The novel Anthills of the Savanah is a socio-political commentary set in the fictitious nation of Kangan. The story begins with the readers being treated to an inside look into a presidential cabinet meeting. It is revealed that the country has had a shaky two years of existence, having coming from a chaotic political upheaval, ousting a dictator from the highest office of the land.
The story revolves around three characters: Sam, Chris Oriko, and Ikem Osodi. The three were childhood friends and have now come into power, fulfilling crucial responsibilities within their society. Sam is the de facto leader, the President of the Republic of Kangan. Chris is the head of the Information Ministry. Ikem is the editor-in-chief of the National Gazette, a widely circulated, government-controlled newspaper. Despite their common origins and deep ties, the three are vastly different in their political leanings and personal temperaments.
Sam is a hard, stern man, a career soldier. He has come into power but it is clear that he does not have his people’s best interests in mind; to make matters worse he has steadily become increasingly paranoid over time and his two friends realize that he is becoming another dictator himself. Ikem, on the other hand, is the polar opposite of Sam. He is a scholarly fellow with an appreciation for art and culture. He is quickly becoming Sam’s most vocal critic, voicing out his opinions regarding the need to make several government reforms. Chris is the most levelheaded of the three and often plays the role of arbitrator between the Sam and Ikem. Ikem and Chris were critical to Sam’s success as an elected official, but with matters taking a turn for the worse both men come to regret their involvement and as such seek to restrain Sam by leveraging their positions.
Sam, in his desire to hang on to his power, decides that he wants to become President-for-Life, a position unheard of in their nation’s history. This move requires a nationwide plebiscite but Abazon, one of the regions in Kangan, rejects the notion of putting Sam in power for the rest of his biological life. In response to their refusal he deprives the region of his support during a drought in the hopes that this would break their spirit. His embargo forces the region to send representatives to the capital to plead for their cause and get the necessary supplies. Sam however mistakenly suspects the mission of mercy to be a ruse, thinking that they might be planning a revolt; his paranoia fuels his imagination even further and he makes the conclusion that the revolt may actually be funded and organized by someone privy to private details about his life—someone close to him.
Sam becomes increasingly more paranoid and dangerous as a result, and although Chris believes this to be true, he still has faith that Sam can be a force for the good of his country if he remains in power. Ikem on the other hand becomes more and more outspoken in his newspaper editorials, openly questioning the president’s motives and morality. Chris wisely counsels him to be more cautious and take a more moderate tone.
The novel then shifts focus from the men, introducing their respective female partners. These women play crucial roles in the lives of the main characters. Elewa is Ikem’s girlfriend and mother of their child. She is not as well educated as her partner and is employed in a shop. Beatrice is Chris Oriko’s fiancée. In contrast to Elewa, she is an educated career woman. She currently holds office as an administrator for a local government unit. Beatrice also shares common ties with the three male characters; she is under Sam as a government employee and has been friends with Ikem since they were kids. She is privy to both the movements within the government and the media because of her ties with Chris and Ikem. This allows her to understand the situation from a unique vantage point and she advises both Chris and Ikem that they have no relationship with either the populace or the land preventing them from effectively tackling social problems effectively.
Matters come to a head with Sam and Ikem when he instructs Chris to remove Ikem from his post as editor because Sam believes that Ikem is somehow involved in the “rebellion” being “organized” by the leaders of Abazon. Chris reacts to this command in a very uncharacteristic manner: outright refusal because he knows Ikem better. Despite his refusal, Ikem is still fired. Relieved from his post, Ikem unwisely continues his outspoken tirade regarding Sam’s regime. Government propagandists capitalize on a joke he has made about Sam issuing a command to cast new coins with his head on them. They twist this joke, asserting that Ikem wants to have the president decapitated, and Sam can no longer let this slide. Ikem is abducted late at night and assassinated by government forces. Ikem’s assassination serves as a wake-up call for Chris.
He now recognizes that his childhood friend Sam is now, for all intents and purposes, dead and in his place is a power-hungry madman who will stop at nothing and no one to secure his power. Leveraging his ties within the international press community, he exposes Sam as a murderer and dictator then goes underground. Chris manages to round up a ragtag bunch of sympathizers, including Emmanuel, a former student of Ikem. Together, they escape to Bassa, the state capital and head to Abazon. Meanwhile, Sam has called for a manhunt; Chris is now on the government’s most wanted list and orders that anyone caught assisting him or withholding information about him is to be arrested as well.
En route to Abaza, Chris surveys the difficulty that Sam’s despotic regime has brought to their nation. Immersed in the daily activities of his people, Chis reconnects to his roots. Emmanuel on the other hand meets Adamma, a beautiful coed studying at the nearby university. A drunken mob stops their bus and Chris learns that the people are celebrating the death of Sam; he is murdered and his administration deposed in yet another hostile political takeover. There is a mix of celebration and chaos on the streets and as Chris tries to piece together events, Adamma is abducted by a militiaman to be violated. He hurries to save her but the soldier ends up killing him. Emmanuel, Adamma, and the motley crew of survivors from the previous regime make their way back to Bassa to give Beatrice the tragic news of her husband-to-be’s death.
The novel ends with a grieving Beatrice as she holds a naming ceremony for Ikem and Elewa’s child. Elewa had given birth after the tumultuous kidnapping and murder of her partner; only men customarily perform the naming ceremony, but Beatrice accomplishes the rite anyway, symbolic, perhaps, of a true new beginning. The child is given the name "Amaechina," which is ironically, a masculine name that means “May the Path Never Close.”
