Please note that the FactCheckHub has not obtained any right from the authors or copyright owners of all third-party contents from embedded links and shall incur no liability in this regard.
Please note that the FactCheckHub has not obtained any right from the authors or copyright owners of all third-party contents from embedded links and shall incur no liability in this regard.
Please note that the FactCheckHub has not obtained any right from the authors or copyright owners of all third-party contents from embedded links and shall incur no liability in this regard.
Please note that the FactCheckHub has not obtained any right from the authors or copyright owners of all third-party contents from embedded links and shall incur no liability in this regard.
A claim that the rumoured sex competition has commenced in Sweden and can be viewed on Channel 206 on the Digital Satellite Television (DSTV) has surfaced online.
The claim is accompanied by a short 12-second footage that appears to depict a sexually explicit sports exhibition.
The video is circulating online especially in Nigeria following rumour that Sweden has officially declared sex as a sport and set to launch its maiden sex tournament on Thursday, June 8, 2023.
A Twitter user, @cleverlydey4u tweeted a screenshot from the footage with a caption that read:
“Check channel 206 on DSTV, The sex competition in Sweden has started.”
The tweet has garnered over 1.3 million views, with over 3,000 retweets and more than 12,000 likes.
READ :
Another Twitter user, @Oladapomikky tweeted the same footage with a similar caption that read:
“The sex competition in Sweden has started. DStv users check channel 206.”
The tweet has garnered over 700,000 views, more than 900 retweets and over 6,000 likes as of June 8, 2023.
CLAIM
Video clip shows sex competition in Sweden broadcast on DSTV.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE.
A Google search using the video’s thumbnail shows that the footage has been online since at least 14 years ago. The earlier versions of the footage are archived here.
Screenshot of the viral tweet. INSERT: False verdict.
According to the commentator in one of the earlier versions of the video, the two athletes are Jackson and Weinberger representing the United States of America at a gymnastic game in Bucharest, Romania.
The claim about Sweden holding a sex competition has been fact-checked and found to be false by media organisations such as Reuters.
A Swedish publication Goteborgs-Posten had reported that Dragan Bratic, a man who formed “The Swedish Sex Federation,” submitted an application for the organization to become a part of the Swedish Sports Confederation (RF) in January 2023.
The application, however, was rejected by the Swedish Sports Confederation, according to a press release published on April 26, 2023.
In an email response to Reuters, Anna Setzman, a spokesperson of Swedish Sports Confederation debunked the viral reports saying “it is false information with the aim of smearing Swedish sports and Sweden.”
“The Swedish Sports Confederation has drawn attention to the fact that in some parts of the international media news is currently being spread that a Sex federation has become member of the Swedish Sports Confederation,” she added.
THE VERDICT
The claim that the video shows a sex competition in Sweden being showed on DSTV Channel 206 is FALSE; findings show that the video has been online since 2008.
On June 6, 2023, a Twitter user, @PO_GrassRootM tweeted a photo of Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, with a claim that the image shows her presiding over ‘Nigeria’s affairs’ at a meeting at the State House in lieu of the President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The tweet read:
“What is going on here? Is Remi Tinubu the President select? Why presiding over Nigeria’s affairs?”
The tweet has garnered over 900,000 views, more than 1,500 retweets and over 6,000 likes.
Similarly, another Twitter user, @AreaFada1 tweeted the photo with another caption thus:
“Shey una dey see sample. Dem wan dey show demselves. With the new APC, dem wan carry Naija from Democracy to Familiocracy before our korokoro eyes. It will NEVER happen. Der fathers.”
The tweet has generated over 900,000 views, more than 1,000 retweets and over 3,000 likes.
CLAIM
Photo shows Remi Tinubu presiding over ‘Nigeria’s affairs’ in place of President Tinubu.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE.
This photo surfaced online after Remi Tinubu resumed office as Nigeria’s First Lady, a few days after the inauguration of her husband, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as Nigeria’s president.
Screenshot of the tweet with the photo showing Oluremi Tinubu at the State House.
“The wife of President Bola Tinubu, Mrs Oluremi, on Monday in Abuja, assumed office as Nigeria’s First Lady,” The Punch reported.
According to the report, Remi was received by the Permanent Secretary of the State House, Tijjani Umar, who was also seen on the seat in the picture and other Heads of Units in the First Lady’s office.
