I HAVE PICKED UP NO LONGER AT EASE BY CHINUA ACHEBE FOR THE SIXTH TO SEVENTH TIME- BY ZEPHNATH

The first time I read it was in Kano state at Wudil, Nigeria Police Academy (POLAC/NPA), second time was in my first year at Polytechnic, freshly admitted to pursue a Degree in Mass communication. I remember that moment clearly the first time Dr. Benjamin Obioha K, came to my class to teach, the first reference in his class that day was "NO LONGER AT EASE" been a lover of novel I couldn't wait to reach home that day. Today was at the place where I went to a native bone setter to set and stretch my right hand shoulder at Nanka; that one vigilantee man from Amaokpara made mentioned of this no longer at ease and my mind flashed back again at the book. Achebe’s writing gripped me instantly, not because it was filled with lofty words, but because it was so honest.

This is the story of Obi Okonkwo — a young man full of ideals, returning from England, ready to make a difference in Nigeria. Yet, he finds himself caught in the crosswinds of corruption, tradition, and personal compromise. What strikes me about this novel is not just Obi’s struggle, but how familiar it feels every time I read it.

The society Achebe describes is not locked in the past. It is ours today.

I see it in the way some start with high ideals but slowly bend under the weight of “how things are done.” I see it in the silent tug-of-war between holding onto personal values and meeting social or family expectations. I see it in how integrity can be chipped away in small, almost unnoticeable steps, until what remains is a shadow of the person who began the journey.

Reading this book again has made me more alert to these patterns in my own environment. It challenges me to think — how do we hold on to who we are when the systems around us seem determined to change us? How do we lead without losing ourselves?

Recently, I learned something about Japan that has stayed with me. There is a cultural commitment there — in workplaces, in craft, in service — where honour is tied to doing your work well. It’s not just about getting the job done; it’s about doing it with pride, precision, and integrity. It made me think: perhaps this is the kind of cultural backbone that protects a society from the erosion Achebe warns us about. I hope to visit Japan soon to see this for myself.

No Longer at Ease is a novel, yes, but it’s also a mirror. Every time I read it, I see my world, my society, and even myself, reflected in its pages. And it leaves me with one clear thought: the real test of character is not in moments of comfort, but in moments where compromise is easy and no one is watching.

© ZEPHNATH JUDE POET EROBE N.

- Nigeria