“All hail Macbeth! Hail to the thane of Glamis, all hail Macbeth, hail to thee, thane of Candor, All hail Macbeth that shalt be king thereafter,” crowed the witch on behalf of her colleagues.

Was one hail not enough? Why make it five when one hail could have done the job? Why make him begin to think of himself more highly than he ought? Was it not his attention the witch needed, so that she could give him the message? Why make much ado about the salutation than the message itself? Why plant other seeds and stir/awaken other interests when you’re simply sent to deliver a message? Correction: the witches did not have a single message. They had one direct message and other indirect messages. ‘Hailings’ typically fall into this category.

It is one common feature of party politics in Nigeria. The ‘hailers,’ like fuel attendants in a gas station, dispense the substance to politicians in many different ways. It’s almost as if there is some competition for the best political hailers. Should there be a competition on the best hailers and should awards be given for the most innovative and most ‘on-point’ hailing?