The FactCheckHub’s findings indicated that the photograph was taken in the First Lady’s conference room after May 29 inauguration, a workspace previously occupied by past Nigerian first ladies including Aisha Buhari and Patience Jonathan.
THE VERDICT
The claim that the photo shows Remi Tinubu presiding over ‘Nigeria’s affairs’ in place of President Tinubu is FALSE; findings show that the photo was taken when Mrs Tinubu resumed at her office as Nigeria’s First Lady.
THE United States Consulate in Lagos has emphasized the importance of factual information in strengthening Nigeria’s democracy and public institutions.
This call was made by its Public Affairs Officer, Joseph Kruzich, during a fact-check workshop organised by FactsMatterNG, in Lagos on Thursday, June 1, 2023.
He said truthful information enables voters to make good decisions while charging journalists and Nigerians to play their role accurately.
“It is important that you play your role by providing accurate information. I have seen it in many places around the world. When you don’t have accurate information, a lot of bad decisions are made and it’s playing out even today,” Kruzich explained.
Linking the Russia-Ukraine war to matters of the truth, the US Public Affairs officer faulted the media for failing to hold Vladimir Putin, the Russian President, accountable over the implications of the year-long war.
“That is an example of not having an active media that cares about truth. The truth matters a whole lot and we must enable our journalists to identify misinformation or videos that are not accurate,” he said.
Admitting the rise of Artificial Intelligence in delimiting the fact-checking process, Kruzich believes AI can impact the rate of misinformation, while stressing on the importance of technology in today’s world.
Also speaking, Hannah Ajakaiye, an ICFJ Knight fellow and coordinator of FactsMatterNg, who opened the session stated that fighting disinformation should not be left to journalists alone.
“Social media users should be able to apply basic tools for verifying information on their own. Especially now where generative AI has made it easier to produce false stories and manipulated media,” she remarked.
The workshop had the theme: Building Trust in an Age of Information Manipulation
It featured a training session on countering post-election disinformation facilitated by Africa Check Nigeria Editor, David Ajikobi. Silas Jonathan, a researcher with Dubawa also led a hands-on session on detecting synthetic media.
Nollywood actor, Kunle Idowu, a.k.a. Frank Donga who featured in a fireside chat during the workshop charged influencers and other prominent social media users to be mindful of sharing contents which may cause harm to their fellow humans.
His views on responsible use of social media use were corroborated by Dr Chioma Nwakanma-Akanno, a content creator popularly known as Dr Zobo who also spoke on the fireside chat on ‘Fake news and the influence industry’.
A claim that Nigeria’s president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has made some appointments and nominated others for ministerial positions has been circulating on WhatsApp.
The claim was retrieved from a broadcast message sent to various contacts in a WhatsApp group recently.
The list which comprises seventy-three names includes Nyesom Wike- Minister for Power, Femi Falana- Minister for Justice, Nasir El-Ruffai- Minister for Works and Infrastructure and Donald Duke- Minister for Tourism, among others.
Adamu Garba- S.A on Digital Matters, Ibrahim Masari- S.A on General Duties, Tonye Cole- S.A on Trade and Investment, among others, were also listed.
The caption of the WhatsApp broadcast read: “List of new appointees and some new ministries.”
CLAIM
Tinubu releases list of new appointees and ministers.
Screenshot of the fake list in circulation on WhatsApp.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE.
Checks revealed that President Tinubu is yet to nominate anyone for the ministerial positions in the country while no credible media platform published any report on the list of appointees which include names mentioned in the WhatsApp broadcast.
Media reports, however, indicated that Tinubu has only made four appointments public since his inauguration on May 29, 2023 as Nigeria’s president.
Premium Times had reported that Tinubu appointed Victor Adeleke as State Chief of Protocol (SCOP) on May 29, 2023.
Others appointed by the Tinubu administration include Femi Gbajabiamila as the Chief of Staff; Senator Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia, a former Deputy Governor of Jigawa State, as Deputy Chief of Staff and George Akume, a former Governor of Benue State and immediate-past Minister of Special Duties, to serve as Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Channels TV reported.
THE VERDICT
The claim that Tinubu has listed new appointees and ministers for his cabinet is FALSE; findings show that the President has only made four appointments public since May 29 and none is ministerial appointment.
THE immediate-past president of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, on May 28 delivered his farewell speech in a televised broadcast to Nigerians prior to his handing over to the newly sworn-in president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Monday, May 29, 2023.
