President William Ruto has apologised to Nigerians over his recent remarks on English proficiency that triggered widespread backlash, saying his comments were misquoted and taken out of context.
Speaking during a conference in Nairobi, Ruto said the remarks were made while interacting with Kenyans in Italy and were never intended for public consumption, arguing they were meant to highlight how Africans communicate in English rather than reinforce colonial-era notions linking language proficiency to intelligence.
“I was captured speaking to my fellow citizens somewhere; it was supposed to be a private conversation, but somebody decided to make it public, and also misrepresented the fact. The fact I was talking about how we Africans speak good English, in fact, in countries like Nigeria, if you don’t speak excellent English like the one we speak in Kenya, you may need a translator for you to understand,” he said.
Kenya President Ruto apologizes to President Bola Tinubu and Nigerians over English speaking statement , say he hopes there will be no consequences pic.twitter.com/xjshRzZoDL
— Nigeria Stories (@NigeriaStories) April 28, 2026
Ruto also jokingly told Nigeria’s Minister of Solid Minerals, Henry Dele Alake, to pass his regards to Nigerians and do so in good English.
“Please pass my regards, minister, to President Tinubu, my good friend and the great people of Nigeria who are my in-laws and do so in good English,” he said.
The Nigerian minister responded in kind, pushing back on the sentiment.
“Your excellency, Mr President, I bring good tidings from the president and the people of Nigeria, and the people of Nigeria have mandated me to inform you that Nigerians speak good English,” he said.
The controversy stems from earlier remarks by Ruto that were widely interpreted as dismissive of Nigerian-accented English.
“Our education is good. Our English is good. We speak some of the best English in the world. If you listen to a Nigerian speaking, you don’t know what they are saying. You need a translator even when they are speaking English,” he had said.
His comments drew sharp criticism from Nigerians and other Africans online, with many accusing him of demeaning a fellow African nation.
Zimbabwean journalist Hopewell Chin’ono argued that English proficiency should not be used as a benchmark for capability. In Nigeria, former lawmaker Shehu Sani pointed to the country’s literary heritage in rebuttal.
“Ruto is mocking the English of the country with a Nobel Prize for literature winner. The Nation of Achebe and Chimamanda,” he posted, referencing Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka and authors Chinua Achebe and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
Earlier this month, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu also faced online backlash from Kenyans after stating that Nigerians were “better off than those in Kenya and other African countries” despite rising fuel prices at home.