I could not disagree more.

Sugared water, is that you?

Sep 16, 2016

Let us draw the line now. Mr. President may have delivered the speech, but someone else wrote it. Without apology I can’t hold Muhammadu Buhari responsible for it. I hold this as yet to be named speechwriter responsible.

#ChangeBeginsWithMe

Cheta Nwanze

254

I could not disagree more.

In 2015, Martin Winterkorn, erstwhile CEO of Volkswagen AG, resigned for a scandal that broke out after his company had been found cheating on emissions tests in the U.S.. Presumably, he had not personally designed the software that helped the company to cheat the U.S. government. Leaders frequently make sacrifices when they are not directly at fault.

It is customary for the author of a work who has benefited from the input of third parties to acknowledge these contributors and add: “any and all shortcomings are mine.”

I would like you to consider the two points above when thinking about this matter. The president’s personal speechwriter should be one of his most trusted assistants. He literally puts words into the president’s mouth. That he plagiarised is a matter between he and his employer. Our business is with the president. It was his speech, any and all shortcomings are his.