During his farewell speech, Buhari spoke about various achievements in revitalizing the economy and enhancing the social welfare of Nigerians, particularly those in rural areas who face economic challenges. Additionally, he claimed that he is leaving Nigeria in a better state than when he first assumed office in 2015 as the nation’s democratically-elected president.
In this fact-check, The FactCheckHub identifies and analyses some claims in Buhari’s valedictory speech.
CLAIM 1
Buhari claimed that he increased the ability of poor Nigerians to earn a living.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE.
Checks show that more Nigerians became poor under the Buhari administration.
Despite spending over N2 trillion on National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) to alleviate poverty, the latest data shows that 133 million people were said to be living in multidimensional poverty under the administration of Muhammadu Buhari.
The “multi-dimensional” poverty report by the National Bureau of Statistics shows that 133 million people in the country, representing 63 per cent of the population, are living in different categories of poverty. This is higher than the 40.1% recorded in2018/19 national monetary poverty line.
The report stated that 65 per cent of the poor (86 million people) live in the North, while 35 per cent (nearly 47 million) live in the South.
The National Multi-Dimensional Poverty Index (MPI) report is 0.257, indicating that poor people in Nigeria experience just over one-quarter of all possible deprivations.
The report stresses that poverty levels across states vary significantly, with multi-dimensional poverty ranging from a low of 27 per cent in Ondo to a high of 91 per cent in Sokoto.
According to the report, more than half of Nigeria’s population is experiencing multidimensional poverty and relies on dung, wood, or charcoal for cooking, instead of cleaner energy sources.
Furthermore, the report reveals significant deprivations at a national level in areas such as sanitation, healthcare, food security, and housing. As a result, the prevalence of the multidimensional poverty index (MPI) is higher compared to the monetary poverty index (MPI) in most states.
THE VERDICT
The claim that the ability of the poor to earn a living increased under the Buhari administration is FALSE; data shows that more Nigerians became poor under his administration.
CLAIM 2
Buhari claimed that he signed the Petroleum Industry Act and completed the Second Niger Bridge.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is TRUE.
In August 2021, Buhari signed the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) 2021 into law, TheCable reported.
The passage of the PIB came after successive administrations had failed to do so since the need for the bill was first mooted during former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration.
Similarly, Channels reported that the ex-president commissioned the Second Niger Bridge in the South-East, six days before the end of his administration.
The president also commissioned Loko-Oweto Bridge across River Benue to link Benue to Nasarawa State and the Ikom Bridge in Cross River State. The road project is the completed section of the over 200 kilometres of Kano-Kaduna Dual Carriage Expressway and three new Federal Secretariats.
THE VERDICT
The claim that Buhari signed the Petroleum Industry Act and completed the second Niger Bridge and other important roads linking cities and states in the country is TRUE; media reports indicated.
CLAIM 3
Buhari said incidence of banditry, terrorism, armed robbery and other criminal activities reduced considerably under his administration.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is MOSTLY FALSE.
Nigeria has seen an increase in cases of insecurity since 2015, according to the Nigeria Security Tracker (NST), a project of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) that presents data on violent incidents in Nigeria from 2015-2022.
The data shows that Nigeria recorded no fewer than 11,449 violent attacks between 2015 and 2022.
Based on the data analyzed by The FactCheckHub, there has been a consistent rise in violent attacks which include banditry, attacks on defenceless Nigerians and mass abductions during Buhari’s presidency since 2015.
The data indicates that the recorded cases of violent attacks were 882 in 2015; 825 in 2016; 947 in 2017; 1,172 in 2018; 1,549 in 2019; 1,867 in 2020; 2,285 in 2021; and 1,922 in 2022.
Though the Buhari government recorded progress in the Global Terrorism Index moving Nigeria from the 4th position it was in 2017 among the most impacted by terrorism to the 6th position in 2021 and 8th in 2022. This is largely due to progress recorded in the fight against terrorists in the Northeast and the reduction in terrorism-related deaths but data shows that the problem has spread to other parts of the country unlike before.
Data showing Nigeria’s progress in 2023 GTI
From May 29, 2015, to May 29, 2022, a total of 55,430 individuals lost their lives to terrorist organizations and criminal gangs operating across the country. Similarly, there was no respite as regards kidnapping incidents as no fewer than 2021 Nigerians were kidnapped between 2015 and 2022.
