The Presidency has clarified that a yacht flying the Nigerian flag in St. Tropez is not government property, following viral social media footage.
Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Digital and New Media, Otega Ogra, responded to the controversy on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday.
“The yacht in question belongs to a private individual,” Ogra stated. “The official Nigerian flag is Green-White-Green, without any additional symbols or coat of arms.”
Ogra detailed that the 42-meter Benetti yacht, which has been privately owned for approximately five years, is unrelated to the Nigerian government or its officials.
He emphasised that any claims suggesting otherwise are inaccurate.
“It is not uncommon for luxury yachts to display flags of their owner’s country,” Ogra noted. “However, the Nigerian flag used by the government or Armed Forces does not feature a coat of arms, making the claims of government ownership untrue.”
