Okonjo-Iweala Debunks WhatsApp Message Claiming She Said She Was Being Attacked for Visiting Tinubu

The Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Nigeria’s Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has issued a disclaimer to debunk a viral message on WhatsApp that is attributed to her concerning her visit to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The former Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy refuted the message in a post her verified Twitter handle.

She wrote:

“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, in fact, wickedly false — designed to create mischief among Nigerians. Please disregard the statement.”

Earlier, the WTO D-G had tweeted about her meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja. 

But in a message circulating on WhatsApp attributed to her, she purportedly berated some persons she holds in high esteem for calling her on the phone or sending toxic messages to her regarding her meeting with the President. 

The opening paragraph of the said message read:

“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 the tone of the callers. Has Nigeria sank this low?”

Reference was also made in the message to make it that the people she referred to were from the Southeast geopolitical zone. But as it turned out, she knew nothing about the message. 

Meanwhile, Nigerians who have reacted to her rebuttal essentially divided into two political opposing camps and traded blame and accusations at each other. Those who belong to the camp of supporters of the Labour Party (LP) candidate in the February 25 presidential election, Peter Obi, alias Obidients, accused supporters of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of concocting the said message. Tinubu’s supporters returned the favour to Obi’s supporters. 

However, many others wondered what the purveyors of the message intended to achieve with it. 

Read some selected reactions here:

Ifyafrica (
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