Kidnapped victims in Nigeria between 2015-2022.
In the same vein, Nigeria faced the highest cases of displacement crisis ever in its history during Buhari’s tenure as the nation’s elected president.
According to data from Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, millions of Nigerians fled their homes majorly because of insecurity under the Buhari administration. In 2022 alone, at least 3.6 million Nigerians were forced out of their homes.
THE VERDICT
The claim by Buhari that cases of violent attacks reduced considerably during his administration is MOSTLY FALSE; findings show that the security situation of the country worsened between 2015 and 2023.
CLAIM 4
Buhari claimed that his administration recovered huge sum of money back to the nation’s Federation account.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is TRUE.
Premium Times also reported that the commission said it recovered 152 billion naira and $386 million (dollars) between January and December 2021.
Findings also show that a huge sum of funds allegedly looted by the former head of state, Sani Abacha was also recovered under the Buhari administration.
THE VERDICT
The claim that Buhari recovered the huge sum of looted funds during his administration is TRUE; public records show.
CLAIM 5
Buhari claimed that he left Nigeria better than he met it in 2015.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCHeckHub show that the claim is MOSTLY FALSE.
This is not the first time that the former president would be making the claim. He had earlier made the same claim in his response to Bloomberg’s questions published on June 21, 2022, saying his administration would be leaving Nigeria “in a far better place” than he found it.
Assessments conducted by fact-checkers and credible media platforms reveal a dismal performance by ex-President Muhammadu Buhari in key areas such as the economy, security, and the fight against corruption, which he emphasized before assuming office.
In terms of the economy, an analysis of Nigeria’s consumer price index by The ICIR shows that the inflation rate rose 59 times under Muhammadu Buhari’s eight-year administration.
When he assumed office in May 2015, the inflation rate stood at 9 per cent. However, by the time he handed over power on May 29, 2023, it had risen to a significant 22.22 per cent — more than double of what he met when he assumed office in 2015.
In 2022, The ICIR also reported that Nigerians have been struggling to feed as a result of an over 100 per cent hike in the prices of key staple food prices since 2015 when President Buhari assumed office.
The exchange rate has also experienced a significant increase over the past eight years. At the start of Buhari’s tenure in 2015, the Naira-to-Dollar value was fixed at N192.64. However, it rose to N461, marking a 139% increase under the democratic administration of President Buhari.
Dollar to Naira exchange/ Credit : BudgiT
In terms of debt, President Buhari inherited a total public debt of less than 13 trillion naira. However, by the time he left office on May 29, 2023, the nation’s debt burden had escalated to N46.25 trillion, nearly quadrupling the amount from 2015.
Regarding poverty, there has been an alarming rise during the Buhari administration. The percentage of Nigerians living in poverty increased from 40.1% to 63% of the entire population.
In the area of security, the situation deteriorated under Buhari’s leadership, with a recorded total of 11,449 violent attacks resulting in the loss of lives and properties between 2015 and 2022.
Under Buhari’s governance, Nigeria’s corruption perception index ranking worsened significantly, dropping from 136th in 2015 to 150th among 180 countries in the world.
However, Nigeria witnessed an increase in infrastructure provision under the Buhari administration, The Punch reported.
Also, Premium Times listed some major infrastructure projects commissioned during Buhari’s tenure especially rail and road projects.
THE VERDICT
The claim that Buhari met Nigeria better than he met it in 2015 is MOSTLY FALSE; an assessments of his administration’s performance show that while he did well in areas of provision of public infrastructures, data revealed that he performed below what he met in 2015 in areas such as security, poverty, inflation and corruption ratings etc.
Upon acquiring the social media platform, Elon Musk, the Chief Executive Officer of Twitter, announced that the verification checks that serve as a symbol of an account’s authenticity would be offered as a paid subscription.
Initially, Twitter used a “Blue check” verification system with the aim of boosting users’ confidence in the platform by placing a blue checkmark next to the names of public figures, companies, journalists, and organisations.
When the subscription was launched, the initial verified accounts were referred to as legacy accounts to differentiate them from those who got the check via the Twitter Blue subscription.
The ICIR had earlier reported that the new Twitter CEO removed blue checks from all the legacy verified accounts that did not subscribe to its new verification system. The development affected many notable individuals and organisations.
