Citation: Bamigbola, E.O. (2025). A Stylistic Analysis of President Muhammadu Buhari’s Democracy Day Speeches. Tasambo Journal of Language, Literature, and Culture, 4(2), 79-88. www.doi.org/10.36349/tjllc.2025.v04i02.010.
A
STYLISTIC ANALYSIS OF PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI’S DEMOCRACY DAY SPEECHES
Bamigbola, E. O.
Department of English Studies,
Adekunle Ajasin University,
Akungba-Akoko, P. M. B. 1, Ondo State, Nigeria
Olayinka.bamigbola@aaua.edu.ng; bamigbolayinka@yahoo.com
Abstract
In this
study, two selected Democracy Day speeches of President Muhammadu Buhari were
analyzed to unveil the inner synthesis of the thoughts presented, thereby
revealing the meanings conveyed through the speeches, how the messages were
conveyed, and why a given approach or choice was made by the president. The two
speeches selected for analysis are his Democracy Day speeches of 2016 and 2018.
The study examines the stylistic devices, literary schemes, phonological and
graphological tools, grammatical and lexico-semantic strategies employed in the
selected speeches. The findings revealed that, like other political speeches,
Democracy Day speeches are promising and persuasive. Also, apart from the
policy directives in the content of the speeches, the speaker made use of
certain pronouns to introduce ideologies of inclusion and exclusion in running
the affairs of the government. Propaganda, as an integral part of political
communication, is also found prevalent in the speeches; this is to convince the
masses of their abilities and to have confidence in their administration.
Another finding is that the speeches reflect the ruling party’s manifestos and
promises made during electioneering campaign processes. The results of the
study exhibit some discursive strategies that politicians often use when making
democratic speeches. The study concludes that language plays a vital role in
manifesting, creating, and sustaining power relations and ideological
structures of society.
Keywords: Democracy Day Speeches, Language Use,
Political Speeches, Stylistics
Introduction
Harris
(1979:53) states that "language is the means by which political ideas are
transmitted to the community and that the strength of language in politicking
is enormous". There are different types of political speeches. These
include pre-election (campaign) speeches, post-election (acceptance and
inaugural) speeches, governance-related speeches and speeches for special
occasions. The language of politics is often complex - it employs a great
number of vocabularies. The style of delivery is usually more important than
the content, and the style can enhance popularity and acceptability.
Democracy
Day speech is a speech usually delivered by the president of a nation during
the celebration of independence, that is, freedom from colonialism. Its aim is
usually to welcome people to another year of freedom. Democracy Day speech is
one of the avenues through which the leader of a country appreciates the people
for their support and also glorifies God for enabling the country to witness
and celebrate another democracy.
This
study aims at evaluating the language use of President Muhammadu Buhari in two
of his Democracy Day speeches in order to unveil the meanings conveyed in the
speeches. The two speeches selected for analysis are those presented in 2016
and 2018. An attempt will be made in this study to examine:
a. The common linguistic/stylistic traits
that are prevalent in the speeches.
b. Why a given approach is used by the
president to express his thoughts.
c. How the use of language by the
president reflects his idiosyncratic nature.
d. The similarities and differences
between the two speeches.
Methodology
The texts selected for this study are the 2016 and 2018
democracy day speeches of President Muhammadu Buhari. These speeches are available on the internet. The first
speech contains 2,627 words while the second is made up of 2,303 words. The study examines the
stylistic devices, literary schemes, phonological and graphological tools, and grammatical
and lexico-semantic strategies employed in the selected speeches. A few
excerpts from the two speeches and tables are presented in the analysis.
Literature
Review
Scholars in the field of stylistics aimed to
understand how language is used to create meaning, convey emotions, and shape
the overall aesthetic qualities of a text. Empson argued that literary works
contain multiple meanings and that these meanings can be uncovered through
close analysis of the language used in the text. Halliday (1989) emphasized the
relationship between language and social context. Halliday discussed the
importance of analyzing the context in which language is used to understand the
meaning of a text. Halliday also explored the different grammatical forms and
structures used in literary texts and how they contribute to the overall
aesthetic qualities of a work.
