The Nigerian Presidency has distanced itself from a yacht seen flying the country’s flag in St. Tropez, a coastal town in France, following a viral video that sparked reactions on social media.
The video, which showed a yacht displaying the Nigerian flag during a vacation in the French town, led to widespread speculation. However, Otega Ogra, Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Digital and New Media, clarified the situation on Saturday via his X (formerly Twitter) account.
Ogra explained that the yacht belongs to a private individual, not the Nigerian government. He emphasized that flags used by the President or the Nigerian Armed Forces do not feature the country’s coat of arms. He noted that the official Nigerian flag is simply green, white, and green without any additional symbols.
He wrote, “There have been false claims circulating that a private individual’s yacht spotted in St. Tropez is a Nigerian government yacht. The 42-metre Benetti yacht currently being circulated online has been privately owned for around five years since its construction.”
Ogra further stressed that the yacht has no connection to the Nigerian government, President Tinubu, or the Armed Forces, dismissing claims to the contrary as untrue. He added that it is common for luxury yachts to fly both the owner’s national flag and the flag of the country where the yacht is registered.
“The official Nigerian flag is Green-White-Green without a coat of arms in the centre. Flags representing the Nigerian President or the Armed Forces do not contain a coat of arms in the centre,” Ogra concluded, pointing out that any deviations are not official.
