I Am Yet To See Any Country With As Many Honest Citizens As Nigeria – SDP’s Adebayo

The Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential candidate, Adewole Adebayo, has said Nigerians are the most honest people he has met.

According to Adebayo, he has travelled to and lived in 21 countries and has not encountered any country with as many honest citizens as Nigeria.

Naija News reports that the SDP flag bearer stated this during an interview on Symfoni’s Naija Unfiltered.

Adebayo said his experience working and investing in different countries had convinced him that Nigerians were not inherently corrupt.

“What I can say to you is that I have travelled and I have legitimate right to live and work in 21 countries by virtue of my professional work and investments. I am yet to see any country that has as many honest citizens as Nigeria does,” he said.

Adebayo cited his professional experience in Singapore and the United States as examples, arguing that economic conditions and leaders’ conduct could influence citizens’ behaviour.

“I can tell you that. I became a fellow of the Institute of Arbitration in Singapore. I did my final exams and qualified in Singapore. The prime minister of Singapore earns $2.5 million a year. A policeman in Singapore who is passing traffic earns a better salary than the IG of Police (in Nigeria),” he said.

He added that even in the United States, where he spent a significant part of his professional career, economic difficulties could affect the conduct of some public officials.

“And I see that in the United States, where I spent a lot of my professional life, a little bit of difficulty in the economy, you will see policemen stealing, being caught for one thing or the other,” Adebayo said.

According to him, leaders have a responsibility to create economic conditions that do not push citizens into desperate situations.

“It is the duty of the leader of the country to not push your people to the point of extinction and expect them to not cave under it,” he said.

Adebayo also identified personal example as his “greatest weapon” in fighting corruption, saying Nigerian leaders often undermine anti-corruption efforts through hypocrisy.

“But the greatest weapon I have is the power of personal example. Hypocrisy has been the problem of our leaders who are fighting corruption because Nigerians are very intelligent people. They can see that it is me you are making a fool of whereas you are taking care of yourself by the corner,” he said.

The SDP candidate said his experience in leadership and business had also shown him that Nigerians could be trusted when given a conducive working environment.

“I have been in leadership for a while and 99 percent of my wealth is managed by other people. And organisations that I have set up, I have found Nigerians to the most reliable. Rarely have I regretted hiring Nigerians to work for me,” he said.