On August 8, 2023, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, received Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) alongside Mohammed Pate, a ministerial designate. Shortly after meeting at the presidential villa, Ngozi posted a picture with the president across her social media pages. Since the pictures went viral, several versions of press statement circulating on Whatsapp have been attributed to Okonjo-Iweala. Among the statements circulating, one claims that Okonjo-Iweala said she received threats because she visited the president.
Claim: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala released a press statement that she has been receiving threats and toxic calls regarding her meeting with the president.
Verification:
The CDD War Room found that Ngozi Okonjo Iweala visited president Tinubu. During an interview conducted after the meeting, the Director-General of the WTO shared insights into the discussions that took place. She revealed that her visit to the presidential villa centered around deliberations on strategies to contribute towards alleviating poverty levels in Nigeria.
“That is what is needed now, helping Nigerians to alleviate the difficult conditions that they are in,” Okonjo-Iweala said. “Our conversation with the president centred on formulating approaches aimed at job creation, fostering women’s empowerment and bolstering digital trade within Nigeria’s economy.
We found that since the fake press statement went viral, the WTO DG has released a statement via her official Twitter page debunking the alleged message being circulated. She, therefore, urged the public to disregard the statement.
Similarly, several notable media organizations have reported that the widely circulating message is false.
Verdict: FALSE
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has dissociated herself from the “threat” statement circulating across social media. She said the statement is false and ‘wickedly designed’ to create mischief among Nigerians.
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