Kenyan President William Ruto says his remarks on the brand of English spoken in Nigeria were misrepresented and taken out of context.
Ruto had faced backlash after saying Nigerian English was
inferior to that of his homeland.
“Kenyans, you know our education is good, our English is
good. We speak some of the best English in the world… that is true,” he had
said.
“If you listen to a Nigerian speaking, you don’t know what
they are saying — you need a translator even when they’re speaking English.”
However, speaking recently at the Kenyan mining investment
conference — with Dele Alake, Nigeria’s minister of solid minerals, in
attendance — Ruto walked back his earlier comments on the subject.
He added that he was only highlighting the strong command of
the language across African countries, including Nigeria.
“I was captured speaking to my fellow citizens somewhere. It
was supposed to be a private conversation, but somebody decided that it should
be public. But they also misrepresented the facts,” he said.
“The facts are that I was talking about how we in Africa
speak very good English. All of us.”
He added that Nigeria, in particular, has a high standard of
English, arguing that differences in usage and accent may require adjustments
for mutual understanding.
“In some countries like Nigeria, if you don’t speak
excellent English, like the one we speak in Kenya, you may need a translator to
understand the excellent English of Nigeria,” he said, amid laughter from the
audience.
Addressing Alake and the rest of the Nigerian delegation in
the hall, Ruto said lightheartedly: “Please pass my regards to President Bola
Tinubu, my friend, and to the great people of Nigeria, who are my in-laws.
“My in-laws, I hope there will be no consequences for
whatever was done.”
Ruto’s daughter, June Ruto, is married to a Nigerian
national, Alexander Ezenagu.
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