...Are Orators Born...?

You can almost always recognise the power associated with a leader through his voice and speech...
In this regard, American Presidents come top of the list of leaders who can convince their citizens to drink the ' herbaceous hemlock'--and they (citizens) will do so before asking questions...

As a young lad, I loved the late president of America--Ronald Reagan so much--not necessarily because of the substance of his speeches, but because of the gusto and confidence that radiates from and around him whenever he mounts the podium...
Hear him:

" ...Government is the people's business and every man, woman and child becomes a shareholder with the first penny of tax paid. ...we who live in free market societies believe that growth, prosperity and ultimately human fulfillment, are created from the bottom up, not the government down. Only when the human spirit is allowed to invent and create, only when individuals are given a personal stake in deciding economic policies and benefitting from their success -- only then can societies remain economically alive, dynamic, progressive, and free..."


Wheras, Mr Tony Blair could be labelled as one of the most charismatic British Prime Minister to lead the country for a decade, most of us have come to love him not for going to Iraq, but for his charm and ability to make you listen whenever he speaks...

Tony Blair in 1997:

"...As I stand here before 10 Downing Street I know all too well the huge responsibility that is upon me and the great trust that the British people have placed in me...this administration shall be a government rooted in strong values, the values of justice and progress and community, the values that have guided me all my political life...this government is ready with the courage to embrace the new ideas necessary to make those values live again for today's world -- a government of practical measures in pursuit of noble causes. That is our objective for the people of Britain..."


Only two African leaders in recent times have come close enough to the mark of been labelled as good orators--

Nelson Mandela (again) and Jerry Rawlings of Ghana.

Some may want to argue that Babangida of Nigeria was also a very good orator or speech reader...

But this a man I dislike so much for his sly and conning nature. And I hated him more when he was branded as 'maradona'...

General Olusegun Obasanjo--the immediate past president of Nigeria would fall into the worse categories of speech makers. Oratory, Obasanjo has a way of irritating, annoyingly his listeners by trying to clear his 'kola-nut' infested throat seventy- nine times in a single speech--terrible!
And he never raises his from the paper whenever he reads...


So, what do Nigerians make of their new President-- Yar'Dua ? (is that how to spell the name...I'm not being funny)...

I read somewhere that Mr. Yar'Dua was asked about his immediate priorities. And all he could come up with was..

"...'My first priority is the economy, my second priority is the economy and my third priority is the economy..."

What, in hells name does that mean...? Can't he come up with something more qoutable and a little bit more educated than that...?

How did Nigerians get themselves saddled with a taciturn, below-average fellow --who is also economical in ideas, speech and style...?

And where are all the speech messiahs and publicists like Fani-kayode, Wada Nas, even Kingibe.
Somebody should please sit president Yar'Adua (my younger sister just gave the correct spelling) down and polish him a little bit...

He is the president of the nation for crying out loud--even thou he was not generally elected, he has the mandate now...
He should convince the people that he knows what to do and he is ready to do it through his speech, character and style...or is this not his will?