Yesterday, President Muhammadu Buhari met with Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby at Lambeth Palace, London. The Archbishop had defended Buhari after David Cameron’s now notorious off-hand comment that Nigeria is “fantastically corrupt”. At the meeting, Buhari met Archbishop Justin, the secretary general of the Anglican Communion, Dr Josiah Idowu-Fearon and the Bishop of Guildford, Andrew Watson.

In a statement released following the meeting, the Archbishop said;

“ It was a great honour to welcome the President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, to Lambeth Palace in London this morning. It’s a rare day at Lambeth Palace when we do not pray for Nigeria, the largest country in Africa, which has a very large Anglican Church. We pray for President Buhari and for all those both in government and in opposition.

We pray for the poor in Nigeria and for those who have suffered over the last number of years from the violence that has plagued the country, which President Buhari has been tackling so determinedly since he first took office.

Nigeria is a country which has more promise, more opportunity, more potential than anywhere else that I know in many continents, not just in Africa. Its people are so intelligent, so full of energy, so full of commitment, that when Nigerians work together, the world – not just Africa – is affected by that beneficially.

So we continue to pray for the potential and future of this land to be a place that has a profound effect for good on our world, and demonstrates what is possible to be achieved.

Photo Credit: Lambeth Palace