|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Claim: A viral Facebook post claims President Tinubu pledged support to participants in the Iran-Israel conflict in exchange for support in the future.
Verdict: FALSE! Our findings show that Tinubu did not make the statement attributed to him about supporting parties in the conflict. Nigeria’s official position emphasises diplomacy and de-escalation.
Full Text
Israel, with support from the United States (US), launched coordinated airstrikes on multiple targets inside Iran, including military installations and government facilities in Tehran, on Feb. 28, 2026.
The war has drawn international concern, with global leaders and organisations urging de-escalation and diplomacy.
Amidst this, 237 Best Music blog on Facebook claimed (archived link) that the President of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, stated that he will give his full support to any of the fighting parties in the ongoing war between Iran and Israel.
“I am fully ready to support any of the countries involved in the fighting, so that in the future they can also come to the aid of my country in case of any difficulties,” the post claims.
As of Mar. 16, 2026, the post had generated 1,700 likes, 654 comments, and 57 shares.
We checked the comments to know what other respondents thought about the claim.
Goodluck Moses wrote, “What am I seeing over there? Is it our own Nigerian rocket missile? Iran, no worry, our rocket is coming to stop Americans and Israelites soldiers, we are coming.”
MG James quering, “Does Tinubu know he said this?” Is this true?
We also found the claim on Instagram.
International diplomatic issues are sensitive, and the claim’s virality prompted DUBAWA to verify it.
Verification
We conducted advanced searches with keywords from the claim, but none produced any results.
Given the diplomatic implications of a president declaring support for participants in an international war, such a statement should receive widespread media coverage, yet we found none.
We also came across a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which expressed “deep concern” over the violence that has ensued since the US and Israel attacked Iran.
Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged both parties to prioritise dialogue over confrontation, emphasising that military action is not a substitute for negotiation.
Historically, Nigeria has maintained a non-aligned and diplomatic stance in international conflicts, mostly advocating peaceful resolution rather than military involvement.
To further verify, we reached out to Bayo Onanuga by phone and text, but as of press time, we have not received a response.
Conclusion
The claim that President Tinubu pledged support to any party in the conflict between Iran and Israel is false. There is no credible report or official statement that supports the claim.
