Cowboy goes to school in Ekunno’s book

Title: Cowboy Lamido Author: Mike Ekunno Publisher: Hapicom publishers Pages: 90 Reviewer: Moyosoluwa Olorunsola ‘Cowboy Lamido’ by Mike Ekunno is an exceptional book about Nigerian children and their assimilation into boarding schools. It tells the story of students who leave their homes when they are still children, especially those from the Northern part of Nigeria. […]

Title: Cowboy Lamido

Author: Mike Ekunno

Publisher: Hapicom publishers

Pages: 90

Reviewer: Moyosoluwa Olorunsola

‘Cowboy Lamido’ by Mike Ekunno is an exceptional book about Nigerian children and their assimilation into boarding schools. It tells the story of students who leave their homes when they are still children, especially those from the Northern part of Nigeria. It clearly portrays the expectations of parents for their children, that they will someday become successful herdsmen without a formal education. In this story, most of the parents in the region do not believe in education. They believe mostly in the children following in their footsteps and end up rearing cows. These parents put their faith in soothsayers who claim to have seen what a child will become in future.

In this book, Lamido’s father is an example of such parents. He doesn’t see the need for school but focuses on how Lamido will become the great herdsman the soothsayer said he would be. He doesn’t see how the ways of Boko (education) will help Lamido achieve this dream. Lamido, however, doesn’t share his father’s sentiments.

‘Cowboy Lamido’ talks about the aspect of children’s lives that is overlooked or underrated. Some children cannot handle the pressure of being bullied and cheated, and when this happens, they withdraw. They sometimes start to see bullying as a normal phenomenon that should be endured. Lamido and Hamza, the protagonists in this book try to adapt to a new system, but instead they get bullied and assaulted physically by their seniors.

Although the book vividly illustrates the barbaric and shameful treatment of juniors by their seniors, it also teaches an important lesson that culminates in the punishment of the perpetrators of this act. What happens to the bullies becomes an example for other students.

Mike Ekunno’s employment of flashback is intriguing. However, a reader is likely to expect more than get less in this work. The ending is abrupt and predictable and one can tell where the story is heading to right from the beginning. It’s also a cliché story of a child’s experience in school, which includes getting bullied by seniors who are likely to get punished. Unfortunately, it lacked a twist. However, this still doesn’t take away its substance.