have you guys listened to christine Amanpour's interview with goodluck jonathan?

I think jonathan's grammatical errors and accent are just too embarrassing and scary.


what do u guys think?

@ poster, let me correct your own errors in these statements:

1) You started a sentence with a small h
2) You started a name of a person, Christine with a small c
2) You started Goodluck and Jonathan with small letters; you know these are names of the president

Remove the log in your eyes first before you point at another person's own.

asamuel:

have you guys listened to christine Amanpour's interview with goodluck jonathan?

I think jonathan's grammatical errors and accent are just too embarrassing and scary.


what do u guys think?

@ poster, let me correct your own errors in these statements:

1) You started a sentence with a small h
2) You started a name of a person, Christine with a small c
2) You started Goodluck and Jonathan with small letters; you know these are names of the president

Remove the log in your eyes first before you point at another person's own.

Young boy,

We are here to make some points as quickly and as fast as we can, so if you dont have anything intellectually enriching to contribute on this post, I suggest you go to the children's section

londoner:

Heads of states are trained on how to present themselves. Why are we acting as if its not important? Look at Bush, one of the most enduring memories of him was the way he came across as uneducated and less intelligent than his peers. We dont have to pretend that these things will not count in the future, although I agree that its not an issue of immediate importance.

I must wonder though whether people actually took note of what was said. Jonathan gave a worrying insight into his mindset and possibly the way he will be a "business as usual" leader. Did you notice that when he was asked about Iwu, he stated that the last THREE elections were FREE and FAIR?? Even Yaradua came out publicly to admit the last one was flawed. He is not singing from the same hyme sheet as the rest of Nigeria.

If he sees nothing wrong, its unlikely that there will be no real electoral reform or adoption of the Uwais report. I'm beginning to get worried.

Bush is a stup!d man who says stup!d things, that is what he is known for. English is also his first language. Jonathan did not say one irresponsible thing, yet you insult him with a comparison to clueless George Bush.
This unhealthy fixation with English is actually blinding you to very obvious current international realities. Jonathan has struck up a relationship with Obama, fact. Another fact; Obama gave him more attention than the other visiting heads of state (if you scroll through my profile, you'll find where I posted proof from an Asian news source). Fact, Jonathan is seen by the Worlds most powerful, as the new arrowhead for rejuvenating, not just Nigeria, but the rest of Africa.

If Obama, whom you guys have raised several times as comparison, can understand, is willing to do business with, and takes Jonathan very seriously; who are the rest of the World not to do the same?
After answering the above question, ask yourself how many Western countries conduct their business in English, that they will suddenly begin to view Jonathans English (rather than his actions) as a barometer of his seriousness. Why would French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch or German speakers judge Jonathan on his spoken English? Among the most important new economies, why would the Chinese, Japanese, Brazilians or Indians judge Jonathan by his diction, rather than his action?

Seriously, you guy's ain't making much sense.

londoner:

Heads of states are trained on how to present themselves. Why are we acting as if its not important? Look at Bush, one of the most enduring memories of him was the way he came across as uneducated and less intelligent than his peers. We dont have to pretend that these things will not count in the future, although I agree that its not an issue of immediate importance.

I must wonder though whether people actually took note of what was said. Jonathan gave a worrying insight into his mindset and possibly the way he will be a "business as usual" leader. Did you notice that when he was asked about Iwu, he stated that the last THREE elections were FREE and FAIR?? Even Yaradua came out publicly to admit the last one was flawed. He is not singing from the same hyme sheet as the rest of Nigeria.

If he sees nothing wrong, its unlikely that there will be no real electoral reform or adoption of the Uwais report. I'm beginning to get worried.

My friend, did you say Yar'adua PUBLICLY CAME OUT to discredit the LAST ELECTION? when last did you see him in public and what occasion was that?
@Poster: even when people r tryin to make you see reason to let the man be, you're bent on finding fault on him. is that the only thing a nigerian leader has done wrong. haven't you heard that this man's parents were canoe makers? do you know how many people in his community are graduates (or were graduates at his time as a teenager?). the northern accent is better than the southern accent, so fucking what? my dear, leave the man alone. we nigerians have a bad mentality of always tryin to pull someone down even when there's nothing reasonable to say. i thought you'll outline his errors durin the interview. that means you're not even sure of what you are saying. the only thing you heard was 'quesion'. guy, get a job!

