Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, director-general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), has disowned a WhatsApp message claiming she is wooing investors for Nigeria.
In the WhatsApp message, Okonjo-Iweala purportedly said she was bringing investors to the country using the president’s commendable policies as a bait.
“I am bringing investors to Nigeria using the president’s commendale policies as a bait. Is that too difficult to understand? President Tinubu’s reforms might be harsh now but they would birth a new and prosperous nation,” the post reads.
“I have lost count of residents, respected institutions and investors that have called to congratulate me on Nigeria eventually having focused leader since the reforms were rolled out.
“At least six multi national manufactoring giants are coming with me by December later this year to see how their firms can have factories here. It’s all part of my contributions to the progress of Nigeria.
“I am not a politician. I only desire the best for my dear country. It informed my visit to president Tinubu. The world has accepted him as our president, like it or not. May God heal us.”
Reacting to the post, Okonjo-Iweala, in a tweet on her official X page on Friday, described the post as a “bad example of the use of social media”, saying that manufacturers of such misleading information “will not succeed.”
The WTO DG said she does not use the Whatsapp broadcast feature, describing the content in the post as another “fake message.”“It’s been brought to my attention that another FAKE message has been manufactured and is being forwarded on WhatsApp in my name,” she said.“I want to make clear that this fake message is not from me. I am pleased that those who know me instantly recognized this as fake. Thanks to friends who brought this to my attention.”She urged the public to desist from relying on information circulating on WhatsApp purportedly originated from her.
“Please be aware that I do not use WhatsApp broadcasts, thus anything forwarded to you purporting to be a WhatsApp message from me is FAKE. This is a bad example of the use of social media. I want to warn those in the business of manufacturing FAKE messages, that they will not succeed,” Okonjo-Iweala said.
