INAUGURAL SPEECHES OF PRESIDENTS (1999 - 2011) AND GOVERNORS (2007 - 2013) OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA)

Abstract

The day of the inaugural speech is indeed every leader’s finest hour. It is a time when a leader stands resolutely but reverently before the electorate that bestowed such great confidence in his or her ability to guide the affairs of the state. It is a time when such a leader gives voice to the collective aspirations and yearnings of his people. It usually marks the beginning of what should be an intimate relationship between the leader and his people. The words that flow from the mouth of the leader cement the relationship which started crystallising during the electioneering period, and put a seal of authority to those words. Those words beget a bond that must not be broken. When they are spoken on inauguration day, these solemn words assume a life of their own and linger over the head of the leader concerned, even long after they may have left office.