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This Article is From Sep 17, 2016

Nigeria's President Apologizes For Plagiarizing Barack Obama Speech

Nigeria's President Apologizes For Plagiarizing Barack Obama Speech
Several sentences were almost identical to Obama's in a speech Buhari made on September 8.
LAGOS: Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari has apologized for plagiarizing President Barack Obama's 2008 victory speech and says he will punish those responsible.

The announcement comes as Obama is set to meet Buhari, the leader of Africa's largest economy and most populous country, next week in New York.

Adeola Akinremi in her Friday column for This Day newspaper denounced "the moral problem of plagiarism on a day Mr. President launched a campaign to demand honesty and integrity."

Several sentences were almost identical to Obama's in a speech Buhari made September 8 launching his campaign "Change Begins With Me."

Buhari said, "We must resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship, pettiness and immaturity that have poisoned our country for so long."

Obama said, "Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long."

On Friday, the White House said Obama has scheduled a meeting with Buhari on Tuesday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session.

They are expected to talk about continued US support for security and economic changes in Nigeria, as well the government's efforts to counter the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram.

The White House also said that Obama, in his final appearance before the UN session, plans to promote trade between the US and Africa on Wednesday, attending a summit with some 200 US and African CEOs and African heads of state.

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