On Tuesday, September 17, 2024, a post claiming that President Bola Tinubu ordered Yemi Cardoso to resign as the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) surfaced on the internet.
The post was shared on X (formerly Twitter) by Inside Business Nigeria with the handle @insidebizng.
The post read: “President Tinubu Orders CBN Gov, Cardoso To Resign Over Naira Steep Fall”, and was accompanied by a photo of the CBN governor.
In no time, numerous handles rushed to share this information.
Few of the other handles that shared this information are @kunleoj2, @thegavel66, and @AdemuyiwaEbuno1, and @omo_oye1990
.
Screenshot of some of the post from X
The controversial nature of this post is what prompted this fact-check.
Our search began with Google.
We found that Inside Business Nigeria also shared this report on its website, insidebusiness.ng.
The post had the headline; President Tinubu Orders CBN Gov, Cardoso To Resign Over Naira Steep Fall.
The report claimed that the president ordered Cardoso to resign following his inability to stop the poor performance of the economy, most especially, the free fall of the Naira.
Also, the report alleged that Tinubu gave the order to Cardoso before departing Nigeria for China.
The report reads in part: “Almost a year in the saddle, President Bola Tinubu has ordered Olayemi Cardoso to resign his appointment as the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), owing to his inability to stop the poor performance of the economy, most especially, the free fall of Nigeria’s currency, the Naira.
According to the report, the president gave the marching order to Cardoso before he left Nigeria for China, rebuffing the pleas and pressure from the acclaimed Yoruba Elders who had risen to Cardoso’s support to save his job. It says Cardoso, who reportedly secured the nomination for the plum job through the Yoruba Elders, allegedly lacks the knack to turn around the troubled institution and the poor economy he inherited.”
Screenshot from Google
As of the time of this fact check, the post had gained over 1,800 impressions on the website.
We decided to check on the social media pages of President Tinubu to verify this information.
We found that the president never made such a statement available on social media.
We also checked the handle of the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, to see if the president passed this information through his office.
However, we found something rather shocking.
The presidential spokesman responded to this report via his X handle @aonanuga1956, describing it as a “bundle of lies”.
“It’s all lies. President Tinubu has not asked Yemi Cardoso to resign,” Onanuga said.
Onanuga’s post gained wide attention with over 69K impressions, 447 likes, 171 reposts, and 351 comments.
Screenshot of Onanuga’s post
Conclusion
The report claiming that President Tinubu ordered the resignation of Cardoso lacks credible evidence.
It is false and only shared to gain traffic and engagements, and also stir controversy.