Toolan
(2001) used stylistics to study language use in literary texts. In his book
Language in Literature, Toolan argued that stylistics can be applied to all
types of literature, not just poetry. Toolan suggested that the use of close
analysis and linguistic features can reveal hidden themes, symbols, and
meanings in a text. He also explored how language creates a particular mood or
atmosphere in a literary work. Fowler (1991) explored how language is used in
news reporting to shape public opinion and influence social and political
discourse. Fowler argued that the use of metaphors and other rhetorical devices
can manipulate the way a story is presented to the public. Simpson and Mayr
(2010), in their book Language and Power,
looked at how powerful discourse
is constructed through language use. They argued that language is used as a
tool of social control by those in positions of power to maintain the status
quo.
In an
earlier study, Bamigbola (2017) did
a critical discourse analysis of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari’s Post-Election
Speeches. In the study, two speeches were selected for analysis - his
acceptance speech as the president-elect on April 1, 2015, and his inaugural
speech after his swearing-in on May 29, 2015. The study, through Fairclough and
Dijk’s models for Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and Halliday’s Systemic
Functional Grammar, examined the rhetoric in the language use of the speaker
and the trend of the speeches. The findings of the study revealed that the
speaker’s use of language centres on current happenings and pervading feelings
in the society. The study also found that the speaker’s propositions and views
are based on his previous experiences as a minister, a military head of state,
and a long-term participant in the political arena of the nation.
Malah, Z. and Taiwo, D. S. (2020)
studied conceptual metaphors in four political speeches of President Muhammadu
Buhari - His Presidential Primaries Speech, His Acceptance Speech, His Victory
Speech and His Presidential Inaugural Speech. The study revealed that Muhammadu
Buhari mostly uses human metaphors, war metaphors and journey metaphors in his
political rhetoric. It was also found that the conceptual metaphors in
President Muhammadu Buhari’s speeches mostly establish his ethical integrity,
heighten emotional impact and also communicate his political ideologies.
Aluya and Edem (2023) explored the language and
literary devices utilised by President Muhammadu Buhari in his 2019 democracy
day speech. The study reveals that some of the devices used in the speech
included references, evidential clauses, capitalisation, allusion, praise and
blame tactics, and hasty generalisation. The study submits that, depending on
how they are used in communication, language and literary devices can either
promote or obstruct national unity and integration. It therefore recommends employing
appropriate linguistic and literary resources to carefully craft national
discourses.
Theoretical
Framework
Stylistics
has been defined as a “sub-discipline of linguistics that is concerned with the
systematic analysis of style in language and how this can vary according to
such factors as, for example, genre, context, historical period and author”
(Crystal and Davy 1969:9 and 2008:54). It is
viewed as a branch of linguistics that engages in the scientific study of style
in both spoken and written texts. Stylistics can also be defined as the study
of the language of literature, which makes use of various tools of linguistic
analysis. According to Simpson (2004), “stylistics is a method of textual
interpretation in which primary place is assigned to language”. It is defined
as the study of style used in literary and verbal language and the effect a
writer or speaker intends to convey to the reader or learner.
Stylistics
The
term “style” is used in linguistics to describe the choices which language
makes available to users, above and beyond the choices necessary for the simple
expression of meaning. Therefore, stylistics is the study of linguistic style;
it is the empowerment of linguistic tools. Stylistics studies the peculiarities
that characterize the spoken and written language of a particular person,
people, and recurrent patterns in written or spoken text. Within the framework
of Stylistics, language plays a vital role in manifesting, creating and
sustaining power relations and ideological structures of society. This study examines the stylistic
devices, literary schemes, phonological and graphological tools, grammatical
and lexico-semantic strategies employed in two democracy day speeches of General Muhammadu Buhari.
Background
to the Analysed Speeches
The democracy speeches selected for
this study were presented by the Nigerian President, General Muhammadu Buhari,
who attained the seat of presidency on May 29, 2015. General Muhammadu Buhari
was born on December 17, 1942, in Katsina, Katsina State, Nigeria. He has
served as the military ruler of Nigeria from December 31, 1983, to August 27,
1985.
In 2003, Buhari contested the
Presidential election as the candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples’ Party (ANPP)
but did not win. He was nominated as the consensus candidate of the ANPP on
December 18, 2006, but also did not win the 2007 election. Buhari was the
presidential candidate for the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) political
party in the April 16, 2011 general election but was defeated by the incumbent
President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP).
