A former Mayor of Blanco, Texas, in the United States, Mike Arnold, has faulted the nomination of former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Reno Omokri, as an ambassador by President Bola Tinubu, whom he has severally accused of hypocrisy and dishonesty.
Arnold, who is the founder of Africa Arise International and has been one of the vocal voices condemning alleged Christian genocide in Nigeria, has, on several occasions, described Omokri, as a pathological liar and hypocrite who is only driven by what he gets and not for the good of the people.
In a statement he shared on his X account on Wednesday, Arnold said Tinubu made a big mistake with most of the nominees as there is nothing diplomatic about a character like Reno who is “a desperate and sinking man” who only praises Tinubu because he is seeking an appointment.
Arnold added that the nomination of Reno is a reward and compensation for his attack on Tinubu’s opponents as well as his denial of Christian genocide in the country.
In the statement he addressed to the Nigerian Senate, Arnold wrote:
“To the Nigerian Senate, regarding the ambassadorial nomination of Californian Reno Omokri: I’ve seen this man up close. He is a danger to your country.
“Reno did not attend his own father’s funeral. He abandoned his autistic son in California. He has been publicly accused of covering for his brother who raped a 15-year-old girl in church.
“He was accused of sexual harassment by Sen. Natasha Akpoti at a State House event. He called Tinubu a drug baron, then called him Christlike the moment the cheque cleared.
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“He screamed “Christian genocide under Buhari, then called it a hoax under Tinubu. He lies calm, cool, and constantly. Pathological.
This is no diplomat. This is an effeminate, preening peacock who plucks his eyebrows and prances like a pixie in selfies for cheap social media clicks.
“This is a shape-shifting mercenary who sells his tongue to the highest bidder and his soul to the nearest camera.
“When a foreign government or lobby offers Reno more money tomorrow than Abuja does today, he will flip and sell out Nigeria the same way he sold out his father, his son, his wife, his political allies, his faith, and every principle he ever pretended to have.
“Do not let this man carry your flag. He will embarrass you on the world stage within six months.
“As an American who has made Nigeria my second home (and who has probably spent more time in Nigeria in the past decade than Omokri), I can tell you the most damming international stereotype of Nigeria is the slick scammer.
“The very nomination of Omokri for this important post plays fully into that stereotype and de-markets the nation in a very corrosive way.
“Deny the nomination. Your fatherland deserves better than a paid liar who wouldn’t even bury his own father.”