AMID controversies over the signing of the Samoa Agreement by the Nigerian government, a letter allegedly written by Ex-President Muhammadu Buhari to a former US President, Barack Obama, has surfaced online.
According to the purported letter, Buhari said he fully supported the anti-gay law signed by his predecessor (Goodluck Jonathan) and asked Obama to grant US visa to Nigerians who are queer to enable them relocate to America.
READ: LGBTQ+: What do ‘Articles 2.5 and 29.5’ of Samoa Agreement say?
The letter reads:
“Dear President. Obama
Let me start by saying that I have admiration for you and great respect for your country, and its constitution. United States is the epitome of democracy, and good leadership for the entire world.
As you know, I assumed the presidency of Nigeria a little over a month ago, and after proper review of the law enacted by my predecessor, making it illegal for homosexuals to marry in Nigeria, I must say that I agree fully with this law.
Nigeria is a sovereign country, and very different from the United States in many ways. We are a Nation that respects our religions, and rich cultural heritage. Our constitution does not separate the entity of God from its rule of law, unlike the United States.
If I may borrow your motto “In God we trust”, and in God we always will, therefore I implore you to understand my position on this issue, and to respect our brand of democracy, in as much as we respect
May I also advise you, that you are welcome to give visas to all the homosexuals to depart Nigeria for the United States, thank you very much
Yours Sincerely
President Muhammadu Buhari”
A verified X user, Abdul-aziz Nai’bi Abubakar (@jrnaib2), posted the letter with a caption that read: “I commend Buhari on this.”
The post has garnered over 400 reposts and more than 1,000 likes as of July 14, 2024.
Another X user, @AbbaM_Abiyos, posted the letter with another caption thus: “Ex President Buhari deserved respect for this letter.”
The post has generated over 100 reposts and more than 500 likes as of July 14, 2024.
CLAIM
Buhari writes Obama, asks him to grant US visa to queer Nigerians.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE.
The Samoa Agreement was signed on June 28, 2024 at the Organisation of Africa, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) Secretariat in Brussels, Belgium.
Daily Trust had earlier in July 2024 reported that the Nigerian government signed the Samoa Agreement with clauses requiring Nigeria to endorse the rights of Lesbians, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex (LGBTQ+) people. However, the report was later found to be incorrect.
Upon review, various discrepancies were identified suggesting the viral letter was forged and inauthentic.
First, the letter does not have the signature of Ex-President Buhari, which is unrealistic for official correspondence between presidents. Buhari has since May 2023 handed over power to the current Nigerian president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, after the latter won the 2023 Presidential Election early last year.
Additionally, it was neither stamped nor placed on the letterhead of the Nigerian Presidency, which is standard for such official letters. Examples of official letters, like those addressed to the Senate and former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, always include the Presidential insignia.
In addition, the letter contains some grammatical errors. To mention but a few, “Dear President, Obama” should be “Dear President Obama” without a comma.
The letter was not properly dated while its tone appears awkward and informal, our fact-checker observed.
For instance, the paragraph “May I also advise you, that you are welcome to give visas to all the homosexuals to depart Nigeria for the United States” is highly unusual for diplomatic correspondence, which typically maintains a formal and respectful tone.
The FactCheckHub contacted Garba Shehu, the then Senior Special Adviser to President Buhari and he confirmed that the former president did not write the letter.
“Can a president anywhere write that kind of letter? No sir,” Shehu responded via a text message sent to our fact-checker.
Similarly, Adeniran Bamisaye, a public communication expert told The FactCheckHub, that the letter appears shady, as it lacks critical features of an official memo.
“The letter has no signature, the design is questionable. Also no subject or headline or date. In addition, the letter is not well punctuated and addressed,” he said.
THE VERDICT
The claim that Ex-President Buhari wrote the viral letter to former US President, Barack Obama, asking him to grant US visa to LGBTQ+ Nigerians is FALSE; multiple checks show that the letter is fake.
Nurudeen Akewushola is a fact-checker with FactCheckHub. He has authored several fact checks which have contributed to the fight against information disorder. You can reach him via [email protected] and @NurudeenAkewus1 via Twitter.
