British Prime Minister calls Nigeria and Afghanistan 'corrupt'; Archbishop of Canterbury reacts
In a video footage that quickly became viral, British Prime Minister David Cameron was captured describing Nigeria and Afghanistan as "fantastically corrupt countries," prompting the Archbishop of Canterbury to react in defense of the Nigerian president.
The video footage by ITV News that quickly circulated online showed Cameron as saying: "We had a very successful cabinet meeting this morning, talking about our anti-corruption summit. We have got the Nigerians – actually we have got some leaders of some fantastically corrupt countries coming to Britain. Nigeria and Afghanistan - possibly two of the most corrupt countries in the world."
The Queen did not respond to Cameron's statement, but Archbishop Justin Welby reacted in defense of Nigerian President Muhammed Buhari.
"But this particular president is actually not corrupt," Welby said, referring to Buhari.
According to Christian Today, the archbishop possesses credibility when it comes to Nigerian affairs since he has made groundbreaking reconciliation works with armed groups in Africa and the Middle East before being ordained.
The Corruption Perceptions Index 2015 report by the independent anti-corruption group Transparency International ranks Nigeria at 136 while Afghanistan is at 166.
"There is no doubt that historically, Nigeria and Afghanistan have had very high levels of corruption, and that continues to this day," Cobus de Swardt, managing director of Transparency International, said in a statement. "But the leaders of those countries have sent strong signals that they want things to change." De Swardt also criticized the U.K. for providing a safe haven for corrupt assets.
Nigerian President Buhari later spoke at an anti-corruption event at the Commonwealth Secretariat in London on Wednesday, May 11, saying he agrees with the British prime minister's remarks that Nigeria was "fantastically corrupt." Buhari admitted that he had been "shocked and deeply embarassed" by Cameron's comments, but said he's not interested in an apology from him. Instead, he said he'd rather want the U.K. to return assets stolen by officials who had fled to London.
