An Islamic cleric in northern Nigeria has criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over the impact of past drug related controversies involving the President on Nigeria’s image abroad.
Speaking from a mosque pulpit, the cleric said Nigerians travelling to other countries are increasingly viewed with suspicion and may be associated with drug dealing because of controversies surrounding Tinubu.
The cleric said he had never seen cocaine but complained that Nigerians were now being viewed as people involved in cocaine because of the President.
He also questioned why Tinubu was on vacation while Nigeria was facing what he described as chaos and serious challenges.
The comments come as renewed attention is being paid to Tinubu’s history in the United States and an ongoing legal dispute over records connected to past investigations.
In 1993, Tinubu forfeited about $460,000 to the United States government in a civil forfeiture matter. US records cited in the current legal dispute indicate that the funds were linked by American authorities to proceeds of narcotics trafficking. The forfeiture itself was a civil matter and did not amount to a criminal conviction against Tinubu.
The controversy has resurfaced because Tinubu is currently challenging efforts to obtain and release records held by US agencies, including the FBI and DEA. The records sought relate to investigations from the early 1990s. Tinubu has denied wrongdoing, while his lawyers have argued that releasing the records would violate his privacy rights.
The Presidency has also stressed that the current US court case is a civil records disclosure dispute and that no court has found Tinubu guilty of criminal wrongdoing.
The cleric’s remarks have added a fresh layer to the public debate over how the longstanding controversy surrounding Tinubu’s past is affecting perceptions of Nigeria and Nigerians overseas.
The remarks also came during Tinubu’s annual leave, which began on August 30, 2026. The Presidency described the trip as a working vacation, with the President travelling to London before continuing to
