The Nigerian Presidency has refuted a viral document circulating online that claimed President Bola Tinubu turned down an invitation for a working visit to the White House, citing domestic issues and challenges with presidential aircraft.
The statement, widely shared on social media, was branded fake and malicious by the Presidency on Sunday.
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, publicly debunked the document through a post on his official X (formerly Twitter) account.
In his reaction, he condemned those behind the disinformation.
“Whoever you are, one day, the law will catch you,” Onanuga warned in a firm post, which included a screenshot of the fabricated document overlaid with the label “FAKE NEWS ALERT.”
The falsified release, appearing to be an official “State House Statement,” falsely claimed that President Tinubu declined a White House invitation, citing “critical domestic priorities” and “logistical constraints, including the unsustainability of presidential aircraft for long-distance travel.”
The bogus statement also falsely bore Onanuga’s name and title, portraying him as its author.
However, Onanuga categorically denied any connection to the release, stressing that it was entirely fabricated.
He clarified that no such invitation or response had been issued by either the Nigerian government or the U.S. administration.
According to the false memo, “the Nigerian government remains committed to fostering strong bilateral relations with the United States and looks forward to future opportunities for collaboration.”
The Presidency has urged the public to disregard the fake release and remain cautious of disinformation spread by what Onanuga described as “disinformation agents, hoax peddlers, fake news propagators, and clickbaiters.”
