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.
