Former Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall has apologized after comparing the federal government’s plan to impose a price on carbon to a “Nigerian prince” email scam on social media recently.
Wall’s apology came after some Nigerian immigrants raised concerns about the post.
David Ogunkanmi, who was born in Ibadan, Nigeria and has spent the last eight years in Saskatoon, said he lost respect for the former premier after his “very, very disheartening” remark.
“For him to come out and use that phrase simply because of a difference in policies, because of partisanship, you now took a whole country and used them in a derogatory manner,” Ogunkanmi said.
Reached by email Monday morning, Wall replied: “I apologize to any that were offended by the tweet or felt it was at all a slight on any nationality. That certainly was not the intent.”
He subsequently deleted the tweet.
The Nigerian Canadian Association of Saskatoon was “shocked” by the tweet because the community regards Wall as a leader who made significant contributions to immigration in Saskatchewan, according to financial director Olalekan Oyefuga.
Oyefuga said that while the comment was not fair to “hard-working” Nigerians, the association is pleased that Wall apologized and deleted it: “We believe it was done in error without the context of what he was saying, or the impact.”
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