Bode Sowande’s political drama remains relevant to Nigeria’s search for honest leadership

Can a revolution truly change a country if the people who lead it eventually become the kind of people they once opposed? This question lies at the heart of Bode Sowande’s Flamingo, a political drama whose message remains relevant to Nigeria.

Staged at the National Theatre in Lagos on 12 March 2025, the play offered an opportunity to reflect on political promises, corruption and the difficulties of achieving meaningful change. Its central concern is familiar: what happens when leaders become more interested in protecting their positions than fulfilling the promises that brought them to power?

The play opens with General Kasa delivering his inaugural speech following the Nigerian national anthem. He presents himself as a champion of the common man, promising equality and the fulfilment of popular aspirations. However, his rhetoric raises questions about the sincerity of his leadership and whether his promises reflect genuine commitment or political manipulation, particularly when he concludes, “I belong to everyone, and I belong to no one.” The auditorium went cold, like the messiah we genuinely needed has come. I could see the hope in the audience’s eyes, the one that has never come alive.

Moniran, represents the hope for a better society, while General Kasa occupies a position of military authority. Brigadier Mowanbe’s controversial position exposes the tension between the government’s promises and its actual decisions.

Kasa’s argument for Mowanbe’s release is particularly revealing. Instead of demonstrating an uncompromising commitment to accountability, the new government appears willing to protect an influential figure.

Sowande presents political failure as something that can develop gradually. It begins when leaders make exceptions to the principles they once claimed were essential to change.

General Kasa, played by Olutoba Odetomi, is central to the play’s exploration of power. He is not merely a military figure issuing commands; his decisions reveal the distance between political ideals and personal interests.

Odetomi’s interpretation requires a commanding presence, confidence and an understanding of how authority influences relationships. However, Kasa’s greatest dramatic potential lies in the contradictions beneath his public image.

A revealing exchange occurs when Kasa expresses concern about the growing number of people calling themselves comrades and proposes restrictions on using the term and growing beards. Moniran’s response, describing the situation as a nightmare, exposes the absurdity of a government increasingly concerned with controlling political expression.

The fifth scene of the play made the audience experience the highest level of tension. Kasa, Olutoba Odetomi, and Moniran, Imotunde Adeyemo, tried so hard to drill Mowanbe, Ossai David, to confess where he got the exorbitant amount he had been spending, but remained adamant and said it was all gifts.

Kasa, enraged, said “will you stop lying and start making confessions?”, with Moniran adding “what kind of man receives these gifts?”. Irrespective of all of these, Mowanbe stood his ground, saying they were all gifts and he would like to see where gifts are forbidden in the constitution.

For Odetomi, the role demands more than a strong voice or an imposing manner. Kasa must appear powerful while revealing the weaknesses of a leader increasingly concerned with retaining control.

Greater variation in vocal delivery, carefully judged pauses and subtle changes in expression could deepen this portrayal. A restrained response can sometimes communicate authority more effectively than an angry outburst, while moments of hesitation can reveal the conflict between conviction and political calculation.

These refinements would help make Kasa more complex and believable. He is most interesting when the audience can recognise both his authority and the weaknesses that undermine his leadership.

If Kasa represents the dangers of power, Moniran represents the pain of watching political ideals collapse.

The controversy surrounding Mowanbe turns the question of corruption into a debate about public responsibility. Kasa argues that Mowanbe should not remain in custody without sufficient grounds to establish a crime and suggests that receiving gifts is not necessarily illegal.

This exchange raises an important distinction between legal responsibility and public accountability. Due process must be respected, but legal arguments can also become politically convenient when applied selectively.

Moniran’s disappointment reflects the experience of people who invest their hopes in political change only to discover that the new leadership may be repeating the failures of the old.

His conflict with Kasa gives the political argument a human dimension. The consequences of failed leadership are not limited to institutions; they also affect the people who believe in the possibility of a better society.

When the play was staged in March 2025, Nigeria was facing serious economic pressures, including the rising cost of living and the strain on household incomes. For ordinary citizens, political decisions are closely connected to food prices, transport costs, healthcare, education and employment.

Against this background, Flamingo was a meaningful choice for presentation.

Kasa’s treatment of Mowanbe raises a question that extends beyond military government: can leaders claim to support accountability while protecting influential individuals from scrutiny?

This problem can arise under any political system when personal relationships, party loyalty or the desire to retain power take priority over the public interest.

The play encourages audiences to look beyond political slogans and judge leaders by their actions. It also reminds us that replacing an unpopular leader does not automatically resolve the problems associated with leadership.

Meaningful reform requires institutions that function properly, public scrutiny and citizens willing to challenge wrongdoing. Sowande’s drama provides a space to consider these issues without reducing them to support for one political party or opposition to another.

Political drama must do more than deliver important speeches. It must turn ideas into a compelling human story.

The exchanges between Kasa and Moniran need to feel like genuine conflicts between people with different beliefs, rather than speeches designed simply to explain the play’s message.

Pacing, movement and silence can help communicate the changing balance of power. Lighting, sound, costumes and set design should establish the atmosphere and support the audience’s understanding of the political environment.

The challenge is to keep the story engaging without weakening its serious message. Political dialogue benefits from variation, while a well-timed pause can sometimes communicate more than another extended speech.

A detailed assessment of the production’s technical execution would require specific observations from the performance. Nevertheless, the play’s subject matter clearly demands thoughtful direction and performances that make its political conflicts feel immediate.

The strength of Flamingo lies in its examination of the gap between political promises and political behaviour.

Kasa’s decisions, Moniran’s disappointment and the controversy surrounding Mowanbe contribute to a larger argument, changing the people who govern a country is not enough if the habits that produce injustice remain untouched.

Odetomi’s portrayal of Kasa offers an opportunity to explore this conflict through a character whose authority is complicated by his political choices. The role requires confidence, but its full potential lies in revealing the contradictions beneath that confidence.

Ultimately, Sowande’s play reminds us that political change must be measured by actions rather than promises. For Nigeria, where citizens continue to demand better leadership and greater accountability, its message remains important.

The play leaves the audience with a question that no society should ignore: when people gain the power to change a country, what happens if they begin protecting the very system they promised to reform?