In addition to the earlier blue checks, Twitter now has verification badges such as Gold Checkmarks, Company affiliation marks, Official (Grey) checkmarks, and Affiliation badges that symbolise various meanings. In this article, we explain what each of these badges means.
(1) Blue Checkmark
The blue checkmark indicates that an account is subscribed to Twitter Blue and meets Twitter’s eligibility criteria. For accounts that receive the blue checkmark through a Twitter Blue subscription, there is no additional review to verify their adherence to the previous criteria of being active, notable, and authentic.
Illustration picture for blue checkmark/ Source : Twitter.
At a cost of $8 per month on the web (or $11 per month on iOS and Android), eligible accounts can obtain the badge along with additional features such as reduced ads, tweet editing capability, extended tweet length up to 10,000 characters, and text formatting options.
To qualify for eligibility, an account must have been active within the last 30 days, possess a display name, profile photo, and a verified phone number, and not impersonate other accounts or entities.
It appears that accounts with one million or more followers are also receiving the blue checkmark automatically, sometimes even against the explicit wishes of the account owners.
After they removed the check marks from all the legacy verified accounts, they returned it for some of the people with 1 million followers and above. People like Aisha Yesufu, a Nigerian influencer, called out Twitter several times for verifying them without applying for it.
Twitter returned verification for individual legacy account with over 1 million followers.
(2) Gold Checkmark
This checkmark indicates that the account belongs to a company or an organisation. The social network launched the “Blue for Business” plan on December 19, which shows company profile pictures in a square with a gold checkmark.
Illustration picture for organisation/ Credit : Twitter.
(3) Official (Grey) checkmark
The checkmark is used primarily for the government, and its relevant agencies, departments and ministries.
Illustration picture/ Source : Twitter.
“Eligible government organisations at the national level may include: Main executive office accounts, agency accounts overseeing specific areas of policy, main embassy and consulate accounts, and parliamentary or equivalent institutional and committee accounts. Eligible government organisations at the state and local level include: Main executive office accounts and main agency accounts overseeing crisis response, public safety, law enforcement, and regulatory issues,” Twitter stated.
“Eligible government individuals may include Heads of state (presidents, monarchs and prime ministers), deputy heads of state (vice presidents, deputy prime ministers), national-level cabinet members or equivalent, the main official spokesperson for the executive branch or equivalent, and individual members of all chambers of the supranational or national congress, parliament, or equivalent,” it noted.
(4) Affiliation badges
Affiliation badges indicate that a Twitter account is associated with an organisation. These badges feature the profile photo of a verified organisation and are applied to all affiliated accounts under that organisation.
Depending on the type of account, affiliated accounts can display gold, grey, or blue checkmarks. Affiliation badges are prominently displayed on Twitter profiles, Tweets, timelines, notifications, direct messages (DMs), search results, and various other places across the platform.
Affiliation badge illustration.
(5) Automated account labels
Automated labels offer transparency by enabling you to distinguish between human-operated accounts and automated ones. When an account is labeled as “automated,” it indicates that the content generated by that account is not created by a human.
Illustration picture/ Source : Twitter.
According to Twitter, these labels are still currently being tested and can be found on account profiles alongside profile names and handles. To find out additional information about automated account labels.
Once an account accepts the invitation to Twitter’s test group, an automated account label will appear on their account profile under their profile name and handle. The label may also appear on their Tweets.
(6) Professional category labels
When converting to a Professional Account on Twitter, individuals have the freedom to choose their professional category labels. It is important to note that Twitter does not dictate or regulate the selection of these labels, and users have the flexibility to modify their professional category as desired, even after the initial selection.
A claim that Nigeria’s president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has appointed the incumbent Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, as his Chief of Staff has surfaced online.
The claim retrieved on June 1, 2023 from various online blogs stated that the announcement was made official Thursday morning during a meeting which was presided by the president.
Others claimed that the announcement was made by Gbajabiamila’s aide, Olanrewaju Smart Wasiu, via his facebook page.
The claim can be found here , here and here. It has also made its way into closed WhatsApp groups.
Gbajabiamila was re-elected for a 6th term during the nation’s 2023 general elections held in February.
CLAIM
Tinubu appoints Gbajabiamila as Chief of Staff.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that this claim is FALSE.
Femi Gbajabiamila’s aide, Olanrewaju Smart Wasiu had taken to his Facebook page to debunk the announcement as fake news in a post.