Beaf:

Bush is a stup!d man who says stup!d things, that is what he is known for. English is also his first language. Jonathan did not say one irresponsible thing, yet you insult him with a comparison to clueless George Bush.
This unhealthy fixation with English is actually blinding you to very obvious current international realities. Jonathan has struck up a relationship with Obama, fact. Another fact; Obama gave him more attention than the other visiting heads of state (if you scroll through my profile, you'll find where I posted proof from an Asian news source). Fact, Jonathan is seen by the Worlds most powerful, as the new arrowhead for rejuvenating, not just Nigeria, but the rest of Africa.

If Obama, whom you guys have raised several times as comparison, can understand, is willing to do business with, and takes Jonathan very seriously; who are the rest of the World not to do the same?
After answering the above question, ask yourself how many Western countries conduct their business in English, that they will suddenly begin to view Jonathans English (rather than his actions) as a barometer of his seriousness. Why would French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch or German speakers judge Jonathan on his spoken English? Among the most important new economies, why would the Chinese, Japanese, Brazilians or Indians judge Jonathan by his diction, rather than his action?

Seriously, you guy's ain't making much sense.

@beaf

Young man, you seem to be talking absolutely out of point,you are bringing in the western countries where their lingua franca is not English, man, that is off the point.   English is our mother tongue and official language, therefore Jonathan should be prepared to use it effectively well.


Secondly, where you present at the discussion between Obama and Jonathan?

You where not there, so You have no idea of the impression Obama has about him as a result of his poor English usage.

So stop being a praise singer, and criticize when it is absolutely necessary.okay!

^
Don't call me "young man".
Respect yourself.

When did English become our mother tongue? You are leaving me lost now.
There have been several discussion between Obama and Jonathan and they have led to the tightening of relations between the US and Nigeria. Jonathan is a guy they can deal with. . . Regardless of English.

Actions count, not diction.

Beaf:

^
Don't call me "young man".
Respect yourself.

@beaf

YOUNGMAN.

mobuch:

@beaf

YOUNGMAN.

Thanks for the prayer. I'll be forever young.

mobuch:

@beaf

Young man, you seem to be talking absolutely out of point,you are bringing in the western countries where their lingua franca is not English, man, that is off the point.   English is our mother tongue and official language, therefore Jonathan should be prepared to use it effectively well.


Secondly, where you present at the discussion between Obama and Jonathan?

You where not there, so You have no idea of the impression Obama has about him as a result of his poor English usage.

So stop being a praise singer, and criticize when it is absolutely necessary.okay!

@mobuch.

nobody is above mistake. even you (very glaring infact)

you say you give yar'adua grade A abi?
now tell us, how many extensive interviews did he do while he was OK?
the ones we've managed to see were well scripted (7pt agenda for example, which was nocked with grammatical errors).

so i don't see what you are getting at.

KnowAll:

The Major languages of Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba are very rich languages that have got a lot of proverbs, natural idioms and general wise connotation and adages. That is why most politicians from these tribes when they speak English they transfer the richness enshrined in these language to the English language thereby enriching the English language further.

And that explains why two of  Nigerians renowned novelist are Igbo and Yoruba in the person of Chinua Achebe and Wole Soyinka. A Zimbabwe guy once told me they studied Chinua Achebe in school, he was really excited by those rich Igbo proverbs, the way he was extolling Achebe, I said na wah oh.

What I noticed of the minority tribes especially the ones in the South-South, the Edo’s, Itsekeri, Ijos, Efiks and Ibibios because a large section of these tribes communicate in a particular form of English on a daily basis abandoning their local languages, they tend to forget, what they are speaking is not standard English and when put on the spot to speak in a press conference they speak a mixed variant type of the English language, a fusion of standard English and colloquial or Nigerian English.

I would suggest they either start speaking more of their local languages embracing all the proverbs and idioms or speak one of the three major Nigerian languages. Pidgin English is not doing justice to their Standard English. That is the reasons why most Warri and Port Harcourt Guys cannot communicate at length in standard English.

One can see such evidence in people like Tuface idibia, although he is from Benue, he has chosen Pidgin English as his trade mark, whenever he is interviewed he appears or gives the impression he cannot speak Standard English at length without interjections from Pidgin English whether he is struggling to speak Standard English or doing it deliberately is any one’s guess.
.
But on the other hand Fela who speaks Yoruba fluently is comfortable with both Standard English, Pidgin English and Yoruba because of his mastery of his mother tongue.

