Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Director-General of the World Trade Organization, has cautioned against the unauthorized use of her name and image in political disputes. This caution follows a Facebook post falsely alleging Okonjo-Iweala’s criticism of the economic decisions made by the Bola Tinubu administration, citing a reported increase in national debt to N24 trillion within two months despite the removal of fuel subsidies.
The post falsely attributed to Okonjo-Iweala the statement, “I call several times to help and advise but the current administration and cabals refuse to let me come in. How can you remove fuel subsidies with a debt of 24 trillion in 2 months?”
In response, Okonjo-Iweala posted on her official X handle on Monday, warning against the misuse of her name and image on social media for political purposes and urging an end to the spread of fake messages attributed to her.
The WTO’s Director-General reaffirmed her pledge to worldwide economic stewardship and her commitment to combating the misappropriation of her reputation for political motives in Nigeria. She declared, “THIS IS VITAL– It seems there are people in Nigeria trying to manipulate my name and likeness on social platforms to engage in conflicts on various political fronts, assigning words to me that I never voiced.”
Okonjo-Iweala issued a forceful caution to those endeavoring to manipulate her name for their political agendas, affirming that she will persistently contest any attempts to distort her identity and remarks.
