The Presidency has firmly denied a viral statement suggesting that President Bola Tinubu turned down a working visit invitation from the White House due to domestic issues and aircraft limitations.
Describing the claim as fake and malicious, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, took to his verified X (formerly Twitter) account on Sunday to dismiss the statement, which he labeled the work of “disinformation agents, hoax peddlers, fake news propagators, and clickbaiters.”
The forged document, circulated under the guise of an official State House release, falsely claimed that the Tinubu administration had declined the White House’s invitation, citing “critical domestic priorities” and “logistical constraints, including the unsustainability of presidential aircraft for long-distance travel.”
The fake release was even attributed to Onanuga himself, using his name and designation in an attempt to lend credibility.
“This is fake news. Whoever you are, one day, the law will catch you,” Onanuga warned, attaching a screenshot of the document overlaid with a bold “FAKE NEWS ALERT” stamp.
He made it clear that no such communication was issued by either the Nigerian government or the White House, and that the content of the document was entirely fabricated.
The Presidency reiterated its commitment to strong Nigeria-U.S. relations, stating that no oofficial diplomatic incident of the nature described had occurred.
