Nigeria’s Ambassador-designate to Mexico, Mr Reno Omokri, has advised a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, Chief Dele Momodu, to get his facts right about President Bola Tinubu’s recent state visit to the United Kingdom.
The ambassador-designate stated that the ADC chieftain’s criticism of the president’s visit stemmed mainly from mischief unbecoming of an opposition politician’s standing.
Momodu on his X-handle had criticised Tinubu’s UK state visit, saying it fell short of substance.
Comparing it to Queen Elizabeth’s visit during the 2003 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Abuja, Momodu said President Tinubu’s state visit ‘failed spectacularly’.
He also criticised the president’s management of the nation’s debt portfolio, claiming that the country’s debt had quadrupled since Tinubu took office in 2023.
However, Omokri, in a statement on Monday, dismissed Momodu’s comments as ignorant and misconceived, explaining that the ADC chieftain confused the concepts of state and diplomatic engagements.
Stating that the comparison between the two visits was misplaced, Omokri said, “You unnecessarily compared the official visit by Queen Elizabeth II to Nigeria for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2003 during the Obasanjo administration with the state visit accorded to President Tinubu by King Charles III between 18-19 March 2026.”
He explained that in international relations, diplomatic events, including a Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, are considered to be below a state visit.
“For your information, since you are clearly unaware, a Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting is not a State Visit. In diplomatic terminology, CHOGMs are classified as ‘Official Visits’ and rank below State Visits,” Omokri told Momodu.
Insisting that the comparison was unnecessary, he stated, “Be aware that a State Visit, where a Head of State of a host nation invites his counterpart from another country for a ceremonial visit, and officially leads the hosting party, is the highest diplomatic honour that any country can confer on the President or Head of State of another nation.”
Regarding the nation’s external debts, Omokri stated that Momodu’s claims that Nigeria’s debts had quadrupled since Tinubu took office were false.
He stated, “Your claim that our debts have quadrupled since Tinubu became president is dishonest, and I debunked it on Channels Television when Peter Obi made similar comments.
“Nigeria’s debts have not ‘quadrupled’ under President Tinubu. In fact, they have decreased. President Tinubu inherited a substantial debt of $113 billion and has reduced it to $103.9 billion, which might explain why The Economist reported last month that Nigeria’s “golden years” are likely to return due to his reforms.
“The IMF listed Nigeria as the sixth-largest contributor to global GDP growth in 2025, a fact celebrated by Elon Musk, the world’s wealthiest individual.”
Omokri advised Momodu to consult the authoritative Debt Management Office’s website, dmo.gov.ng, for accurate information on Nigeria’s debt, rather than rely on Obi’s inaccurate and false claims.
“Please note that over 90% of Nigeria’s current debt was built up by previous governments, and President Tinubu is repaying loans faster than his last four predecessors,” he stated, adding, “What Peter Obi did, which you now imitate, is to take the figure of $103 billion and convert it into Naira at today’s rates, creating the false impression that Nigeria’s debt has quadrupled.”
He claimed it was dishonest to take loans denominated in US dollars by previous administrations and then convert them to Naira after the flotation of the nation’s currency, thus misleading unwary citizens into believing that their President is financially profligate.