As a broadcaster for many years, I understand the lure of the microphone. It often gives a certain freedom without responsibility to speakers, which, without discipline, often leads to continuous talk and occasionally over-talk.
Many persons, including politicians, policy makers, government functionaries, and celebrities, often fall on their faces when they handle the microphone. They are carried away and go on to talk about what is required and what is not. As my late father would advise, be careful not to provide unsolicited information. And as my son, who is an engineer, would say, some people just exist in the world of “I want to talk…I want to talk.”
If you take away the microphone business, there is so much lack of discernment in Nigeria today. As we know, talk is cheap. No one expects you to answer the question what your name is, with your entire family genealogy and a line-up of your in-laws.
We have reached that point in our societies where being bombastic is the order of the day. The louder you are and the more noise you make, the more you are cheered by persons who may not even have an idea of what the rabble rousing speakers have offered. In all of this, a lot of people are often quick to say they were misquoted when confronted with the consequences of his/ her over-talking.
Speaking is a hallowed space. It must be managed by all, in all perspectives, across all tiers of society. You must not be all talk and no reflection
As we embrace social media and all its innards; the good, the bad, and the ugly, it is imperative for us all to understand how to put out information online, how to share, how to repost. In today’s clime, young people and heavy users of social media must remember that in talking on these platforms, you cannot talk anyhow without a care because you are faceless.
Yet, your comment, which is baseless, has been taken on board by vulnerable people and mischief makers to cause mayhem in the country. We always forget that there are those with mental health issues who can become ignited by unfounded stories to set the nation negatively alert and imagine ways to become serial killers.
In talking, going forward, even the media have to report with advice because when you celebrate terrorists, give them a hero’s report, you encourage new terrorists who want to be heroes and celebrated by the media. This is why many nations have begun to adjust the media coverage of terrorist attacks by diminishing the coverage of the perpetrators.
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Let’s take shut up and move on to a personal level. Only recently, I was a speaker at Tedx Bauchi on how to be successful. One of them is not to be all over the place with your success moves. Hard to do in today’s clime where everyone wants to showcase their new cars and acquisitions. What about your plans? A plan that has not even been hatched is shared at a salon or even at a drinking parlour. It’s not all your friends or even family that would be happy for your success.
My mum would say to us when we were younger that no one asked you what you are doing in school now or even what grade you got in school. Just greet, she would say, and keep moving. Shut up and move on. Speaking is a hallowed space. It must be managed by all, in all perspectives, across all tiers of society. You must not be all talk and no reflection. Sometimes, you just must be silent. Listen and learn. Talk is cheap. Keep some things to your chest. Reflect more. Enough said!
