The recent plagiarism committed by President Muhammadu Buhari’s aides who lifted the words of US President Barack Obama’s victory speech in 2008 has again brought to the front burner the real question of the crisis of communication which has characterized Nigeria’s Presidency in the last five decades. Though the erring director in the Presidency has since been reportedly redeployed outside the Presidency, the truth is that to understand the enormity of the crisis of communication currently facing our nation, we must not look at the issue in isolation. We must re-examine the whole gamut of the crisis of communications which has bedeviled successive presidents of Nigeria since 1960.
The late Chuba Okadigbo’s often quoted jab at Obasanjo readily comes to mind: ’’Obasanjo’s government has been terrible.. Not even one quotable quote…”
The reason for this apparent deficit over the years is what we need to address rather than attacking plagiarism issue in isolation.
As I have written elsewhere, the ability of a president to communicate his vision on national and international issues is an important component of that office. Presidents all over the world realise that their overall performance –– even their legacy –– rests as much on what they say and how they say it, as on what they do. This is very much appreciated in the West and in some neighbouring African countries.
A president’s communication skill manifests in various forms — in his national broadcasts, in speeches to the National Assembly, in speeches at national events, in keynote addresses at international conferences etc. The communication role of the president has not been accorded high priority in our country, judging by the record of Nigerian presidents, military and civilian. However, a few Nigerian leaders have left their footprints in the sands of history in terms of memorable, stirring speeches.
Gen Murtala Mohammed, Nigeria’s Head of State for just 200 days, is remembered today as Nigeria’s most dynamic leader. Apparently, Gen Mohammed regarded his public speeches as key components of his job portfolio and he deployed the very best brains available at that time to write them. And he achieved much more than any Nigerian leader, living or dead, in that respect.
Murtala made Nigeria heard in the world. He restored Nigeria’s strong image in world affairs. His often quoted speech “Africa Has Come of Age”, delivered at the extraordinary meeting of the Organization of African Unity(OAU) held in Addis Ababa on January 11, 1976, was most inspiring: “ Mr Chairman, when I contemplate the evils of apartheid, my heart bleeds and I am sure the heart of every true-blooded African bleeds. Africa has come of age. It is no longer under the order of any extra- continental power. It should no longer take orders from any country, however powerful. The fortunes of Africa are in our hands to make or to mar. For too long have we been kicked around; for too long have we been treated like adolescents who cannot discern their interests and act accordingly…The time has come when we should make it clear that we can decide for ourselves…”
This historic speech was written by Ambassador Olu Adeniji, who became Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and later, Internal Affairs, during Obasanjo’s administration. Interestingly, Buhari, was also part of Murtala’s Administration, as Military Governor of the now defunct North Central State. Can Buhari borrow a leaf from Murtala’s style and method of communication?
Gen Yakubu Gowon, who was Head of State at most trying time (the three-year civil war) in our country’s political history is also well known for his “No Victor, No Vanquished” speech, which was again crafted by one of Africa’s most distinguished diplomats, Ambassador Akporode Clark.
American presidents are famous for memorable speeches that communicate their national and international vision. Three speeches by three American Presidents stand out. On 26 June 1963, President John F. Kennedy made his famous ‘Ich bin ein Berliner’ speech in West Berlin in then divided Germany. “All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin, and therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words, ‘Ich bin ein Berliner’, he declared.
If Kennedy’s Speech in West Berlin is internationally famous as a symbolic commitment to containing communism and promoting freedom, there was an equally significant and historic one that outlined US’ principled ambition in the space race. On May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy in a historic and inspiring speech announced before a special joint session of Congress (National Assembly) the ambitious goal of sending an American safely to the Moon before the end of the decade.
In1969, almost six years after Kennedy’s unfortunate death, Neil Armstrong landed on the Moon and returned safely to Earth.
Twenty-four years after Kennedy’s Berlin Speech, on 12 June 1987, President Ronald Reagan made his famous “Tear down the Wall” address. It was like a throw-back to Kennedy’s vision. Today every American is proud of that era which dealt with the challenge posed by an ascendant USSR.
