Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has denied authoring a viral post that criticised President Bola Tinubu over insecurity in the country.
..., which circulated widely across WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook, was titled “Trump didn’t ‘hit’ us – our leaders did.” It claimed that Okonjo-Iweala accused Nigerian leaders of failing to act decisively against banditry and insurgency.
It also alleged that she urged President Tinubu to “stop the damage control speeches” and “secure the people.”
Reacting on Saturday through her verified X (formerly Twitter) account, the WTO boss dismissed ... as fake, stressing that it did not come from her.
As observed by POLITICS NIGERIA, the former minister of finance described the viral message as malicious and misleading.
“Beware, this story going around on WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook is false! We are taking action! The person who did this could not even spell my name,” she wrote.
Okonjo-Iweala expressed anger over the impersonation and warned those behind it to stop using her name to spread lies.
“Whichever coward did this should write the message in their own name and not hide behind mine or anyone else’s! Scammers and 419ers, stop!” she added.
She also hinted that legal action was already being taken to track down the culprits and curb future impersonation attempts.
The incident comes amid rising online tension following comments by former U.S. President Donald Trump, who claimed Christians were being targeted in Nigeria.
Trump, through his Truth Social platform, threatened that the United States might “go in guns blazing” if the alleged killings continued. His statement sparked outrage and prompted reactions from the Nigerian government.
In response, President Tinubu dismissed Trump’s comments as misleading, insisting that Nigeria remains a nation committed to peace, unity, and religious freedom.
He stressed that the Nigerian Constitution protects the rights of all faiths and that his government continues to work with religious leaders to promote harmony.
Tinubu described the portrayal of Nigeria as a religiously intolerant country as “inaccurate and unfair,” noting that diversity has always been one of the country’s strengths.
Meanwhile, Trump doubled down on his comments on Wednesday, saying the United States “cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening,” and called on U.S. lawmakers to investigate the matter.