Failure of Light

In his country, the Republic of Bakassi, the lights keep going out. Many people are starving. Even government workers have a difficult time making ends meet. Henry Alade, a salesman for the oil ministry, is one of the lucky ones. The problem? Fraudulent oil mafia, an energy crisis, failing dollars’ revenue created by an oil glut, U.S. SHALE oil production, Caliphate rebel fighters, Fire Warriors of the oil-rich delta, and an upcoming election already turning fraudulent. Henry knows the delta region is the key. What little is happening for its people will come to an end if a certain pretentious messiah, the retired, cruel and nepotistic General Kokumo, is elected. Henry realizes the monster is too powerful. The corruption is too much. All the people in his country, from the wealthy to the poor, are being tricked into feeding this monster. And if Henry isn’t careful, he’s going to be right in the middle of the country’s rapid downward spiral.

Gbenga Olu Komolafe is a Nigerian writer whose public service career in Nigeria spanned decades. He is a fellow of Nigeria Society of Engineers and a member of the Nigeria Bar Association. He spent many years in his country’s oil and gas sector traversing price regulatory and equalisation management agencies, petroleum products supply and distribution, and managing crude oil marketing responsibilities. He served in the positions of general manager of operations in the petroleum products pricing regulatory agency and petroleum equalization fund respectively, and as group general manager and managing director in the Nigerian National Oil Corporation. Failure of Light is his first novel.