But serving in the military under these corrupt leaders has made him realize that the country and its citizens need to be defended from the military as well.Ĭhike is serving in his unit with Yemi, a junior officer that he has befriended. He simply joined the military with the expectation of defending civilians from the militants. Chike doesn’t have a personal issue with the militants nor does he agree with their ideologies. The Nigeria Army is supposed to be fighting against militants, the Resistance Army. Rather than helping, they’re harming the people with whom they have contact. But the reality is that while they might look good, they’re not doing good deeds. There is concern paid to the outward appearances of being upstanding officers and troops. They must be properly attired and disciplined in their appearance, especially in wearing their uniforms properly. There’s great attention paid to the soldiers’ physical appearance. Having experienced the reality of serving and knowing future assignments and missions are going to be much more of what they’ve been doing and even worse Chike realizes that he can’t serve anymore. The “work” he’s doing doesn’t match up to the mission that was initially proposed. Soldiers were attacking villages and causing harm to civilians which was at odds with his idea of the military protecting civilians. He was going to be one of the good guys and would follow a moral code.īut upon joining the military and serving under the commander he realized that soldiers would be involved in missions and activities that he viewed as being morally wrong.

This appeals to Chike because he joined the military with the vision of being an officer and a gentleman. When soldiers go off to war or at the outset of a brewing war, there’s a lot of talk about doing good and having a code of ethics. Hoping to escape both the military and local militants, the pair decide to set out for Lagos. The reality of serving in the military prompts him to runaway with Yemi, a junior officer.

Chike Ameobi is an officer in the army after having joined the military with a vision of helping to protect and defend his country. Welcome to Lagos begins with two soldiers in the Nigerian Army going AWOL. Largely ignored by society, they get caught up in a political scandal that threatens to upend their lives right when they finally find some degree of stability and comfort. Instead they find themselves struggling to secure basics like employment, a place to live, and food.

Welcome to Lagos by Chibundu Onuzo is the story of five people from different parts of Nigerian society who flee the Niger Delta in hopes of better lives in Lagos.