By Kingston Magare 23.7.2026
Nigerians are bracing up for another embarrassing drama coming from the Presidential Villa after propagandists of President Bola Tinubu were accused of forging a letter of commendation from President Donald Trump.
The Nigerian media was on Wednesday dominated with the news of the US President commending President Tinubu for a job well done fighting insecurity, but according to a US firm the letter might not have emanated from the White House.
According to Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C. with an X handle @batten_von, the letter dated July 6 was a fabrication and it was not signed by the US President, neither did it bear the Letterhead of the US government or that of the White House.
“The letter is dated July 6, 2026. Today is July 22, 2026. The purported letter is a full 16 days old. Why is President Tinubu releasing an old letter now? Nigerians and the world should ask that question. It seems that, with longstanding drug trafficking allegations concerning President Tinubu now before members of the @WhiteHouse and Congress, Tinubu is trying to convince Nigerians that President #Trump personally respects and endorses him,” Von Batten-Montague-York LC wrote on X.
“We are half expecting the @WhiteHouse to tell us that the letter is a fabrication and that no such letter was sent, but the “purported letter” speaks for itself. There is no image of the actual document, only quotations from it. “Something does not add up. Even if the letter is genuine and exists, it reads like a standard boilerplate diplomatic response prepared by White House staff in reply to correspondence from a foreign head of state. Hundreds of similar diplomatic letters are sent every month.”
President Tinubu’s information and strategy adviser Bayo Onanuga and Otega Ogra his adviser on digital and new media who posted the purported letter from Trump are yet to respond to the accusations by Batten-Montague-York LC. But Ogra in a response to an X user who was asking for the screenshot of the letter replied #AskAtiku, in a reply to another user, he added “Noticed they have activated the bots. Blocked!”
Some reactions on X social media.
@dr_fayinka2011: Snatch it, grab it, forge it, and run away with it.”
@_patrioticguy: “I guess we may never see the actual letter. Why is the government spending so much funds to lie and pay propagandists, instead of doing the actual work?
Why is this government not willing to settle down and do their jobs?
@MrJoshua_Josh: “You people will put Tinubu in trouble! So please @otegaogra continue o!”
@TurningPointNIG Everything about this regime is all propaganda shameless people.”
@HilaryC882: “Can you guys show us the actual letter…. What Tinubu cannot forge does not exist.”