Former presidential aide Reno Omokri has expressed his gratitude to President Bola Tinubu after being nominated as one of 32 ambassador-designates. In a statement posted on X on Sunday, Omokri described the President as “Christlike” and credited him with teaching “the meaning of forgiveness.”
Omokri thanked God and Tinubu for what he described as the President’s “visionary and exemplary leadership,” pledging to serve both his “fatherland and humanity.”
He wrote, “The President has taught me the meaning of forgiveness and has helped me better understand what patriotism entails. In short, Christlikeness is demonstrated in him. He is the right man, at the right time, for the right job, and deserves the right hand of fellowship from all Nigerians. May God bless you, Mr President, and may Nigeria prosper as an indivisible entity with peace, prosperity, and progress under your able leadership.”
He also acknowledged his parents, Esijolomi and Omerewumi, for shaping him “as a piece of clay they received from God, into what I am today,” and extended special thanks to the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
“May God bless Malam Nuhu Ribadu. Although I have said this publicly before, let me repeat it today. If it were possible for all the goodness on Earth to be domiciled in a single human being, that person would be Malam,” Omokri stated.
Omokri further expressed appreciation for his wife, Hana, describing her as “my yene konjoo, who has been a pillar by my side and helped settle my mind for the three years that enemies of the President made me their foe because of my unalloyed support for the President and unrelenting loyalty to Nigeria.”
The nomination forms part of a batch of 32 ambassadorial nominees sent by President Tinubu to the Senate on Saturday. The list includes former INEC chairman Mahmud Yakubu, former aviation minister Femi Fani-Kayode, and former Enugu governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, among others.
The presidency confirmed that the nominees are being considered for career and non-career ambassadorial postings, with confirmed nominees to receive their diplomatic assignments following Senate approval.
The nominations remain subject to Senate screening and confirmation before any posting is officially announced.
From critic too…
The Guardian recalls that prior to the 2023 election, Omokri was a staunch critic of Tinubu, holding protests against him as well as asksing the former Lagos State governor to undergo a drug test ahead of the 2023 presidential election.
Omokri’s call followed a report by Bloomberg linking Tinubu to a drug case in the United States.
The Bloomberg article, titled “Graft Allegations Dog Nigeria’s Main Presidential Hopefuls,” discussed allegations against both the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and Tinubu.
It stated that Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State, “fought a lawsuit in which the US accused him of laundering proceeds of heroin trafficking and eventually reached a settlement.”
In response, Omokri tweeted that “All Presidential candidates should be made to take drug tests administered by the @NDLEA_Nigeria to determine present and past drug use. We can’t have a KNOWN DRUG LORD as our President. Heroin is more damaging than cocaine. Anybody connected to it belongs in JAIL.”
He further challenged both candidates, writing: “I challenge @officialABAT, if you were not involved in a heroin drug ring in the United States in 1991-1993, then take me to court. Nigeria cannot have a KNOWN DRUG LORD as her President. God forbid. I also challenge Tinubu to take a drug test with @NDLEA_Nigeria.”
Omokri added: “We don’t want a Pablo Escobar as our President come 2023. We don’t need a drug cartel boss turning Aso Rock into a drug den. We don’t want to be wondering whether our President has sniffed something before he ludicrously addressing us on taxing Agbado and cassava! We must know who, amongst those angling to occupy Aso Rock, has a past history with a drug cartel. Mba, mba, mba! The office of the President of Nigeria is too powerful to be entrusted to a man with known drug connections. Nigeria will not become Colombia. Tufiakwa!”
