The Agẹmọ curse and Nigeria’s free fall, By Festus Adedayo

Nigeria faces a persistent struggle with corruption, a perception amplified by international figures. In 1995, former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell described Nigerians as "marvelous scammers" in a private remark that later appeared in The New Yorker, sparking outrage.

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They just tend not to be honest. Nigerians as a group, frankly, are marvelous scammers. I mean, it is in their national culture.

Years later, in 2016, then-British Prime Minister David Cameron was overheard referring to Nigeria and Afghanistan as "fantastically corrupt countries" before an anti-corruption summit in London. While Nigerians largely condemned these characterizations as unfair generalizations, BBC Diplomatic Correspondent James Landale noted that while outspoken, Cameron's remarks were not untrue, pointing to the countries' low rankings on corruption indices.

Indeed, Transparency International's 2015 Corruption Perception Index placed Nigeria at 136th globally, with Afghanistan at 167th. The article suggests Nigeria's situation has since worsened, likening the nation to a young man in Yoruba mythology who pelted the sacred Agẹmọ, a chameleon spirit, with a stone. This act, according to the fable, brings a curse upon the perpetrator.

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We’ve got some leaders of some fantastically corrupt countries coming to Britain… Nigeria and Afghanistan, possibly the two most corrupt countries in the world.

The Agẹmọ, revered in Yoruba mythology as a servant of the Supreme Being and a divine messenger, is known for its ability to change colors. The fable serves as a cautionary tale, implying that harming this sacred entity leads to severe, albeit not immediate, consequences, mirroring the author's view of Nigeria's ongoing decline.

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On the face of it, it is perhaps one of the most undiplomatic things a prime minister could say, to describe two countries as fantastically corrupt, just hours before their leaders visit Britain. The prime minister’s remarks were outspoken and unguarded, but they were not untrue.