Undaunted by his defeat in the previous
elections, Buhari, through his party, the CPC formed an alliance with four
other political parties - christened the APC - and won the presidential ticket
of the APC for the 2015 general elections. Consequently, he emerged the winner
of the presidential election, defeating the incumbent President Goodluck
Jonathan, thus marking the first time in Nigeria's history that an incumbent
president was defeated in an election by the candidate of the opposition.
Buhari was sworn in as president on May 29, 2015.
Democracy
Day
Democracy Day is a national public
holiday in Nigeria to commemorate the restoration of democracy in 1999. It is a
tradition that has been held annually since 2000. Until 2018 when it was
changed to 12 June, it was celebrated on May 29. For this study, the
second and fourth democracy speeches of President Buhari have been selected for
analysis. These are his democracy day speeches of 2016 and 2018. The first speech contains
2,627 words while the second is made up of 2,303 words.
Analysis of Selected Speeches
Language
use of President Muhammadu Buhari is analysed to unveil the meanings conveyed
by the speeches, how the messages are conveyed and why a given approach is used
by the president to express his thoughts.
Analysis of the Linguistic Components in the Speeches
Pronouns Used in the Speeches
Generally, pronouns are
used for making references to an existing entity or participants in a
discourse. However, pronouns in political discourse do not only serve the
purpose of referring but are also used for the construction of identity and
presentation of principles and ideologies. Alfaki (2014) is of the view that
the pronouns that political speakers use to refer to themselves or their
audience can be a significant part of the message. They can be used either to
foreground or to obscure responsibility and agency. Kolu (2009) also points out
that the use of pronouns can tell us a lot about how much responsibility a
speaker wants to assume for an idea. The account of personal pronouns used in
the two speeches is presented in the table below.
Table
1: Personal Pronouns in the Sample Speeches
|
Personal
Pronoun |
Speech |
TOTAL |
||
|
1 |
2 |
|||
|
First person |
I (me) |
24 |
9 |
33 |
|
We (us) |
63 |
13 |
76 |
|
|
Second person |
You (you) |
4 |
2 |
6 |
|
Third person |
He (him) |
3 |
0 |
3 |
|
She (her) |
0 |
1 |
1 |
|
|
It (it) |
5 |
3 |
8 |
|
|
They (them) |
11 |
0 |
11 |
|
|
Possessive pronoun |
My (mine) |
6 |
2 |
8 |
|
Our (ours) |
39 |
14 |
53 |
|
|
Your (yours) |
0 |
1 |
1 |
|
|
His (his) |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|
|
Her (hers) |
0 |
1 |
1 |
|
|
Its (its) |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Their (their) |
8 |
6 |
14 |
|
The analysis of the
selected speeches shows that the first-person plural personal pronoun “we” is
the most frequently used by the President. It is used to express institutional
identity – that is, the speaker speaking on behalf of or as a representative of
a group. In speech 1, “we” is used 59 times and in speech 2, it occurs 10 times,
making a total of 76 times. The next pronoun with a high number of occurrences
is the possessive ‘our/ours’. In speech 1, this occurs 39 times, and in speech
2, it occurs 14 times, making a total of 53 times. The first person singular
personal pronoun “I” is the third in the order of frequency of occurrence in
the analysed speeches. The order of occurrence of pronouns used in the analysed
speeches shows that the president is strongly committed to the obligations and
actions involved in his speeches.
The Use of Declarative Sentences
Declarative
sentences end with full stop and can exist in simple or complex forms. They are
used primarily for assertion purposes. Some examples are cited below.
