Nigeria has summoned Zimbabwe�s envoy over remarks President Robert Mugabe made about corruption, state media say.
Mr Mugabe reportedly said last month that Zimbabweans were becoming �like Nigeria� when it came to corruption.
Nigeria summoned Zimbabwe�s diplomat on Thursday, calling Mr Mugabe�s comments �vitriolic and denigrating�, Nigeria�s state news agency said.
In its 2013 index, Transparency International listed Zimbabwe as more corrupt than Nigeria.
The list released by the Berlin-based organisation placed Nigeria as 144th out of 175 countries on its Corruption Perceptions Index 2013, while Zimbabwe was ranked 157th.
Mr Mugabe criticised corruption in Zimbabwe in March, asking: �Are we now like Nigeria where you have to reach into your pocket to get anything done?�
On Thursday, Nigeria�s foreign ministry summoned Zimbabwean envoy Stanley Kunjeku, lodging �the strongest protest� against the statement, News Agency of Nigeria said.
�Not only does it not reflect the reality in our country, but to come from a sitting president of a brotherly country is most unkind and very dishonourable,� the ministry added.
A 2013 survey by Transparency International found that one person in four had paid a bribe to a public body over the last year, with the poor record of some African nations on bribery standing out.
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