Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), has firmly rejected claims made by Simon Ekpa, who identifies himself as the Prime Minister of the Biafra Republic Government in Exile (BRGIE). Ekpa alleged that both the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had agreed to provide a $57.5 billion loan to the BRGIE, crediting Okonjo-Iweala with helping secure the funds.
In a swift response, Okonjo-Iweala took to her official account on X (formerly Twitter) to denounce these allegations as “completely false.” She urged the public to refrain from misusing her name and asserted that sensible individuals would not believe such outrageous claims. Her message read:
“I know no sensible person will believe what is contained in the outrageous tweet below, but in these troubled times, it is important to underscore that the statement is false. Again, I enjoin all those seeking to misuse my name to desist!”
Emphasizing the importance of truth, Okonjo-Iweala called on the public to remain vigilant against fabricated information.
In a twist to the unfolding narrative, Simon Ekpa later tweeted that he never published the controversial statement, attributing the post to “nonentities.” He expressed surprise at Okonjo-Iweala’s reaction, questioning why she defended her name against a fabricated claim while remaining silent on the issues faced by her people. Ekpa’s tweet included:
“I never tweeted such; it is even surprising that you can tweet this because your name was mentioned. We have been tweeting about the terrorism against your people, and you never responded nor showed any remorse.”
He further congratulated her for defending her integrity, despite what he referred to as photoshopped claims.