Jonathan Swift, the Anglo-Irish writer, who said, ‘satire is assort of glass, wherein beholders do generally discover everybody’s face, but their own’, cannot be forgotten in a hurry.
This aphorism was recently played out at the Terra Kulture, Victoria Island, Lagos, when as part of moves to encourage stage performance, the facility presented a comic stage play, titled Po!

Featuring the duo of Nedu and Ogbolor, the play, which was written by Femi Branch, directed by Obi Martins and produced by Yaw satirically x-rays Nigeria’s socio-economic situation.

Opening with the duo, taking their baths in preparation to go back to their street cleaning job, Po tells the challenges people living in single room apartment building generally referred to as face-me-I-face-you go through to take their baths in the morning or carry out other chores in the compound. It tells how some people, who could not use the general latrine within the buildings use potty to ease themselves.

The play redefines the significance of potty, depicting how as a catalyst it could make anyone sitting on it to think because of the length of time spent on it.

However, someone takes Nedu’s potty and he begins to look for it.
Succinctly highlighting the gluts of challenges facing Nigeria as a nation, the play showcases the decay in the academia, politics, traditional rites in Igbo land, women dress sense, public contractors, judiciary and even the electorate.

Seeing the political class as being gullible and would do anything to remain in power, the comedians show how the electorates collaborate with politicians by collecting money (stomach infrastructure) and other incentives to vote for people, who they know cannot deliver their election campaign promises. They call on the electorates to interrogate politicians representing them at all levels, calling them to give account of their steward and also to monitor their activities. They stress that such attitude would make political leaders to be responsive and responsible to the electorate.

While calling on the electorates to monitor politicians, Ogbolor, however, disagrees that his cousin, a politician, should be interrogated. He rather sees his winning the election as time for his family members to enjoy the national cake. This on its own shows the insincerity of the electorate and reasons, the country many a time appears ungovernable; as most people judge others, but fail to subject their family members to the rule.

Using story in a story technique to move from one theme to the other, the duo, pick on ladies’ dress sense, describing it as irate, suggestive and a show of nudity. One after the other, they disclose how this dress sense have affected the male sensibility, making them to act contrary to their planned purposes at a given situation.

Moving on to the academia, the two-man satirical stage play reveals how some female students debase themselves with male lectures, soliciting for marks and grades they do not work for.

Stressing the importance of keeping our streets clean, Po tells the profligate of government at awarding contracts. It reveals the horrible tales of clearing the gutters and sweeping the streets, only to find the garbage cleared from the gutters go back to them and also how the winds help litter the streets because the waste are never removed by authorities concerned.

The cleaning company lack of essential work-tools to effectively chart away the heap of rubbish cleared from the gutters and streets, personifies essential sectors like the health, security, education and other sectors that lack the tool to carry out their work. It also shows the inept on the part of government to supervise their contractors.

As funny as the play may seem, it would be appropriate to balance some of the views presented, because theatre apart from entertaining guests serves as a veritable medium to educate, create awareness of negative thing in the society and as well correct misconceptions.
The twosome overplayed the role of women. They made the female gender appear as if they are the only amoral being in the society. While highlighting their near nude dress sense, they failed to hint on the sagging the male gender do and also the shameless way some men flaunt their hairy chests and biceps before the ladies. The director needs to be informed that this male dress sense offends the ladies just as the mini and boob display wears arouse the men.

A female student enticing a male lecturer with sex just to make her pass his tests is not only done by the ladies in the tertiary institutions because the male students also have their own ways of getting those marks. Presenting this as if it is a crime committed only by female students tints the play against the feminine gender. It gives it a sexist colouration, especially when the twosomes are both men.

Another noticeable shortcoming is the projection that the Igbo make merchandise of their daughters through bride price. Though, bride price may be high in some parts of Igbo land, it does not mean that the sub-tribe concern trade with their daughter, as a close look in the tribe would show that the better part of the money so collected goes back the groom. So, presenting it as the ethos of the people is misleading because while some people may be known to charged high bride price, the Ohafia people of Abia State, which are among the same Igbo people still charge low bride price; in some cases as low as N5. The director needs to do his research properly before generalising on the issue.

Lastly, Nedu overdresses, he presented himself like one, who acts on impulse and recites his lines. Furthermore, Nedu frequent opening of the box before him before he introduces new theme tells the audience that he reads from the box. Ogbolor shows high level of comportment and brings out his words and ideas from the depth of his heart.

Presented by Yawnaija Entertainment, Po presents the good, the bad and the ugly in Nigeria, in a humorous way. The play leaves us with the lesson that we are all part of Nigeria’s problem and that until we all play our roles as expected, we shall be moving in retrogression, never advancing and would never amount to a great nation; the dream of every nation. It highlights these ills so that our new government will learn and make amends.