By Pascal Ibe
Ngọzi Okonjo-Iweala, the current Director-General of the World Trade Organization(WTO), has denied ever assisting Simon Ekpa, the factional leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPoB), to secure a whopping $57:Bn loan from the World Bank.
Mr Ekpa is seeking the exit of the South-East region from Nigeria and creating a new nation, Biafra.
In a now-deleted post on X on Wednesday, the self-acclaimed Biafra leader stated that the World Bank and IMF had both agreed to lend him grants to form a Biafra-in-exile government after 2nd December.
He wrote, “The World Bank and IMF have agreed to loan the sum of $57.5 billion to Biafra Republic Government in Exile (BRGIE) to form our government after December 2nd, 2024 declaration of Biafra. I thank our sister, Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala for helping me to facilitate the loan.”
However, before Ekpa could pull down the post on X, many users took a screenshot of that it and recirculated it on many WhatsApp groups.
Responding, the WTO boss debunked Ekpa’s claim as “false.”
Okonjo-Iweala said, “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!”
To clarify further, FACTWATCH sent a separate email to the World Bank and IMF response team, but no reply at the time of writing this report.
Also, no credible news organization in Nigeria has confirmed Ekpa’s claim to be true.
