.
