AN X user, @Uptownoflagos, claims that President Tinubu Bola has appointed Femi Fani Kayode and Reno Omokri as Ministers of Finance and Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria respectively.
Omokri is a former aide to former President Goodluck Jonathan. He served as Special Assistant on New Media and was responsible for managing Jonathan’s online presence.
While Femi Fani Kayode (FFK) is a former Minister of Aviation. He has held various political positions over the years and was a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) before joining the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
User X posted the request with the caption:
“CONDITIONAL: Tinubu appoints FFK and @renoomokri Ministers of Finance and Governor of the CBN respectively.’
The post has generated over 400 likes and more than 1,500 likes as of October 25, 2024.
ISK
Tinubu appointed Femi Fani Kayode as Minister of Finance and Reno Omokri as Governor of the CBN.
THE FINDINGS
Findings from FactCheckHub show that this statement is FALSE.
Latest reports on President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet reshuffle announced on Wednesday, October 23, 2024, confirms that Wale Edun remains the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy. Meanwhile, Olayemi Cardoso is the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), having been confirmed by the Senate earlier in September 2023. Neither Femi Fani Kayode (FFK) nor Reno Omokri hold positions in the current Tinubu administration.
In the recent cabinet reshuffle, President Tinubu sacked five ministers and reappointed ten others to different portfolios. He also appointed seven new ministers awaiting Senate confirmation, none of which include Fani Kayode or Reno Omokri.
The President sacked Uju-Ken Ohanie as Minister of Women Affairs; Lola Ade-John as Minister of Tourism; Tahir Maman as Minister of Education; Abdullahi Gwarzo as Minister of State, Housing and Urban Development; and Jamila Ibrahim as Minister of Youth Development.
Tinubu subsequently nominated Bianca Odumegu-Ojukwu as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, while Nentawe Yilwatda as Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, officially ending the tenure of the ousted Betta Edu.
The President also nominated Maigari Dingyadi as Minister of Labor and Employment, Jumoke Oduwole as Minister of Industry, Idi Maiha as Minister of the newly created Ministry of Livestock Development, Yusuf Ata as Minister of State, Housing and Urban Development, with Suwaiba Ahmad as Minister of State education.
In Nigeria, ministerial appointments and key positions such as the CBN governor require Senate confirmation and official announcements. There are no credible media reports indicating that Fanny Kayode or Reno Omokri have been nominated or confirmed for these roles. Furthermore, presidential spokespeople have made no such announcements.
THE VERDICT
The claim that Femi Fani Kayode has been appointed Finance Minister and Reno Omokri as CBN Governor is false. The current office bearers are Wale Edun (Minister of Finance) and Olayemi Cardoso (CBN Governor).
Nurudeen Akewushola fact checks with FactCheckHub. He is the author of several fact checks that have contributed to the fight against information clutter. You can contact him via [email protected] and @NurudeenAkewus1 via Twitter.