Buhari: ‘Yes’, Nigeria is Corrupt; Is He Right?

President Buhari was speaking in London after David Cameron described Nigeria and Afghanistan as “fantastically corrupt”; asked if he agreed, he said ‘yes’

President has accepted in London that Nigeria is corrupt, after David Cameron was caught on camera making the same point.

Asked whether he agrees that Nigeria is corrupt, the President simply said “Yes.”  And why no, given the his Presidency has been defined by the fight against Corruption.

Speaking in London at an anti-corruption event hosted by the Commonwealth Secretariat, Muhammadu Buhari said he would not be expecting the Prime Minister, David Cameron; “I am not going to demand any apology from anybody,” he said.

To cheers from Nigerian delegates in the audience, he added: “What would I do with an apology?”

Instead, he said Britain could be quicker to return assets allegedly wrongly brought to London: “I need something tangible,” he said.

David Cameron was caught on microphone on Tuesday telling the Queen that Nigeria and Afghanistan were “possibly two of the most corrupt countries in the world”.

His comments came ahead of him hosting an anti-corruption summit in London on Thursday.

President Buhari will be attending, alongside Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.

With the Archbishop of Canterbury alongside him, the British Prime Minister told the Queen: “We have got the Nigerians – actually we have got some leaders of some fantastically corrupt countries coming to Britain.”

He continued: “Nigeria and Afghanistan – possibly two of the most corrupt countries in the world.”

Buhari began an anti-corruption campaign when he took office a year ago; could his response be seen as a case of, if you have a problem, admit it and then do something about it?