Reagan had declared: “General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” Reagan had spoken in a voice full of passion and authority. Reagan’s vision came to pass two years later when on November 9, 1989, Eastern Germans decreed free and unrestrained passage for all into West Germany. And by 1990, the Wall finally came down, signaling the triumph of liberalization and market forces. Every leader comes on board with a clear vision which he must pass across.
In the United Kingdom of Great Britain, war-time Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, is remembered for his clarity of vision in ensuring that Britain prosecuted the war against Germany during the Second World War, to its victorious end. In his maiden address to the British Parliament on May 13, 1940, Churchill declared: “… I would say to the House, as I said to those who have joined this government; I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat. We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind…You ask, what is our policy? I can say: it is to wage war, by sea, land, and air with all our might and with the strength that God can give us; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny…You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: It is victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be …”
Over and over again, the question has been raised: How should President Buhari organize himself for the task of better communicating his vision to Nigeria and the world. In his thought-provoking book, The Man Who Owns The News: Inside The Secret World Of Rupert Murdoch, Michael Wolff, rightly postulates that the success of any great leader, whether in Politics or business, is the quality of minds around and his/her ability to listen and the boldness to accept their prescriptions when they are right. First, it must be acknowledged that Buhari has some really bright minds around him in this respect. But it goes beyond that. The first step is a good design of an organizational structure within the presidency.
In most modern presidencies, the task of communication is separated from that of press secretary or presidential spokesman. The director of communications is the president’s “chief wordsmith”, while his press secretary is the president’s “chief spokesman” and day-to-day faces the public. The director of communications writes or vets all speeches and statements of the President and other members of cabinet. Under President Kennedy, his press secretary was Pierre Sallinger, while his director of communications –– also often referred to as the chief speech writer— was Theodore Sorenson. During the Reagan presidency his press secretary was Larry Speakes, while his communications director was Peggy Noonan. Sorenson and Noonan penned some of the most memorable and really stirring speeches for Presidents Kennedy and Reagan respectively.
In the case of President Barack Obama, his Director of Speechwriting in his first term was 30-year-old Jonathan (popularly known as Jon) Favreau, who crafted the President’s captivating inaugural address to the American people on July 20, 2009. Simply addressed as an Assistant to the President/Director of Speechwriting, his role is quite different from the President Obama’s press secretary.
Even President Obama’s often quoted phrase “Yes we can” was penned by this young but brilliant Favreau. It was delivered with so much rhetoric and passion during the Democratic primary in New Hampshere in January 2008: “For when we have faced down impossible odds, when we’ve been told we’re not ready or that we shouldn’t try or that, we can’t, generations of Americans have responded with a simple creed that sums up the spirit of a people; ‘yes, we can’…”
In matters of communications, there is often the question of whether the elegance of prose (rhetoric) matches action (reality). President Obama calls his speechwriter my “mind reader.” This is where the question of vision comes into play. Without a compelling vision, there can be no profound speeches because there is nothing to sell! Without a grand vision, there can be no great speeches crafted in elegant and captivating prose. In 2005, at a lecture I delivered at a UN Policy Roundtable on Moving Africa forward in New York, I made it clear that without a grand vision on the part of African leaders, there would be really nothing to market to the world!
It is analogous to a successful business: Only firms that have good products and services can market them with great conviction. And vision is intricately linked to what a leader wants his or her legacy to be. In this context, it is very easy to argue the point that the reason Nigeria has not had memorable speeches from most of its leaders is that the leaders may have been bereft of vision for the country. When was the last time a Nigerian President addressed the country on its “Urgent National Needs”? President Buhari should make a difference by seizing the opportunity provided by the National Assembly’s invitation to address a joint session to address the nation on URGENT NATIONAL NEEDS. The time is now!
Mr Djebah, a Harvard-trained policy entrepreneur is the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of The New Diplomat and member of the Board of the Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden, Denmark & Finland) Global Journalists Network (GJN) headquartered in Sweden.
