Buhari disowns Nigerians committing crimes abroad

Buhari said the Nigerians committing crimes abroad are giving Nigeria a bad name.

President Muhammadu Buhari has dissociated Nigeria's values from those Nigerians who are engaging in criminal activities abroad.

Nigeria's reputation in the international community took a hit recently when the United States Department of Justice indicted nearly 80 Nigerians for massive fraud.

However, while addressing Nigerians in the Diaspora in Yokohama, Japan on Thursday, August 29, 2019, Buhari said their actions should not reflect on the majority of Nigerians who are law-abiding.

He said, "Let me also say that there are few Nigerians in the Diaspora that are giving us a bad name by engaging in criminal activities. 

"These Nigerians are a minority, they do not represent the values of our country, and I plead with them to change their ways.

"We will not condone any crime whether at home or abroad, and we will also not allow these Nigerians to define us as a people with a reputation for criminality."

The president described Nigerians abroad as the nation's global face and urged them to always make the nation proud of their exploits.

"I am personally very happy that there are millions of Nigerians all over the world, like you here, who are truly making us proud," he said.

The president is in Japan for the 7th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 7) which commenced on Wednesday, August 28.

Buhari urged Nigerians at Thursday's meeting to contribute to Japan's growth and told them to encourage legitimate Japanese entrepreneurs to turn towards Nigeria to invest.

He said his administration has laudable plans, especially the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERPG), to put Nigeria on a path of sustained recovery and growth.

"We are continually working to create the necessary enabling environment for investors to thrive, through improvements in our Ease of Doing Business practices, providing security, diversification of the economy, infrastructure, and fighting corruption," he said.