GT bank responds to viral post alleging it gave Tinubu 500 million new naira notes for elections

GT bank responds to viral post alleging it gave Tinubu 500 million new naira notes for elections

  • Guaranty Trust Bank (GT bank) has responded to a malicious claim that it gave Bola Tinubu 500 million new naira notes
  • The money, according to a viral social medial post was to fund the presidential and National Assembly elections.
  • GT bank stated that it operates in compliance with all laws and regulations, and is also a responsible bank

Guaranty Trust Bank (GT bank) has denied claims that it gave Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), 500 million new naira notes for funding elections.

The denial comes after a viral social media post alleged that the bank gave Tinubu the money on the eve of the presidential and national assembly election.

GTB bank new naira notes
GTB says the accusation was from a bot account Photo credit: @gtb
Source: Facebook

How the post caught GTB management's attention

Punch reports that a Twitter user, @ifygold21, had earlier posted that the bank gave the sum on February 24, 2022, on the order of President Muhammadu Buhari.

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But the bank in a statement posted on its social media verified pages on Tuesday, February 28 refuted the report, describing the sponsors of the post as uninformed and malicious.

It added that the name of its managing director is Miriam Olusanya and not Segun Agbaje as posted by the post's sponsor.

GTB statement readS:

“The attention of Guaranty Trust Bank Ltd (the “Bank”) has been drawn to a spurious post on Twitter by @ ifygold21 alleging that the Bank gave the new Naira notes in the total sum of ₦500 million to one of the leading presidential candidates in the ongoing General Elections on the eve of the elections and at the order of a high-ranking Government official.
“The Bank wishes to refute this claim in its entirety and state categorically that it is completely false and is designed to bring the image of the Bank and its officers to disrepute.

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"The fact that the post refers to Segun Agbaje as Managing Director of the Bank further exposes the sponsors of the content as uninformed and malicious.
Accordingly, we would like to clarify that Miriam Olusanya is the Managing Director of the Bank and has been at the helm of affairs of the Bank in that capacity since her appointment in August 2021.”

GTB also said their preliminary findings showed that the post was made using a faceless bot account thought to be operated by unscrupulous person intent on propagating falsehood and inciting well-meaning Nigerians to their malicious ends.

This attack, the bank said, is clearly unwarranted and poses a serious threat to their continuing operations, with incalculable risks to lives and property.

GTB statement added:

“This post has been escalated to all concerned parties including Twitter, for the identification of the owner of this fake account and consequent legal action.

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“Our Nigerian operations support a diverse customer base with varied business interests in communities across the country and remain available to everyone.
“Guaranty Trust Bank hereby restates its commitment to being a responsible, non-partisan corporate citizen with strict adherence to the highest standards of global best practice as well as sound corporate governance in all aspects of our business operations.”

Banks to stop cash withdrawal from March 1 in obedience to NFIU directives

In another report, Legit.ng reveals that banks will no longer grant requests for cash withdrawals from public accounts in the country.

The prohibition affects Nigerian governors, ministers, foreign missions and other public servants.

The move is in obedience to NFIU directives to checkmate corruption among public officials.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Dave Ibemere avatar

Dave Ibemere (Senior Business Editor) Dave Ibemere is a senior business editor at Legit.ng. He is a financial journalist with over a decade of experience in print and online media. He also holds a Master's degree from the University of Lagos. He is a member of the African Academy for Open-Source Investigation (AAOSI), the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations and other media think tank groups. He previously worked with The Guardian, BusinessDay, and headed the business desk at Ripples Nigeria. Email: dave.ibemere@corp.legit.ng.