Fake news is a monster 👹 that must be curbed. Kindly ignore any fake news quoting this account for posting about any political appointment. Nothing of such was ever posted here. Wasiu stated.
There have been no official announcement from the Nigerian President or government sources confirming the appointment.
In a reaction, the Guardian reported that Gbajabiamila told newsmen to “be patient… allow the system work” while speaking on the issue.
THE VERDICT
The claim that Tinubu has appointed Femi Gbajabiamila as his Chief of Staff is FALSE; findings revealed that Gbajabiamila’s aide has debunked the statement.
EDITOR’S NOTE:
*In first major appointments, Tinubu finally named Femi Gbajabiamila as his Chief of Staff, hours after Gbajabiamila’s aide debunked it. Please, note that the claim was FALSE as at the time this fact-check was published.
MULTIPLE digitally generated graphics have been circulated online with a claim that the recently inaugurated Nigerian president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has announced a reduction in the monthly allowance of corps members.
An alternative version of these graphics suggests that Tinubu has implemented a decrease in the monthly allowance of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members, specifically reducing it from N33,000 to N25,000.
The claim is circulating following the swearing-in of Tinubu on Monday, May 29, 2023.
The claim has been circulated on various social media platforms including WhatsApp.
For instance, a Twitter user, Bayo Otedola tweeted the graphics with a caption that read:
“Did Tinubu really say this? Or na play?”
The tweet has generated over 260 retweets and more than 3,000 likes as of when the tweet was archived on May 31, 2023.
A Facebook user, Gabriel Enemona Oganaji posted the graphics with a caption that read:
“NYSC allowance to be reduced from 33k to 25k to fund Asuu.Tinubu. This Tinubu go worst pass buhari oh. This one na Yoruba version of shege pro max. Pepper dey inside this one Vawulence(sic).”
Similarly, a Facebook page, Just Imagine Nigeria posted the graphics with a caption that reads;
“#BreakingNews : NYSC ALLOWANCE TO BE REDUCED. Tinubu set to decrease “Allawee” as his 2nd act as president. I just hope this isn’t true o(sic).”
CLAIM
President Tinubu has reduced corps members allowance.
The viral misleading graphics
THE FINDINGS
Findings by TheFactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE.
After conducting an extensive online search, TheFactCheckHub confirms that no reputable media platform in Nigeria has reported this story.
A close examination of the circulating graphics shows that they were generated using a tool called the Breaking News Generator.
This online resource allows users to create graphics that resemble news stories, especially for television platforms.
This particular graphic in question was produced via the website https://breakyourownnews.com. This website offers individuals the ability to generate graphics that simulate breaking news from a broadcast news platform. Users can upload a picture of their choice and customize the accompanying news headlines.
Nevertheless, the creator of the website explicitly stated that its purpose is for entertainment and not intended to defame or cause distress.
The creator emphasizes that the app is intended for fun, humor, and parody. Users are advised to exercise caution in creating content and to avoid generating anything that is unlawful, defamatory, or likely to cause distress.
THE VERDICT
The claim that Tinubu has reduced corps members allowance is FALSE; findings show that the graphics in circulation are digitally generated.
SOME experts have charged fact-checkers to develop more alternatives such as media literacy, engaging in offline or non-technological methods and collaborating with traditional media to curb the increase in disinformation and influence operations.
Adebayo Okeowo, an associate director of programmes at WITNESS, stated that fact-checking goes beyond using the tools or technology. “It’s also telling people to be critical of the news they consume and having the mental awareness to verify before sharing,” he said.
Emphasizing on the importance, he added that being equipped with the basic fact-checking tools is not enough as some of the tools would become obsolete as the tactics for disinformation keeps advancing by the day.
“If you’re trying to use the methods of 2022 to tackle disinformation of 2023, you might find yourself being unable to get to the truth of the issue. However, being aware of the steps to take in terms of media literacy would help us become more equipped and build a citizenry that is aware of the steps that need to be taken.”
Adebayo also stated that infiltration of disinformation occurs in most communities in Africa and they lack the technology to verify information. “It’s an assumption that when you conquer disinformation online, that is the end of it. There is also the aspect of offline disinformation which is also dangerous,” he added.
“We should engage in non-technological methods in combatting disinformation, technology can’t be the answer to it all. Build people who are embedded in the grassroots and are aware of disinformation tactics and are able to be the foot soldiers to disseminate the truth,” he said.
