The Presidency has disassociated itself from a yacht seen flying the Nigerian flag in St. Tropez, a coastal town in France.
A video of the yacht, which displayed the Nigerian flag in the French town, went viral on social media, sparking reactions from netizens.
In response to the video, the Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Digital and New Media, Otega Ogra, clarified via his verified X handle @otegaogra in a long tweet as follows:
DEBUNKING FALSE NEWS:
There have been false claims circulating that a private individual’s yacht spotted in St. Tropez is a Nigerian government yacht. Here are some points to consider in order to discern the truth:
1. The 42m Bennetti yacht currently being share [sic] online has been privately owned for around 5 years since it was constructed. It is important to note that this specific yacht has no connection or ownership ties to the Nigerian government, president or armed forces. Any claims or assertions suggesting otherwise are simply not true and inaccurate.
2. It is not uncommon for luxury yachts to fly the flag of the owner’s country as well as the flag of the country in which they are registered.
3. The official Nigerian flag is Green-White-Green without a coat of arms in the middle. Flags representing the Nigerian President or the Armed Forces do not contain a coat of arms in the center. Placing anything in the center of the flag is a clear deviation.
Regarding the naval observatory and training ship often referred to as the “presidential yacht,” it was ordered and acquired by Nigeria during President M. Buhari’s tenure (2015-2023). It was delivered in June 2023 but was never paid for.
This information has been officially confirmed by the Naval authorities. Director of Naval Information, Adedotun Ayo-Vaughan, affirmed in a statement in November 2023 that the yacht was indeed ordered during former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration and was delivered to Nigeria well before it was included in the budget as an outstanding debt obligation. “That is correct, it is in Nigeria,” he said.
Finally, it is important to exercise caution and refrain from defaming or exposing private individuals and their legitimate businesses to ridicule based on false political associations with personal property.
