A former Nigeria’s Minister for Finance and currently the Director general of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has distanced herself from a fake statement circulated and credited to her by the camp of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Supporters of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu were caught pants-down circulating a fake statement supposedly from the WTO DG.
The statement peddled by Tinubu’s supporters and credited to Dr. Okonjo-Iweala, entitled “I keep receiving toxic calls and messages regarding my meeting with the president yesterday”, reads as follows:
“Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala GCON a Nigerian-American economist, who is serving as the 7th Director-General of the World Trade Organization since March 2021, met with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu yesterday and since then she has been receiving threats.
“Her words:
“I keep receiving toxic calls and messages regarding my meeting with the president yesterday, and from those I hold in very high esteem.
“Honestly, I am shocked at the contents of the messages and tone of the callers. “Has Nigeria sank (sic) this low?
“A visit I made for the good of our dear nation is what they are using to threaten my life and family!
“You don’t recognise someone as your president yet begging him to save you from the hands of killers in your region.
“I am bringing investors to Nigeria using the president’s commendable policies as a bait. Is that too difficult to understand?
“President Tinubu’s reforms might be harsh now but…”
When contacted, however, Mr. Paul Nwabuikwu, the Special Assistant on Media to Okonjo-Iweala, distanced his principal from the statement.
Mr. Nwabuikwu confirmed that the attached statement being circulated by APC supposedly by Dr Okonjo-Iweala and designed to implicate the Obidient Movement, is entirely false.
“Kindly disregard this empty falsehood which clearly stems from desperation and cluelessness,” Nwabuikwu advised.
Also, taking to her Twitter handle, @NOIweala, Okonjo-Iweala posted:
It has just been brought to my attention that there is a false statement circulating on what’s app attributed to me saying that I am being attacked for my visit to President Tinubu. That statement circulating is false, Infact wickedly false designed to create mischief among…
— Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (@NOIweala) August 9, 2023
Meanwhile, in an earlier tweet, she said that she had a “really good conversation” with Tinubu on supporting poor and vulnerable Nigerians at this difficult time and called on Nigerians to work together to build a strong job creating economy.
She tweeted:
Really good conversation with HE Mr President @officialABAT focused on supporting poor and vulnerable Nigerians at this difficult time. Also discussed the need for Nigerians to work together to build a strong job creating economy including what @wto can do to support! pic.twitter.com/qrBAhGrjon
— Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (@NOIweala) August 9, 2023
