THAT FAUX PAS FROM CAMERON

British Prime Minister David Cameron

The news is all over the media, both social and conventional, about British Prime Minister David Cameron’s description of Nigeria and Afghanistan as among “some fantastically corrupt countries.” The prime minister specifically said that “Nigeria and Afghanistan (are) possibly two of the most corrupt countries in the world.”

The prime minister said this while speaking to the Queen of England, in the presence of the archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, at an event to mark the Queen’s 90th birthday. In an apparent attempt at damage control, Justin Welby, who has worked in Nigeria when he was an oil executive was however quick to counter the prime minister, saying that “this particular president is actually not corrupt.” According to him, Buhari is “trying very hard” to curb corruption.

David Cameron’s embarrassing remarks came on Tuesday 10th May, a day before the Commonwealth's anti-corruption summit at which President Muhammadu Buhari was billed to deliver the keynote address, entitled “Why we must tackle corruption together”. 

I stand to be corrected, but I think it is trite law that anyone who receives stolen goods, or harbours a thief, is as guilty as the thief. British banks and institutions are recipients of looted funds from Nigeria. Britain harbours looters who run away from the law in Nigeria. So, if according to British Prime Minister David Cameron, Nigeria is “fantastically” corrupt, then, Britain is fantastically an accomplice

 It is unfortunate that the British prime minister would resort to such unguarded utterance. I dare say that unless he apologizes, Nigeria should protest it in the strongest of terms. A whole country should not be condemned because of the actions of a few.

And to think that this remark came from the leader of a country that practically pillaged Nigeria? We know how Nigeria was exploited and looted by British colonialists. We have not forgotten the cultural artifacts stolen from Nigeria by British imperialists. We have not forgotten the trans-Atlantic slave trade in which able-bodied men were captured from our shores and transported against their will to plantation farms in the “new world” that is today called United States of America.

We have also not forgotten the blackmail of our traditional rulers in the pre-colonial days and eventual forceful takeover of our land and imposition of alien rule by British imperialists. Neither are we likely to forget how our traditional rulers then were deceived and made to enter into agreement with the British invaders, an agreement that was to turn us into Protectorates. Those Protectorates were later deceptively merged to form what is today called Nigeria.

No we have not forgotten all these, and more. We have not forgotten that it was the resources that were stolen from our land, and some other far-flung lands, that were used to develop England. Indeed it can be said without much disputing that Britain became what it is today due largely to the resources it stole from its Colonies.

So for the leader of such country to now come and disparage its victim is to add insult to injury. For David Cameron to commit such monumental gaffe is not only an insult on us as a people but also an arrogant and undiplomatic statement coming from an unrepentant leader of the world’s most coning manipulator.

Even if David Cameron were right, he cannot feign ignorance of the efforts of the current Nigerian government led President Muhammad Buhari to curb corruption. David Cameron cannot feign ignorance of the fact that it was this same Buhari who as military head of state attempted to spring Umaru Dikko from England to come answer for corrupt charges. David Cameron cannot feign ignorance of the fact that the military government then led by Buhari resorted to this desperate approach after British Government refused and indeed frustrated the legitimate effort of the government to have Umaru Dikko extradited.

Even today, Diezani Alison-Madueke is holed up in England having fled Nigeria after looting her dry. Is David Cameron saying he does not know of the effort of the Federal Government to have Alison-Madueke brought home to answer to charges? Recently, President Buhari asked Britain and other Western countries to facilitate return of our looted funds stashed away in their banks.

I stand to be corrected, but I think it is trite law that anyone who receives stolen goods, or harbours a thief, is as guilty as the thief.

British banks and institutions are recipients of looted funds from Nigeria. Britain harbours looters who run away from the law in Nigeria. So, if according to British Prime Minister David Cameron, Nigeria is “fantastically” corrupt, then, Britain is fantastically an accomplice.

Shikena!