Four days after Kenya’s President, William Ruto, criticised Nigeria’s education system and English proficiency, he has clarified his comments.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that the 59-year-old made the comparison while addressing Kenyans living in Italy, seeking to highlight his country’s human capital.
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He said Kenya’s education system produces citizens with strong English proficiency, adding, controversially, that interpreters are needed to understand Nigerians when they speak.
The comments triggered debate on social media.
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Many Nigerians condemned Mr Ruto’s remarks and pointed out that the country has produced a Nobel Prize-winning author and several globally recognised writers and educationists.
However, speaking on Tuesday at the Mining Investment Conference and Expo in Nairobi, which NTV Kenya broadcast, Mr Ruto maintained that his comments had been misinterpreted.
Appeal
At the conference, attended by Nigeria’s Minister of Solid Minerals, Dele Alake, and other officials, Mr Ruto said the remarks were made in a private session.
He expressed surprise that they later found their way into the public domain.
He said: “Please pass my regards, minister, to President Tinubu, my friend, and to the great people of Nigeria, who are my in-laws, and do so in good English. You know, I was captured, I was speaking to my fellow citizens somewhere, and somebody, it was supposed to be a private conversation, but somebody decided that it should be public. But they also misrepresented the facts.
“The facts are that I was talking about how we in Africa speak very good English, all of us. In fact, in some countries like Nigeria, if you don’t speak excellent English, like the one we speak in Kenya, you may need a translator, you know, for you to understand the excellent English of Nigeria. So that was the comparison, but somebody decided to take it out of context.”
Consequences
He added that his remarks were intended to highlight the general level of English proficiency across Africa.
While maintaining that the comments were not meant to offend Nigerians, Mr Ruto said he hoped there would be no backlash from Nigerians, whom he regarded as his in-laws.
“But I think it is as well that we can have this conversation, and my in-laws, I hope, will not see any consequences for whatever was done.”
This newspaper reported that Mr Ruto made the remarks just days after Ghana’s President, John Mahama, said he prayed daily for Nigeria’s stability, citing the country’s pivotal role in West Africa’s security and prosperity.
Mr Mahama stressed that Nigeria’s development path is critical not only to its own progress but also to the wider region.
He added that Ghana and Nigeria share deep historical and migratory ties, noting that developments in Africa’s most populous nation often have far-reaching effects across neighbouring countries.
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