Excerpt
1
Finally, through the education grant scheme,
we will encourage students studying sciences, technology, engineering and
maths, and lay a foundation for human capital development for the next
generation. (Speech 1, May 29, 2016)
Excerpt
2
I would like to pay a special tribute to our
gallant men and women of the armed forces who are in harm’s way so that the
rest of us can live and go about our business in safety. Their work is almost
done. The nation owes them a debt of gratitude. (Speech 1, May 29, 2016)
Excerpt
3
Abroad, we want to assure our neighbours,
friends and development partners that Nigeria is firmly committed to democratic
principles. We are ready partners in combating terrorism, Cyber Crimes, control
of communicable diseases and protection of the environment. (Speech 1, May 29, 2016)
Excerpt 4
Following on the Paris agreement, cop 21, we are fully
committed to halting and reversing desertification. Elsewhere, we will
intensify efforts to tackle erosion, ocean surge, flooding and oil spillage
which I referred to earlier by implementing the United Nations environment
programme (unep) report. (Speech 1, May 29, 2016)
Excerpt
5
Today,
the capacity of the insurgents
has been degraded leading to the re-establishment of authority of government
and the release of captives including, happily, 106 Chibok and 104 Dapchi
girls, and over 16,000 other persons held by the Boko Haram. (Speech 2, May 29, 2018)
Excerpt
6
Efforts
are in process for resettlement of IDPs in their home communities by providing
schools, hospitals, clinics, water, and sanitation
to facilitate a quick return to economic activities. Government is similarly
implementing de-radicalization and rehabilitation programmes to facilitate
sustainable peace and development. (Speech 2, May 29, 2018)
Excerpt
7
The
unfortunate incidences of kidnappings, herdsmen and farmers clashes in several
communities which have led to high number of fatalities and loss of properties
across the country is being addressed and the identified culprits and their
sponsors shall be made to face the full wrath of the law. All the three tiers
of Government are presently engaged with communities and religious
organizations to restore peaceful co-existence among Nigerians. (Speech 2, May 29, 2018)
Excerpt
8
This
Administration is committed to lawful interventions to ensure the operators of
the distribution business live up to expectations especially in the areas of
distribution capacity, service delivery, collection efficiency, and metering to
eliminate contentious estimated billing. (Speech 2, May 29, 2018)
In excerpt 1 above, the speaker gave some information on the plan of the government. In excerpt 2, he
expresses appreciation to those who contributed to the success of the election.
In excerpts 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, the speaker recounts some of the achievements of his administration and
highlights the challenges the administration has had to battle with.
Lexico-Semantic Devices in the Speeches
The
lexico-semantic devices employed in the analysed speeches include:
a. Repetition
b. Propaganda
c. Euphemism
d. Metaphor
e. Imagery
Lexical Repetition in the Speeches
The summary of
words with high frequencies of
occurrence in the two speeches is presented below.
Table 2: Summary of words with high frequencies of occurrence in the speeches
|
Word |
Frequencies
of Occurrence in Speech 1 |
Frequencies
of Occurrence in Speech 2 |
Total
Number of Occurrences |
|
Nigeria Nigerian Government Economy Oil Programme(s) Security Policy Corruption Budget(s) |
13 8 11 12 13 8 6 6 5 6 |
8 12 20 5 - 8 8 2 6 4 |
21 20 31 17 13 16 14 8 11 10 |
Table 2 above shows some words that are repeatedly used
in the speeches analysed and the number of times each occur in both speeches.
The words repeated are key words which are related to the context of the
speeches. These words include: Nigeria, Nigerian, government, economy, oil,
programme, security, policy, corruption and budget. Repetition is
often used for the purpose of amplification and to create emotional effects.
The Use of Propaganda
Propaganda as an integral part of political communication
is found prevalent in the speeches analyzed. The different forms identified in
the two speeches which are meant to influence the political beliefs, attitudes,
or opinions of the audience, to entice the audience to have confidence in the
administration, include:
a. Hyperbolic
propaganda
b. Integration
propaganda
c. Card
stacking propaganda
d. Religious
They also reflect Nigerian politics.
Social Issues Portrayed in the Speeches
In the analysed speeches, some words used by the speaker directly portray specific
themes. Some of the themes and words associated with them are presented in Table
3 below.
Table 3: Themes Expressed in the speeches and Related Words
|
S/N |
Themes |
Words |
|
1 |
Corruption |
Cybercrime, vandalise,
incorruptible, Whistle-Blowing,
Treasury Single Account |
|
2 |
Poverty |
Inflation, insufficiency,
Continuous Audit,
prune personnel costs, lack of money |
|
3 |
Insecurity |
War, Boko Haram,
kidnapping, |
|
4 |
Diligence |
patience, steadfast,
determination, headlong |
The above table presents
some of the themes expressed in the speeches and the words used to portray those
themes. Some words used by the speaker
in the two speeches are pointers to some prevailing occurrences in society. For
instance, ‘cybercrime’, ‘vandalise’, ‘incorruptible’, ‘whistleblowing’,
‘treasury single account’, portray the theme of corruption, which is very prevalent in Nigerian society. Inflation,
words like ‘insufficiency’, ‘continuous audit’, ‘prone personnel costs’, and
‘lack of money’ are expressions used to portray the theme of poverty in the speeches. ‘War’, ‘Boko
Haram’, and ‘kidnapping’ portray the theme of insecurity. ‘Determination’, ‘head-log’ and the phrase ‘right
attitude to work’ portray the theme of diligence
in the speeches.
