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var sbtitle9941=encodeURIComponent(Nigerian Le...Read the full article.

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Sir,
I write and speak flawless English with a British accent (by self-evaluation and testimony of some oyibos), does that better qualify me to be President instead of Yar'Adua???

I get your point, but na dogon turenchi we go chop???
Abegi,:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

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....beautiful piece...you have just spoken my mind...thank you for the job well done...:D:D:D

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You have also spoken my mind.
If any person does not agree with you, he or she does not understand the dynamics of statecraft. Communication is, in my opinion, ninety percent of leadership because a politician is, after all, a cheerleader and his mouth is his primary tool. Thank you very much for this piece.

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Good day Ossie Ezeaku

I read your article with interest and felt the need to write you this somewhat lengthy comment.

I can see where you are coming from as I have previously dwelled on the same concerns.

Like one of your contributors here, I speak excellent English with a British accent. However this isn't necessarily a qualification for good leadership and stewardship. I believe it is more the accent that bothers you. I am very sure you reside outside Nigeria, in the UK or in the States, and I am sure your questioning daughter was born if not raised there. She's grown up hearing particular kind of accents and so finds it difficult to relates to anything else.

Like you, I used to wish our nation's representatives spoke fluently, preferably accent free. But age and experience has brought me to an altogether different reasoning on this - that it is not the accent but the communication that matters. What you say or what you are trying to say is most important. If you heard some people from parts of the UK, like Liverpool, Newcastle, and Scotland speak, I am sure you will struggle to understand what they are saying. It's called regional accents, and this is what Yar' Adua has.

It may interest you to know that all over the world, there are many Chemistry teachers who don't speak fluent English, but it hasn't hampered their ability to teach or practice their profession. Babangida happens to have a more easily digestible English, but he was a terrible leader who rarely engaged the outside world and put the country in jeopardy. On the other hand Obasanjo, who also has a strong regional accent is one Nigeria leader who's had the most engagements with other world leaders and eminent personalities like Bill Gates, who flew all the way to Lagos to visit with him.

So you see the spoken English is not really the key, though I do share your point that things could be toned up a bit. it can only be beneficial to our overall cause. However I do not believe it is of paramount importance at this stage. What we need most of all, is continuity in our economic, educational and social development. Our well respected citizens like Wole Soyinka and Chinua Achebe, whom I personally admire for their literary work and achievements, mostly use their impeccable communication skills to bash and cripple Nigeria at every given turn.

My perfect English didn't necessarily endear me to most Brits in the workplace. On the contrary, a lot felt threatened and were envious, particularly those who didn't speak so well. Ask John Fashanu, a man who speaks English clearly and eloquently, and he'll tell you that he enjoys far more respect and acceptance in Nigeria than he ever got in the UK. Today he's one of our greatest ambassadors, speaking well of Nigeria wherever he goes.

In a nutshell, I would sooner have a heavy tongued action leader, than a smooth-talking but inactive one any day. And I would just be overjoyed if that leader had both positive qualities.

Stay blessed and keep hope alive, we are on the right track.

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Dear Ossie,

An article so timely and critical that in a country where leaders are groomed very well such as in France it would have been very prudent. But in nation where the likes of Chris Uba, Ngige, Adedibu, Anyaoku, Ekwueme, Lar, Ahmed Yerima, Obj, Utomi, Akala, Odili, Almieyesiegha, Dariye, Tafa Balogun etc are the leaders who flock together like birds of the same feather turns the concept of bird specie and feather colouration into nonesense. :twisted: :twisted: :evil:
Proper command of spoken English language is but one casualty in the above mentioned birds wrt their plummage. :lol: :lol:

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=X-Ray;172024>Good day Ossie Ezeaku

I read your article with interest and felt the need to write you this somewhat lengthy comment.

I can see where you are coming from as I have previously dwelled on the same concerns.

Like one of your contributors here, I speak excellent English with a British accent. However this isn't necessarily a qualification for good leadership and stewardship. I believe it is more the accent that bothers you. I am very sure you reside outside Nigeria, in the UK or in the States, and I am sure your questioning daughter was born if not raised there. She's grown up hearing particular kind of accents and so finds it difficult to relates to anything else.

Like you, I used to wish our nation's representatives spoke fluently, preferably accent free. But age and experience has brought me to an altogether different reasoning on this - that it is not the accent but the communication that matters. What you say or what you are trying to say is most important. If you heard some people from parts of the UK, like Liverpool, Newcastle, and Scotland speak, I am sure you will struggle to understand what they are saying. It's called regional accents, and this is what Yar' Adua has.

It may interest you to know that all over the world, there are many Chemistry teachers who don't speak fluent English, but it hasn't hampered their ability to teach or practice their profession. Babangida happens to have a more easily digestible English, but he was a terrible leader who rarely engaged the outside world and put the country in jeopardy. On the other hand Obasanjo, who also has a strong regional accent is one Nigeria leader who's had the most engagements with other world leaders and eminent personalities like Bill Gates, who flew all the way to Lagos to visit with him.

So you see the spoken English is not really the key, though I do share your point that things could be toned up a bit. it can only be beneficial to our overall cause. However I do not believe it is of paramount importance at this stage. What we need most of all, is continuity in our economic, educational and social development. Our well respected citizens like Wole Soyinka and Chinua Achebe, whom I personally admire for their literary work and achievements, mostly use their impeccable communication skills to bash and cripple Nigeria at every given turn.

My perfect English didn't necessarily endear me to most Brits in the workplace. On the contrary, a lot felt threatened and were envious, particularly those who didn't speak so well. Ask John Fashanu, a man who speaks English clearly and eloquently, and he'll tell you that he enjoys far more respect and acceptance in Nigeria than he ever got in the UK. Today he's one of our greatest ambassadors, speaking well of Nigeria wherever he goes.

