NIYI OSUNDARE WORKS

This study examines the theme of poverty, unemployment, and exploitation as an economic challenge facing the current Nigerian state, as represented in Niyi Osundare's "Songs of the Season" and Kola Eke's "May 27". The poets proffer solutions from their perspective. The findings reveal how Kola Eke and Osundare use everyday language, incorporating literary devices to convey the situation of poverty affecting the masses, the extent of inequality leading to exploitation, and the devastating effects of unemployment on citizens. This was viewed through marxist literary theory, which depicts a society where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, a reality currently captured in the Nigerian context. The findings challenge the idea that poverty is a result of laziness; instead, they highlight poverty as a tool used by the ruling class to weaken workers. The poets call for a revolution, emphasizing the need for equitable distribution of resources to eradicate poverty, unemployment, and exploitation