Conclusion
The findings of this study reveal that, like other political
speeches, Democracy Day speeches are promising and persuasive. However,
persuasion in Democracy Day speech is not aimed at convincing or making the
audience do what they have not wanted to, like in campaign speeches. It is
aimed at enticing the audience to build hope in the administration. To achieve
this goal, the speechmakers employ different strategies such as repetition,
propaganda, euphemism, metaphor, and imagery to sway the minds of the audience
to have confidence in their administration.
A Democracy Day speech differs from campaign speeches or
parliamentary debates because it is informative rather than persuasive. The
opening of the speeches analyzed in this study contains appreciation of the
electorates by the President. After appreciation, he unveils the ideologies and
plans on which the administration would run and spells out the direction of the
government. It could also be concluded that Democracy Day speech reflects the
party’s manifestos and promises made during electioneering campaign processes.
Apart from the policy directives in the content of the
speeches, the speechmaker also makes use of some pronouns such as the first
person singular and plural personal pronouns "I" and "we",
and the singular and plural possessive "our/ours" to make two
policies or ideologies clear. The two policies or ideologies are the logic of
inclusion and exclusion. The in-group personal pronoun "we" and its
variants "us" and "our" were used to promote the doctrine
of inclusion. A speechmaker that promotes the doctrine of inclusion places
himself in the position of someone that speaks on behalf of a group. The use of
this pronoun and its variants encourages collectivism and unity of purpose in
running the affairs of the government. In some situations, the speechmakers exclude
those elected into the cabinet and the general audience. This is where they
want to claim personal responsibility or authority. The first person personal
pronoun "I" and its variants "my" or "me" are
therefore used.
Propaganda as an integral part of political communication is
also found prevalent in the speeches analyzed. The analysis exhibited different
forms of propaganda meant to influence the political beliefs, attitudes, or
opinions of the audience, to entice the audience to have confidence in the
administration. The common ones found in the analyzed speeches which reflect
Nigerian politics are hyperbolic propaganda, integration propaganda, card
stacking propaganda, and religious propaganda. The two speeches analyzed
exhibited these forms of propaganda. The uses of propaganda in Democracy Day
speeches as observed are slightly different from its uses in political campaign
speeches. In political campaign speeches, politicians use propaganda language
to manipulate the political thought, opinions, or attitude to their advantage.
In the Democracy Day speeches, the politicians use propaganda language to
convince the people of their abilities and to build hope for better outcomes in
their administration.
It is important to re-emphasize that language has great
potential to influence and shape public opinion. Within the framework of
stylistics, language plays a vital role in manifesting, creating, and
sustaining power relations and ideological structures of society, especially as
used by President Muhammadu Buhari in his Democracy Day speeches. The result of
the study has exhibited some discursive strategies that politicians often use
when making Democracy Day speeches.
The study reveals discourse structures that have
implications for power and ideology in order to uncover hidden meanings and
messages that are embedded in the linguistic expressions used by the speaker.
He presented the problems hovering over society. The use of personal pronouns
to promote the doctrine of inclusion and exclusion was found prevalent in the
two speeches analyzed. Propaganda language as revealed by this study is
inseparable from politics. However, the propaganda language used in Democracy
Day differs slightly from that used in political campaign speeches. The forms
of propaganda put forth in political campaign speeches are meant to manipulate
the political thought of the electorates to the advantage of the politician,
while those put forth in Democracy Day speeches are meant to convince the
electorates of the capabilities of the party/stakeholders of the administration
and to build hope for better outcomes in them.
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and Literature, London: Allen & Unwin chapter 1, pp. 18-26.
Widdowson, H.G. 1975. Stylistics and the Teaching of Literature. London: Longman.
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