But then Jonathan has no excuse being a Phd holder, he is not an area boy from Warri or Port Harcourt,  I think the problem he has is he talks too fast, most Nigerians tend to talk too fast without realising it.

I remember when I first came to the UK, the English people could not understand what I was saying, I started listening to the radio on a daily basis, re-learning that subtle and simple way of communicating in English, what I found out was it is better picking your words one at a time in a slow and regular tone than just rushing everything through.

Yaradua picks his words he is a better public speaker than Jonathan, most English or Americans would easily understand Yaradua, that aside the Hausa accent is like the French accent sexy when speaking the English language. Jonathan can learn, it is not too late he needs to be tutored on how to pick his words and stress the points clearly and concisely.

Yesterday during the Interview he indicated his 3 main goals b4 leaving office, but failed to inform the interviewer why they are the most important ones, he just listed them one after the other without any in-depth reason or even allow the points to sink in before picking the next point. The points were Power,  Free and Fair Election and Corruption. Well that was his first international interview, he should get better as time goes on.

@know all


may you live long, my brother

Yaradua picks his words he is a better public speaker than Jonathan, most English or Americans would easily understand Yaradua, that aside the Hausa accent is like the French accent sexy when speaking the English language. Jonathan can learn, it is not too late he needs to be tutored on how to pick his words and stress the points clearly and concisely.

@knowall

please can you provide a link to any public speech/lecture or interview yar'adua has given that makes you say this?

mobuch:

@know all

may you live long, my brother

Of course you would say that because someone has come out to make the most disgraceful tribalist generalisations. Sad.

@ojimbo iv.

this is a link to yara dua's speech


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_zNhs0bNuk

knowall:
The Major languages of Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba are very rich languages that have got a lot of proverbs, natural idioms and general wise connotation and adages. That is why most politicians from these tribes when they speak English they transfer the richness enshrined in these language to the English language thereby enriching the English language further.

. . .

What I noticed of the minority tribes especially the ones in the South-South, the Edo’s, Itsekeri, Ijos, Efiks and Ibibios because a large section of these tribes communicate in a particular form of English on a daily basis abandoning their local languages, they tend to forget, what they are speaking is not standard English and when put on the spot to speak in a press conference they speak a mixed variant type of the English language, a fusion of standard English and colloquial or Nigerian English. . .

This is an example of scraping the worst tribalist dregs from the smelliest gutter. It is at the same level as racism. Shame.

mobuch:

@ojimbo iv.

this is a link to yara dua's speech


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_zNhs0bNuk

@mobuch.
whenever you are ready.

@Beaf, are you not aware that the setting up of the electoral reform committee headed by Uwais, was as a result of Yaradua saying publicly that the system which brought him to power was faulty? I thought most Nigerians knew that.


Many Nigerians have a way of looking at things as either completely black and White or "for and against". If you look at the essence of what I wrote, I did not deny that the OP's observation was indeed correct, but that its not a priority right now. Also, it is very telling that you can hear the acting president clearly say that the last three elections were CREDIBLE, does that not set alarm bells ringing for you about his perception of electoral reform and how he may be willing to continue to dine with the devil?
As far as the interview, it is a sad reflection on the low standard of education in Nigeria when a PHD holder says "aks" instead of ask, pronounces a "d" where there should be a "th" says "im" instead of him, says "Bazic" instead of basic etc. These things are minor now, but nonetheless should be noted. I hope he improves in the future because we need to be presented in the best possible light in the eyes of the world. Also its about time Nigerians raised the bar and stop accepting mediocrity as the norm.

The lady interviewing is not an acting president, but she  had total command of the interview and also had a more confident demeanour through her body language, the AG could not sit still. Also Nigerians generally talk to fast or mumble.

@Poster: OK, agreed. jonathan can't speak well and has a bad accent. he also make mistakes. but. . . HE IS NIGERIA'S ACTING PRESIDENT. he'll soon be made president. excuse me pls

@detopspot, You are right, thats why people should take notice of what he is saying and more importantly watching how he is implimenting those plans. People were all up in arms and praising Yaradua for setting up the Uwais report, what do we have now? I mean apart from a rejection of the full implementation of it by the same President. What is there to show for the so called "seven point agenda"? How about the 6000mw of electricity? They are now reduced to sound bites, used to pacify the average Nigerian.

