Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), has clarified that a viral social media post falsely attributed to her, which criticised President Bola Tinubu’s handling of insecurity in Nigeria, is completely fabricated.
Sharing a statement on her verified X account on Saturday, Okonjo-Iweala described the message as “fake and malicious” and emphasised it did not originate from her. She urged the public not to believe or share the misinformation and revealed that legal action is being taken against those responsible.
“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.
The post, titled “Trump didn’t ‘hit’ us – our leaders did,” falsely claimed that Okonjo-Iweala accused Nigerian leaders of prioritising rhetoric over decisive action against banditry and insurgency. It also purported that she urged President Tinubu to “stop the damage control speeches” and “secure the people.”
Condemning the impersonation, Okonjo-Iweala said, “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!”
Her statement comes amid heightened international scrutiny following U.S. President Donald Trump’s allegations that Christians are being targeted in Nigeria, in which he warned on his Truth Social platform that the United States might “go in guns blazing” if the alleged killings continued.
In response, President Tinubu emphasised on X that the Nigerian Constitution guarantees freedom of religion and highlighted his administration’s engagement with leaders of all faiths to promote peace and security. He rejected claims that Nigeria is religiously intolerant, describing them as inaccurate and inconsistent with the nation’s diversity. Religious tolerance, he added, “has been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so.”
