Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Prof. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has cautioned Nigerian politicians against using her name and image for political battles.
The former Finance Minister responded to a viral post falsely claiming she criticized the subsidy removal policy of President Bola Tinubu’s administration and the subsequent increase in Nigeria’s debt profile. The post quoted Okonjo-Iweala as saying: “Nigeria’s debt for the first time in history has risen to 24 trillion in just 2 months even after removing subsidy is something unbelievable.”
In a tweet from her verified X handle on Monday, June 24, Okonjo-Iweala described the post as fake. She warned those behind the post and others on the internet to stop attributing false statements to her.
“It appears that there are people in Nigeria trying to use my name and image on social media to fight battles on different sides of the political divide, putting words in my mouth that I never said,” Okonjo-Iweala tweeted. “This is a stern warning to all those trying to misuse my name for their political ends that I will continue to rebut any attempts to use my name and image falsely,” she added.
Okonjo-Iweala’s statement serves as a clear message to political actors to refrain from using her identity in their political maneuvers.
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