Speaking also on the issue, Oluseun Onigbinde, the Director of BudgIT stated that people have biases mindset and alternative narratives is the best way to combat such biases.
“If you have strong biases about ethnic jingoism, we need to show best examples where we have come together as a people, to show us that we are better off as a people. If we have biases against women, we need to show them that women do great stuff. We need to invest much more in mainstreaming alternative narratives against biases that causes disinformation,” Onigbinde said.
He added that “fighting misinformation is like evangelism… We can’t rely on a single entity to combat it, we must all be involved in it.”
Similarly, Lanre Olagunju, the fact-check editor at TheCable added that disinformation requires multi-stakeholder engagement.
“We should provide information about things that concern the general public at every given point in time. When people have access to adequate information, it becomes a challenge for misinformation to thrive,” he noted.
Speaking on influence operations, he defined it to be an information engineering whilst individuals having open-minded conversation without the knowledge of an agenda being pushed, it becomes a trend; it’s not done in an organic or authentic way.
Olagunju added that influence operation could either be foreign or local “when we see people buy Facebook pages, change their handles, push content out, experts refer to that as coordinated inauthentic behavior.”
“The bigger fear is if we don’t tighten the loose ends, we might also see a new dimension to influence operation that can be foreign. Everybody has a part to play, the police, policy makers and tech companies have a role to play in identifying the actors in disinformation process,” he pointed out.
Olagunju said that though fact-checkers push contents mostly, much still needed to be done despite the influx and strength of most fact-checking organizations in the country.
REACTIONS have continued to trail the statement of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) saying that asset declaration is an integral part of the swearing-in ceremony for all public officials including the democratically-elected persons in Nigeria.
In an interview with The Punch newspaper on Monday, May 8, 2023, CCB’s spokesperson, Veronica Kato, said that no defaulting public official will be sworn-in as it was part of the inauguration process.
“But one thing is sure; no public official will be sworn into office without filling their asset declaration form. This is what is contained in our law. Before the oath of office will be conferred on any elected public officials, they must submit their asset declaration forms. It is part of the requirements for the swearing-in ceremony,” Kato stated.
Consequently, a Facebook user, Inspired Castro, claimed that the CCB has said that the President-elect, , Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Vice President-elect, Kashim Shettima, will not be sworn in on May 29, without declaring their assets.
Bola Tinubu, Kashim Shettima, and others will not be sworn in on May 29 code of conduct warns.
Jungle is maturing.”
The claim has garnered over 300,000 views, more than 7,000 likes and shared by more than 2,000 Facebook users as well as over 500 comments as of Sunday, May 28, 2023 when it was retrieved from Facebook.
Screenshot of the video claim posted by the Facebook user, Inspired Castro. INSERT: Misleading Verdict.
Tinubu was declared the winner of the February 25 presidential elections and billed for swearing-in to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari on May 29.
However, in the aftermath of his declaration as the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), a broad range of Nigerians including the main opposition parties, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP) have challenged the results of the presidential election at the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal (PEPT) sitting in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city.
Different reasons ranging from the constitutional requirement of 25% in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to Tinubu’s alleged fraudulent claims of educational attainment are some of the reasons why there were clamours for the suspension of the swearing-in ceremony for the President-elect and his vice.
The CCB’s statement to the Punch newspaper on asset declaration further adds to a string of claims that have circulated to stop Tinubu’s inauguration as Nigeria’s president.
It then brings to fore the arguments if the president-elect can be sworn in without declaring his assets.
What does the Code of Conduct Bureau Act say?
The Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) established in Nigeria in 1979 aims at enhancing a high standard of public morality in the conduct of public business.
Section 2 of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act LFN1990 provides that the aims and objectives of the Bureau shall be to establish and maintain a high standard of morality of government business and to ensure that the actions and behavior of public officers conform to the highest standards of public morality and accountability.
Asset declaration as the name implies is a statement or document that contains the total worth of an individual in terms of material resources, both liquid cash and properties.
The asset declaration forms contain personal information about public officials like the president, their properties, assets, and liabilities, and those of their wives/husbands and their children who are under the age of 18 years.
According to guidelines specified by the CCB, all public officers are to declare their assets on (a)Assumption of office; (b) At the end of his term of office; (c) At an interval of four years for public officers on continuous employment of Government whether Federal, State or Local Government (d) and at such other intervals as the Bureau may determine from time to time.
