Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the director-general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), has disowned a WhatsApp message that falsely claimed she is wooing investors for Nigeria. In the viral post, Okonjo-Iweala was purportedly bringing investors to the country using the president’s commendable policies as bait.
Okonjo-Iweala, in a tweet on her official X formally (Twitter) page, described the post as a “bad example of the use of social media”, saying that manufacturers of such misleading information “will not succeed.”
“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.