“I Am International Civil Servant, Not Politician” – WTO’s Okonjo-Iweala Reacts To Post On Tinubu’s Economic Policies

By Ayodele Oni

The Director-General of the World Trade Organization, (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has said that there was no time she criticized or condemned the economic policies of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

According to her, as a neutral international civil servant, there are still people in Nigeria desirous to use her name, apparently, for political gains.

In a statement posted on her official X handle, the WTO Chief Executive condemned the unauthorized use of her name and image by political actors in the country, clarifying that she remains a neutral international civil servant.

This follows a Facebook post attributing statements to her regarding Nigeria’s economic policies.

Okonjo-Iweala clarified: “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!”

The controversy stemmed from a Facebook post alleging Okonjo-Iweala’s criticism of the economic decisions of the administration of President Tinubu amidst a reported rise in national debt to N24 trillion within two months, despite the removal of fuel subsidy.

The post stated: “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 emphasized the importance of accurate information and urged the public to verify sources before believing and sharing content, especially on sensitive economic matters.

“This incident highlighted the importance of being vigilant in distinguishing between fact and misinformation, especially in discussions about national economic policies”.