Poetic Kaleidoscope: Portrayal of Judicial Corruption in Niyi Osundare’s “My Lord, Tell Me Where to Keep Your Bribe”

Abstract: This article examines judicial corruption in Nigeria as a systemic issue through the lens of “My Lord, Tell Me Where to Keep Your Bribe,” a poem by Niyi Osundare. Informed by the need to explore how poetry engages with the wider cultural, institutional, and historical discourses on corruption through the theory of new historicism, it discusses judicial corruption in Nigeria and its effects on society. It highlights the manner, dimensions, and strategies of judicial corruption as presented by Osundare. It indicates how poets can deploy their art to expose malignant social ills by sensitizing people to pervasive issues and serving as a tool for defiant and populist social crusading.