In the Name of Our Father by Olukorede Yishau Book Review — Seun Ekundayo

In the Name of Our Father is a story within a story. It talks about the ills in our country through the eyes of Justus Omoeko, who at first is the highlight of the book until the book he wrote is introduced to us which carries the weight of the sickening things done in the name of religion. The book is a two-story in a book that will make you wonder whose storyline the readers should focus more on. Given the title, it can undoubtedly be said that Prophet T.C Jeremiah is the focus of the book.

In The Name of Our Father is a book that is narrated in both the first and third-person point of view. The prologue and epilogue are written in the first-person point of view while the body of the novel is written in third person point of view. The language used is simple to understand and the sciences can be imagined.

It is a prose work that is divided into three parts. Each part of the book has “topical words” as its chapter. It is understandable why the author chose to let the book be in this manner. It helps each story in the book stand out on its own without unnecessarily intertwining with each other.

Gathering storm (prologue to disaster) talks about the genesis of Justus dilemma. How his relationship is at the point of shattering and how his life is being threatened. Both for a book he is about to publish.

Harbinger of storm (Angels Live in Heaven) tells the story of Alani who later adopted the Christian name Prophet Titus Cornelius Jeremiah. How a cleaner became a prophet. How a poor man became rich through pernicious means. How a prophet took advantage of people with his false miracle and prophecy. How a married man cheated on his wife. How a prophet sleeps with his church member. How he met his doom because of his mistakes.

The storm is the concluding part of the story which tells of the injustice in our system. How Justus was a pawn in the hand of the military just for him to be taught some lessons. How he was abducted, his life in prison, and how he got his freedom back.

The setting of the story shows us what an average Nigerian livelihood is like. The lack of a job, the hunger, the unprofessionalism of medical practitioners, the kind of jobs people do to get to survive, how thugs are hired and brush up for religion aspirations, political thuggery, the corrupted police whose job is to extort the people they are to protect, money laundering in the government, and media oppression.

The major themes in the book are religion, politics, corruption, injustice, hypocrisy, poverty, ambition, greed, and power. They are relatable topics still present as of today.

The author Yishau Olukorede is a journalist who has been honoured with awards in his fields. For someone who is awarded with so many accolades in his profession, my expectations were not cut short with him when it comes to researchable topics, getting his facts right, the power of storytelling, writing, as well as creating a well detailed scenarios. Though In the Name of Our Father is his first novel, his name is attributed to articles that are factual, what more would you expect from someone with such skills if not the best?

This is a book I would recommend for the education syllabus because of its literary and historical contexts. I like how the author was able to pinpoint various subject matters to an actual occurrence in our history. With the level of our current situation in the country and the impact religion is having, you will have to consider the book a worthy choice. The themes in the book are not debatable since they are events still in occurrence and only an affirmation.

I can’t wait to read more of Olukorede Yishau’s works if he has the notion of publishing more books. For as many that are yet to pick a copy of this brilliant work, I would advise you to do so as soon as possible.

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