In a nutshell, I would sooner have a heavy tongued action leader, than a smooth-talking but inactive one any day. And I would just be overjoyed if that leader had both positive qualities.

Stay blessed and keep hope alive, we are on the right track.

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Dear X-ray,

You simply failed to decipher the writer's arguments. Having regional accent in one's spoken English does not constitute a flaw. The writer was talking about improving on our leaders' English language proficiency, or to better still develop our indigenous languages.

Let us not sugar-coat what is a glaring fault.

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=ithinkbetter;172016>....beautiful piece...you have just spoken my mind...thank you for the job well done...:D:D:D

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A parody by "dontthinkatall' because if your spoken English is anything like your written English, then... hhhmmmmm:lol: :lol: :lol:

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Many would of course argue that English was after all not our mother tongue, hence fluency in it shouldn't matter. But the fact Is that It is the nation's official language of communication with the rest of the world. Hence, how our leaders use it to navigate the waters of global diplomacy will reflect on our image. The world of today, and the standard of the spoken English of our legislators would warrant that they take extra English language lessons

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Ossie, honestly speaking even Mandela the greatest of states men speaks with a very strong accent, almost as strong as any Nigerians, and yet he is able to communicate. I mention his name because I see you spoke of some SA politicians like Cyril Ramophoosa... but let me ask you, have you ever heard the Californian State governor speak English? Does he really communicate? He is always the butt of Jay Leno's jokes on late night... he certainly cannot be said to be fluent by any standards you use... but I bet he communicates his policies and programs effectively... so the question then is despite his lack of fluency and bad grammar how does he achieve this feat?

Try speaking to a Haitian immigrant in the USA, and see how horrible they sound, and yet they are able to communicate and have become a political force to be reckoned with in the states.

I love the way the Spanish and the French have argued for and promoted their own languages as a medium for international communication such that the USA is slowly turning to a bilingual country with Spanish becoming a second acceptable national language. It has also infiltrated the way they do politics such that Spanish candidates are almost a given in any local, regional, state or even federal elections in the USA these days and yes they all speak with very strong Spanish accents, i.e. where they can manage to speak at all.

They certainly are no were near the British queens English that many Nigerians are prone to promote... It is most likely to hear someone of Spanish descent mix up verbs and tenses almost at the rate Forshow does and yet they are able to communicate...:lol:

Ironically President Bush who speaks American English is a failure when it comes to communication at all levels. Even Kerry struggles to make sense... yet these are the people we seek to impress, as per international standards.

I thinks it smacks a bit of inferiority complex for those who cannot write or speak their native language to be promoting another man's language like that is the best way to communicate. Nigerians who ought to care more about these issues don't even seem to care about what their leaders speak... all they need is food on their table, a shelter to lay their head in, clothing to cover their nakedness, and of course a basic security of life, through good health and the rest... this is why an Adedibu is a champion while an Utomi will be laughed out of a political race or an Orji Uzor Kalu stands above a Marwa in the scheme of things…

But of course if our leaders are more in tune with speaking for the benefit of Bush and co, then all your submissions are in order. If they are there to serve the interest of majority of Nigerians a good number of who live in rural villages and town and speak the most minimalist of English language, then how they speak it, or even write it whether in a “lose” way or a “loose” way ought not to matter... that should be the least of our problems… at least for now...

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Proficiency in the English language to me should be a secondary issue in leadership. English language to me is like any other language, so speaking it fluently should not be a big deal. Ojo Maduekwe speaks English very well but it is on record that he has not won any election in his political career. How many Arab or Indian or Japanese leaders speak English like Tony Blair or the Queen herself?
As for you Mr Author, you call it "pigeon" English. Methinks it should be "pidgin" English. Again you wrote: "Some few days ago, we watched the trio of Buhari, Yar'Adua and Atiku TOOK their turn..." I think the right word should be "TAKE". So by your standard you can never qualify to be a Nigerian leader. So bros, leave matter. English language is not your mother tongue. Period!

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Shall we rate the following leaders?

Alhaji Tafawa Balewa -
JT Ironsi -
Yakubu (shoot Wole on the plane to Jos) Gowon -
Murtala (Central Bank, Benin, I swear, was actually empty) Muhammed -
Olusegun (do-or-die, 'loan-acquiring', receiver of stolen loot (Andy), Bola Ige) Obasanjo -
Shehu Shagari -
Muhamadu (53 suite cases) Buhari -
Ibrahim (419, Dele Giwa, Gloria Okon, Mamman Vatsa) Babangida -
Illegal Interim leader - puppet, scurrilous scavenger of left-over - Usurper, so no grade
Sani (dark-goggled, Kudi Abiola, Pa Alfred Rilwani, etc, Kill & Stay) Abacha -
Abdu-Salam (Mee tea! MKO Abiola) Abubakar -
Musa (I vouch for sound health services in my country - in a German hospital) Yar'adua -

NB
When are we going to have somebody educated govern Nigeria? I mean intellectually educated. Yakubu Gowon, after governing us, went back to acquire real education meaning we had an illiterate or semi-literate as head of state for about 9 years or so!

UglyMan, well said: “Communication is, in my opinion, ninety percent of leadership because a politician is, after all, a cheerleader and his mouth is his primary tool”. Perhaps that explains why we are where we are today – in a whirlwind of political, economic, and social stagnation!

Just one more thing I would add and that is, it would also be preferable if Nigerian Leaders are of unquestionable moral rectitude and those who are naturally allergic to the people's treasury - not the likes of OBJ, ATIKU, TINUBU (Je un soke!), GOODLUCK (God help Nigeria – he is VP elect!), DANIEL, FAYOSE, IBORI, DARIYE, et al.