Making promises has never delivered anything concrete and it wont now, unless Nigerisns start to hold people accountable and not simply elevate them to the heights of a celebrity.

londoner:

@Beaf, are you not aware that the setting up of the electoral reform committee headed by Uwais, was as a result of Yaradua saying publicly that the system which brought him to power was faulty? I thought most Nigerians knew that.


Many Nigerians have a way of looking at things as either completely black and White or "for and against". If you look at the essence of what I wrote, I did not deny that the OP's observation was indeed correct, but that its not a priority right now. Also, it is very telling that you can hear the acting president clearly say that the last three elections were CREDIBLE, does that not set alarm bells ringing for you about his perception of electoral reform and how he may be willing to continue to dine with the devil?
As far as the interview, it is a sad reflection on the low standard of education in Nigeria when a PHD holder says "aks" instead of ask, pronounces a "d" whether there should be a "th" says "im" instead of him, says "Bazic" instead of basic etc. These things are minor now, but nonetheless should be noted. I hope he improves in the future because we need to be presented in the best possible light in the eyes of the world. Also its about time Nigerians raise the bar and stop accepting mediocrity as the norm.

The lady interviewing is not an acting president, but she  had total command of the interview and also had a more confident demeanour through her body language. Also Nigerians generally talk to fast or mumble.

1. the senators confirmed they had uwais report from yar'adua but they decided to sit on it for over a year, GJ set the ball rolling. i don't think he's taking the full credit for it.

2. the past 3 elections he talked about were the ones conducted just this year (anambra and l.g. elections inclusive). the feelers from the papers and media are that they were an improvement over the ones of 2007.

3. ok he has an accent. so what? have you tried educating a foreigner on how to pronounce stuff in your dialect? i'm sure you have.

4. amanpour is a great reporter and interviewer, you don't expect a doc. in zoology to have the same demeanour and swagger. let's hope he improves. but not too long ago, one atiku abubakar (i'm sure you know him) when he was campaigning to be president in 2007 was interviewed by the bbc and he only gave one word answers and maybe two sentences for the duration of that interview.

@Ojimbo IV, the President sought to retain the power to appoint the INEC chairman. He did not want to implement it as it was given to him. Fine, he doesn't need to implement it as is, but you have to ask WHY he didn't want the INEC chairperson to be independently appointed or at least under a consortium of groups including the executive. It to me seems to suggest he didn't want any genuine electoral reform to take place.

How was the Anambra State elections credible? Do you know how many people could not vote?

Is he going to ignore what happened in Ekiti a while ago? Being selective about the electoral successes of Nigeria on the part of the AG, by simply limiting them to the last three is to be less than genuine about the need for radical electoral reform.


Yes, I do expect somebody who has been Vice President for the past few years to be able to comport himself properly and conduct and interview of less than ten minutes in duration, in a manner  much better than he did.

I hope he improves also, but if he takes the line that there is no need to improve then he will remain the same.

@londoner
The truth is you guys are clutching at straws in trying to attack the progress the country currently beginning to see.

Voting at the last three elections, FCT, Edo and Anambra was indeed credible. There were issues with the voters Register for Anambra, but those issues have not arisen in subsequent elections (improvement is an upward vector). As Jonathan has said, those were his first experiments at reforming the way things are done and there were tangible improvements; do not forget that both the Anambra and Edo elections were not "won" by the PDP (Jonathans party), as would have happened in the past.

Above all, it is on record that those who can say "ask" and not "aks" or say "the" (or "ze" not "de" have precided over the wholescale looting of our treasury and cruelly disenfranchised the man and woman on the street, while delivering ABSOLUTE ZERO (Zimbabwe is better than us per capita in power distribution, road networks and a host of other things). Neither the accent, nor diction of past leaders did much to improve their effectiveness; but here is a man who in two short months is making changes and what we hear from his critics is talk about English.

Also. When did Jonathan ever reject the full implementation of the Uwais report? That is a blatant falsehood.
It is on record that the Uwais report was sent unedited to the Senate.

Concerning the elections in Anambra state, a state where i come from, I have it on good authority that my home town was disenfranchised, so where in lies the free and fair election that Jonathan is talking about?

mobuch:

Concerning the elections in Anambra state, a state where i come from, I have it on good authority that my home town was disenfranchised, so where in lies the free and fair election that Jonathan is talking about?

@mobuch.
there is something called 'relative'. it is also on good authority that the mass media have said the anambra elections were fairer than those of 2007. this is what GJ referred to as one of his experiments.

