Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari says he is not demanding “any apology from anybody” after UK Prime Minister David Cameron labelled his country “fantastically corrupt”.
Speaking at an anti-corruption event in london, Mr Buhari said he was more interested in the return of stolen assets held in British banks.
Cameron made the unguarded comments in a conversation with the Queen. He is hosting an international anti-corruption summit on Thursday.
Buhari’s address at the anti-corruption event at the Commonwealth Secretariat in london followed a statement from his office on Wednesday, saying that he had been “deeply shocked and embarrassed” by Cameron’s remarks.
Asked if Nigeria was “fantastically corrupt”, in an echo of the Prime Minister’s comments, Buhari responded, “Yes.”
Nigeria was ranked 136 out of 167 countries in Transparency International’s 2015 Corruption Perceptions Index. He said corruption in Nigeria was endemic and his Government was committed to fighting it.
Buhari praised the UK Government for its help in efforts to repatriate stolen funds held in the UK.
“What would I do with an apologyIJ I need something tangible,” Buhari said, referring to efforts to recover the money.
The UK Government will host world and business leaders at the summit on Thursday in london, aiming to “galvanise a global response to tackle corruption”.