Section 140 Subsection 1 of the 1999 constitution reads: ”A person elected to the office of President shall not begin to perform the functions of that office until he has declared his assets and liabilities as prescribed in this Constitution and he has taken and subscribed the Oath of Allegiance and the Oath of Office prescribed in the Seventh Schedule to this Constitution.”
Based on the provisions of the constitution as stated above, no person elected to the Office of the President is allowed to perform the functions of that office until he has declared his assets. The same applies to the Vice President and key public officials.
Asset declaration from 1999 till date.
In 1999, General Abubakar Abdulsalam’s administration enshrined the Code of Conduct Bureau in Section 153, Third Schedule, Part 1 and Fifth Schedule, Part 1 of the Constitution of The Federal Republic of Nigeria.
When Olusegun Obasanjo assumed office as Nigeria’s president in May 1999 and May 2003 respectively, media reports indicated that he did not declare his assets on assumption of office even though the law was provided for in Nigeria’s 1999 constitution.
Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, who served as Nigeria’s president between 2007 to 2010, upon assumption of office, publicly declared his assets before he took over the office in 2007. A month later, on June 28th, he made public the duly signed copies of his assets declaration he had submitted to the CCB earlier.
Also, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, who was then Vice President to Yaradua, declared a personal fortune of N295 million in 2007.
In 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari made public his asset declaration revealing that he had less than N30 million in his bank accounts at the time. This also gives credence to the declaration of assets before assuming office.
In the same vein, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged the incoming President and Vice President in 2023 to publicly declare their assets, ThisDay reported.
Is assets declaration necessary before the swearing-in ceremony? Lawyers react
According to the CCB Act, the declaration of assets must be done before the President-Elect is sworn in as a person elected to public office can not begin to perform the functions of the office until he has declared his assets and liabilities.
A cursory look at the pattern of asset declaration by past presidents since 1999 shows that in practice, Nigerian politics may sometimes override the law, particularly in cases where powerful individuals or interests are involved.
A legal practitioner, Christopher Monchie, in a chat with The FactCheckHub, said, constitutionally, no elected official can assume office without declaring all he has and his family adding that it is standard practice across the world.
“The law has been in place from time immemorial but with time laws are amended to suit modern realities,” he said.
According to him, the president can be sworn in without declaring his assets but risk being punished.
“An/any elected official who fails to declare his assets or declares not all he/she has is punishable,” Monchie stated.
Also speaking on the issue, another legal practitioner, Abdulkareem Musa, agreed with Monchie that the President-elect is required to declare his assets in accordance with the provisions of Nigerian law.
”By the provisions of paragraph 11 of the 5th Schedule to the Constitution of the FRN 1999, every public officer is required to declare all his properties, assets, and liabilities and those of his unmarried children under the age of 18.
”The President-elect is required to declare his assets within thirty days of taking office. The assets declaration form must include details of all the President-elect’s assets, including property, vehicles, bank accounts, and investment,” he added.
While the CCB is required to keep the President-elect’s asset declaration form confidential, Musa noted that the CCB can release the form if it is necessary to investigate allegations of corruption or other wrongdoing.
Ibrahim Haroon, a Lagos-based lawyer, submitted that Section 140 of the Constitution is clear and requires no microscopic scrutiny.
”Yes, the president can be sworn in without the asset declaration form. The stipulation of the law is that the President-elect and Vice President-elect shall not begin to perform the functions of their offices until they have declared their assets to the CCB.
”The law however does not make this requirement a condition precedent that must be fulfilled before the swearing in. The assets may be declared immediately after swearing in but before the commencement of performance of presidential/vice presidential functions,” he stated.
Abdulsemihi Oladele, a principal counsel at Abdulsemihi Oladele & Co, also opined that the President-elect can be sworn in before filling the asset declaration form as the Constitution in Section 11 (1) part 1 of the fifth Schedule of the 1999 Constitution says the forms should be submitted to the CCB immediately after taking office.
He added that the consequences of the law being breached or violated is a trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal.
Bola Ahmed Tinubu was declared the winner of the February 25 presidential election on March 1, having contested on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
On Monday, May 29, 2023, both Tinubu and his running mate, Kashim Shettima will become the seventh democratically elected president and vice president once inaugurated.
