Nigerians React As Okonjo-Iweala Issues Warning: Don’t Drag My Name Into Political Disputes (Text)

Okonjo-Iweala expressed concerns over a scheme to exploit her name for political purposes and urged those involved to stop immediately.

Her response came after a Facebook post falsely attributed a statement to her, claiming Nigeria’s debt had surged to N24 trillion within two months, an unprecedented increase, even after the removal of fuel subsidies and her offer to help has been refused.

The fabricated 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 the subsidy. This is something unbelievable. I have called several times to offer help and advice, but the current administration and cabals refuse to let me in. How can you remove the fuel subsidy with a debt of 24 trillion in 2 months.”

Refuting this claim, the former Nigerian Minister of Finance took to X to clarify: “THIS IS IMPORTANT- 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.

“Therefore, I want to alert everyone that the message below is FAKE. 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!”