Buharis Speech in Owerri is Below Presidential Standard I watched with trepidation Buharis presentation during his recent campaign in Owerri. I almost broke down in tears. Within the first minute of a presentation that lasted for about 30 minutes I almost lost hope in Nigeria, a nation that pride itself as home to Africas most prominent intellectuals. Buhari is blank intellectually and therefore unfit to lead Nigeria in the 21st century. At the end of the presentation I concluded that Buhari does not belong to the class of global personalities such as Barak Obama, George Bush, Bill Clinton, Pierre Trudeau, David Cameroon, Nikolas Sarkozy, Hugo Chavez, Vlamir Putin, Paul Martin, etcetera, all of which have used oratory and intellectual power to influence the process and outcome of world politics. Within the African continent, we can count on Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, Samuel Nujoma, Robert Mugabe, Julius Nyerere, Jomo Kenyatta, Muarmar Gadaffi, and Nelson Mandela. These men moved a generation and changed history through the power of oration. Beyond the shores of Africa, some inspirational leaders have emerged who shaped history through the power of oration. Hugo Chavez of Venezuela had used ideological reasoning and oratory power to pose the greatest challenge to United States imperialism. Along this line of leaders are Fidel Castro and his comrade Minister Ernesto Che Guvara. While in Santiago De Cuba, I spoke to Cubans who lived through this generation of leaders and have been inspired by their oratory power and intellectual influence. I have followed the politics of past Nigerian leaders - from the First Republic to the end of dictatorship - and a few leaders stand out. In the First Republic, Nigeria could count on great men like Chief Obafemi Awolowo, who made a persuasive presentation at the London Conference while negotiating Nigerias destiny. We could count on Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, who made one of the greatest speeches in world politics on the floor of the United States Capitol that moved Americans but also reversed the White Mans misperception of African leaders as the inferior other. Another orator of that era was Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe. In Nigerias military history, one man that stands out was Chief Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu. I watched the political propaganda leading up to the Aburi Accord and the subsequent Biafra War and felt that Ojukwu was not only highly educated but also he used oratory power to galvanize support for the Biafran War. I first heard the concept Unholy Alliance during an undergraduate class in Global Political Economy and thought it’s a white mans invention. But after watching and analyzing video footages of the Biafra War, I came to the discovery that Ojukwu was the originator of an intellectual concept that came to define international relations even though his name has never been cited against this concept. Indeed, great leaders move the world through intelligence and oratory power. But can Buhari move the world if he cant Owerri? Can the quality of speech we heard make us proud as Nigerians if that speech was delivered during a national broadcast, at the African Union summit, at an ECOWAS summit, and on the floor of the United Nations? Sadly I read elsewhere that experts he will hired to do the job. Yes. Experts do the thinking and writing. But experts will not deliver the speech on the floor of the United Nations. A man who aims to lead a nation but fails to develop himself intellectually is unfit for the technological age. The irreparable embarrassment Nigerians will suffer in the 21st century is to vote into power a man who will disgrace our nation in the comity of nations where eloquent leaders make impressive presentations that bring pride and glory to their citizens. Buhari goofed at Owerri when he failed to pronounce correctly the name of his Vice President and other APC leaders. If he could make such a terrible and embarrassing mistake in Owerri, how much embarrassment would he pose to our nation when he starts mispronouncing the names of world leaders or making unnecessary gestures that suggests he is not schooled in diplomacy. Students of diplomacy pay careful attention to the communicative sphere of politics, and how a leaders narrative and symbolic gestures contribute to political intercourse, which in turn create a magnetic aura that generates influence. Buhari scored a fail grade. Buhari goofed further by promising to end Boko Haram in a few weeks when America, with its military and intelligence might, could not defeat the Talibans. His promises, whether real or miscalculated, raises questions about his political nature. Finally, Buhari failed to communicate convincingly his economic policy for Nigeria and Nigerians. Anybody can make promises on a podium. It takes intelligent minds to analyze and separate a political discourse from the ideology influencing that discourse. Given the progressive philosophy of APC that initially galvanized a coalition of Nigerians committed to true change, Buhari failed to connect his speech with the party philosophy. It is not surprising that he goofed in the presentation of his economic plan. Again, he scored a fail grade. With the facts I have presented, does Buhari command the intellectual power to represent Nigeria, and to move world leaders? Or are we electing a leader who will not keep his audience awake when speaking at the United Nations? We have the power to change our destiny. That change begins with you. Continuity is important. Lets vote wisely.
Posted on: Tue, 13 Jan 2015 08:09:03 +0000
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