British PM Cameron right in saying Nigeria is ‘fantastically corrupt’ – Buhari

British Prime Minister, David Cameron, was “being honest” when he told Queen Elizabeth II and other British leaders that Nigeria is a “fantastically corrupt” country, President Muhammadu Buhari has said.

In an interview he granted CNN in London, Mr. Buhari said Mr. Cameron was “talking about what he knows” adding that no one should “fault” the British leader. The interview aired Thursday 7pm Nigerian time.

Asked by the interviewer, Christian Amanpour, to react to what Mr. Cameron said, Mr. Buhari said: “Well, I think he’s being honest about it”.

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“He’s talking about what he knows, about the two of us, Afghanistan and Nigeria, and by what we’re doing in Nigeria by the day, I don’t think you can fault him. I hope he did not address the press. He said it privately and somehow you got to know it.”

In a similar interview with the BBC in London on the same day, Mr. Buhari repeated that Mr. Cameron was “talking about what he knew”.

“If you look at what this government–I mean the government I am heading–we campaigned on citizen security, economy, unemployment and then fight against corruption and what I have uncovered since he came in has proved he was right,” Mr. Buhari told BBC’s Clive Myrie.

Before the two interviews, Mr. Buhari had responded “Yes” to journalists when asked if Nigeria is a “fantastically corrupt” country as he made his way to the venue of the anti-corruption summit that is currently underway in England.

Mr. Buhari’s comment has continued to generate reactions from Nigerians.

Foreign policy experts who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES said the president had committed a “huge foreign policy blunder”.

Sat Obiyan, a foreign policy expert at Obafemi Awolowo University, said Mr. Buhari’s comment “reflects the extent of his exposure.”

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“This president is creating more damage for the country every time he travels abroad, he goes out of his way to paint his country black,” Mr. Obiyan said. “I think it is impolitic for this president to go abroad and continue to lambaste his country as terrible.”

Mr. Obiyan, Head of Political Science Department at the Obafemi Awolowo University, further stated that, “nobody says the president should go abroad and be telling lies, when he’s in Nigeria, he could make a point about corruption in Abuja or Lagos, but when he goes abroad he should make the point less. He could have made his point diplomatically to avoid this foreign policy blunder, which is huge.”

Chris Ngwodo, a foreign policy analyst, admitted that the president’s statement was bad but said it was “unlikely to carry much impact because Nigeria is already stereotyped internationally as a corrupt country”.

“The president cannot be properly outraged about what David Cameron said because he’d said something similar two months ago in an interview with the UK Telegraph. You’ll remember the president saying Nigerians are criminals in that interview. So the president has been painting Nigeria black at the international stage for a while,” Mr. Ngwodo said.

Mr. Ngwodo, however, argued that “the fact that Mr. Buhari is perceived as an honest man could make it easier for the international community to engage Nigeria”.

“I also think his comment was a very apt response, because it exposed the hypocrisy of Mr. Cameron and the British people. The president made it clear that they are also corrupt because they’re hiding our loot.”

Mr. Cameron was caught on camera ridiculing Nigeria as a “fantastically corrupt” country on Tuesday afternoon.

In the short footage, published by British broadcaster, ITV News, Mr. Cameron told the British monarch that Nigeria and Afghanistan are “two of the most corrupt countries in the world”.

Mr. Cameron’s comment was published just as President Muhammadu Buhari departed Nigeria Tuesday to attend an anti-corruption summit organised by the UK government to be held in London on Thursday.

Mr. Cameron was briefing the Queen on the notoriety of countries expected to attend the summit during an event at the Buckingham Palace to celebrate the monarch’s 90th birthday, ITV News reported.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, however, said Mr. Buhari is not a corrupt person.

“But this particular president is actually not corrupt,” the religious leader said. “Oh yes, he’s trying very hard this one.”

In an earlier statement, the Nigerian presidency said it was “embarrassed” by Mr. Cameron’s comment.

The Afghan government rejected Mr. Cameron’s label, describing it as “unfair”.

A statement released by that country’s government on Tuesday said:

“We have made important progress in fighting systematic capture in major national procurement contracts and are making progress on addressing institutional issues as well as issues related to impunity.

“Therefore calling Afghanistan in that way and taking bold decisions by NUG is unfair.”