The Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC) has strongly objected to the nomination of social commentator and former presidential aide, Reno Omokri, for an ambassadorial role, calling on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately remove him from the list of nominees.
In a statement released on Monday and signed by its National President, Igboayaka Igboayaka, the OYC expressed deep concerns over Omokri’s suitability for such a sensitive and representative position, especially considering his past remarks about President Tinubu.
Citing a series of social media posts made by Omokri in December 2022, Igboayaka highlighted one in particular where Omokri referred to Tinubu as “a known drug lord who belongs in jail, not Aso Rock.” The youth leader questioned the rationale behind nominating someone who had previously launched such scathing attacks on the very individual he is now poised to represent internationally.
“This appointment is not only ironic but deeply troubling,” Igboayaka said. “It suggests either a gross oversight on the part of our security agencies or a disturbing endorsement of the very allegations Omokri once made.”
He went further to argue that by clearing Omokri for the ambassadorial role, Nigerian authorities are inadvertently giving weight to his previous accusations against the president, a situation the OYC described as both embarrassing and unacceptable.
“How can someone who branded the president a drug trafficker now represent that same president on the global stage?” Igboayaka asked. “If our security agencies have truly vetted and cleared Omokri, then they must explain whether his earlier claims have been verified or dismissed.”
To bolster their argument, the OYC referenced another controversial post by Omokri dated December 17, 2022, in which he claimed to have visited Chicago and obtained official documents related to Tinubu’s alleged involvement in drug-related activities. In the same post, Omokri also suggested that a drug test could reveal if the president was still a user, a comment the youth body described as “reckless and damaging.”
According to the OYC, Omokri’s attempt to transition from a vocal critic of Tinubu to a representative of his administration undermines the principles of credibility, loyalty, and patriotism that should define Nigeria’s diplomatic corps.
Igboayaka challenged the Department of State Services (DSS) and other security agencies to ask Omokri to publicly present the so-called “verified drug documents” he previously claimed to have acquired, warning that failure to do so would only deepen suspicions of negligence or political favoritism.
“This is not a question of political affiliation or freedom of speech,” he said. “It is a matter of integrity and national image. Anyone who has accused the president of such serious crimes cannot be trusted to defend Nigeria’s interests abroad.”
The OYC also took a swipe at what it called Omokri’s “opportunistic political behavior,” accusing him of using sensationalism for personal advancement rather than upholding democratic values. The group warned that his nomination, if allowed to stand, could damage the administration’s image both locally and internationally.
“Appointing Reno Omokri as an ambassador would be a monumental blunder, one that would send a message to Nigerians and the global community that the Tinubu administration has no regard for credibility or moral consistency,” Igboayaka stated.
He concluded by urging the presidency to reconsider the nomination, emphasizing that Nigeria deserves diplomatic representatives whose character and public record align with the values they are expected to uphold on the world stage.
