Buhari Accused of Plagiarising Obama’s Speech

Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari is being accused of plagiarising part of a speech he gave while inaugurating a behaviour change campaign dubbed Change Begins With Me, This Day newspaper reports.

The paper says Mr Buhari used the same words as those used by US President Barack Obama in a speech after winning the election in 2008.

The report has highlighted this part of Mr Buhari’s speech. (watch from 5.50).

He says:

“We must resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship, pettiness and immaturity that have poisoned our country for so long. Let us summon a new spirit of responsibility, spirit of service, of patriotism and sacrifice. Let us all resolve to pitch in and work hard and look after, not only ourselves but one another.”

This is what Mr Obama said in 2008, although the quotes are from different sections of the speech:

Let’s resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship, pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long…

So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other.”

Watch Mr Obama’s speech.

One section comes in at 11.49 and then at 12.18:

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