Politician! A man of many words.

Is Muhammadu Buhari a politician?

Many a time President Muhammadu Buhari has been blamed for inadequate communication, inappropriate communication, no communication, misapplied communication either by word of mouth or lack of it or body language. These blames most of the time, have not been without good reason.

These problems of communication may appear to be intangibles, they are actually very important even for non-political leaders. Communication is a vital segment of social living. With zero communication, no one can work with any other.

Social animals have excellent communication skills without which they cannot thrive the way they do. It is the connecting link that makes possible progress in the so-called tangibles. It prepares the mind. It informs the mind. It elicits cooperation. It generates hope. Communication performs wonders not only in politics but in other areas such as the military, schools and even families.

Muhammadu Buhari failed to give a speech during the inauguration of his second term on May 29, 2019. Most Nigerians were in disbelief, disappointed, disillusioned and even felt despised. They expected the speech because it is the tradition, it is reasonable, it is necessary. It is necessary because of the mood in the country. Many Nigerians were depressed when Buhari was declared winner of the 2019 presidential elections, fearing that salvation was not near after all. This was a missed opportunity to rekindle hope in those Nigerians. How is it possible that a man of his experience would not know this?

How could his many advisers not successfully impress upon him the absolute necessity of saying a word during the occasion? Some speculated that he perhaps wanted to say everything at once on June 12 which is around the corner. If so, why did he not tell us so? Even telling us something like: “this is no time for speech making, this is time for action, I am wasting no time returning to work, you watch out and see the changes that come your way”, is far better than complete silence. Whatever could be his reason for keeping silent. T

his is simply an own goal. And there have been many of such. May 29 and June 12 symbolize two different things. Speeches on both days should address their different subjects. Muhammadu Buhari is not a politician!