@Beaf, whether an election is won by PDP or an alternative party is irrelevent. Where people can not cast their vote, how can it be described as "credible"?

I never said Goodluck rejected the Uwais report. I said the President ie Yaradua, did not want a very important section of it implemented. Is this untrue? If it is then say so, because thats not what was reported.

All this "attack the progress" talk is the usual emotional outbursts that Nigerians tend to make when engaging in a dialogue they dont necessary agree with 100%, so I'll leave you to it. I want AG Goodluck Jonathan to succed, but I am entitled to my opinion too.

See what I mean about that whole "them and us" attitude that Nigerians run to. We have to stop seeing people as an enemy just because they see things from a slightly different perspective to you.


@Ojimba, fairer is not automatically the same as credible. We certainly did not see much violence at all, but that may be a step in the right direction rather than evidence that we have achieved the objective of free and fair elections. Votes must count, that is what democracy is supposed to strive for.

londoner:

@Ojimba, fairer is not automatically the same as credible. We certainly did not see much violence at all, but that may be a step in the right direction rather than evidence that we have achieved the objective of free and fair elections. Votes must count, that is what democracy is supposed to strive for.

me and you, we are talking same thing here {sic}
he's promised to deliver credible elections. it's a process, let's battle that out when the snail-pace senators recommend the uwais reports. then we'll have set rules and regulations to abide by. for now GJ has got inec on their toes. deliver or get the boot, hence the improvement (maybe)

londoner:

@Beaf, whether an election is won by PDP or an alternative party is irrelevent. Where people can not cast their vote, how can it be described as "credible"?

I never said Goodluck rejected the Uwais report. I said the President ie Yaradua, did not want a very important section of it implemented. Is this untrue? If it is then say so, because thats not what was reported.

All this "attack the progress" talk is the usual emotional outbursts that Nigerians tend to make when engaging in a dialogue they dont necessary agree with 100%, so I'll leave you to it. I want AG Goodluck Jonathan to succed, but I am entitled to my opinion too.

See what I mean about that whole "them and us" attitude that Nigerians run to. We have to stop seeing people as an enemy just because they see things from a slightly different perspective to you.

Come on!
These pages have seen the lowest tribal arguments. They are there for everyone to read. my last comment before you referred to me, was a rebuke to knowall for making a tribalist outburst. I didn't see you rebuke knowall, before attempting to correct me; so you are the one sustaining a "them and us" impression.

On the other hand, it is refreshing that your focus is moving away from English delivery to more fundamental issues like electoral reform. It is the duty of each and every Nigerian to see that their vote counts; that is a fundamental democratic right. We can do our bit by watching like hawks to make sure our desire comes to pass.

Pls, if you guys are trying to divert from the topic under discussion,

I politely suggest you open a post for Electoral reforms

mobuch:

Pls, if you guys are trying to divert from the topic under discussion,

I politely suggest you open a post for Electoral reforms

Your English is still poor.
. . .Original topic was brain-dead anyway. Electoral reforms are a much more pressing need.

Beaf:

Your English is still poor.
. . .Original topic was brain-dead anyway. Electoral reforms are a much more pressing need.

I still dont see any reason why I should exchange words with you.
Mr Perfect English, there is a difference between typing comments immediately on the computer and writing an essay or an article.

I guess all your comments on my posts made the topic brain dead.

mschewwwwwwwwwwww

mobuch:

I still dont see any reason why I should exchange words with you.
Mr Perfect English, there is a difference between typing comments immediately on the computer and writing an essay or an article.

I guess all your comments on my posts made the topic brain dead.

mschewwwwwwwwwwww

See how petty it is?
Can we now discuss electoral reform instead of Jonathans grammer?

@beaf,

Beaf:

@londoner
The truth is you guys are clutching at straws in trying to attack the progress the country currently beginning to see.

I didn't read the tribal rants you are referring to (I try to steer clear of that here), I just replied to what you directed at me to be honest. Anyhow, I think we are on the same page. We just want genuine and tangible progress and I guess any step in the right direction deserves agknowledgment.
If the last three elections were fairer, then at least we have set off in the right direction.

ojimbo IV:

me and you, we are talking same thing here {sic}
he's promised to deliver credible elections. it's a process, let's battle that out when the snail-pace senators recommend the uwais reports. then we'll have set rules and regulations to abide by. for now GJ has got inec on their toes. deliver or get the boot, hence the improvement (maybe)

@Ojimbo, 100% agreed. We indeed are on the same page.