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Misinformation: US, Nigeria face similar problems – Diplomat

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Misinformation: US, Nigeria face similar problems – Diplomat

By Sinafi Omanga

THE United States (US) has said the problem of misinformation during electioneering campaigns that Nigeria is facing ahead of the nation’s 2023 general elections is not peculiar to the country.

Speaking at the election disinformation conference organised by the Nigerian Fact-Checkers Coalition in Abuja on Tuesday, the Spokesperson of the US Embassy in Abuja, Robert Gabor, noted that the US is also confronted with challenges posed by misinformation and fake news.

Shedding light on the similarities between the two countries, Gabor said, “We are both large and diverse democracies. We have open media debate and active public participation in civil society and all aspects of civic life.

READ: Rhotos of ‘unmarked helicopters flying over forest in Maiduguri’ were shot in USA NOT Nigeria

“So, it’s not surprising that we also share common challenges around disinformation and the challenges it poses to our civic and democratic institutions.”

Gabor explained that the prevalence of fake news in society was due to the proliferation of digital technological platforms.

“We are using technology to do business and receive news, but just as that technology is networking us all together, it is also making it much easier to take advantage of the fact that we form our opinions through the combination of facts, knowledge and emotions. That creates a fertile ground for the use of technology to advance disinformation and misinformation. It is essentially a ubiquitous phenomenon,” he said.

The US diplomat noted that “a recent Oxford University study found that in 81 countries, there were developed industrial professional groups focused on manipulating the public through the media”.

“It happened in the US and even here in Nigeria,” he added.

However, to tackle fake news, Gabor said all hands must be on deck.

“There is truth and there are lies. Lies can be told for power and profit, and each of us has a duty and responsibility to defend the truth and defeat the lies”, he said, paraphrasing a quote by US President Joe Biden.

READ ALSO:

2023: ICIR Executive Director, Mac-Arthur Foundation raise concerns over state-sponsored misinformation

2023: Nigerian fact-checkers warn politicians against misinformation

ANALYSIS: How misinformation almost marred 2022 Ekiti governorship election

Meanwhile, The FactCheckHub earlier reported that the International Centre for Investigative Reporting and the Mac-Arthur Foundation, at the Nigerian Fact-Checkers Coalition conference, raised concerns over state-sponsored misinformation ahead of Nigeria’s 2023 general elections.

“Politicians in this season will deliberately weaponise misinformation and we must guard against that because of Nigeria’s corporate existence,” Dayo Aiyetan, ICIR’s Executive Director said.

ICIR, Mac-Arthur raise concerns over state-sponsored misinformation in Nigeria

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ICIR, Mac-Arthur raise concerns over state-sponsored misinformation in Nigeria

By Harrison Edeh

AHEAD of Nigeria’s 2023 general elections, the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (The ICIR) and Mac-Arthur Foundation have raised concerns over state-sponsored misinformation in the country.

ICIR’s Executive Director, Dayo Aiyetan, who spoke at the Nigerian Fact-checkers Coalition event in Abuja with the theme: ‘Nigeria’s 2023 Election – Curbing Information Disorder’, noted that although the electioneering campaign is yet to kick-off officially, “we are witnessing state-sponsored misinformation”.

He stressed that as the election draws nearer, there are tendencies for stakeholders to weaponise misinformation.

READ: 2023 Off-cycle elections: Claims fact-checked ahead of Nov. 11 governorship polls

“Politicians in this season will deliberately weaponise misinformation this period, and we must guard against that because of Nigeria’s corporate existence.”

Aiyetan expressed regrets over cases of misinformation involving a high-ranking serving Nigerian government officials.

“Recently, we had the incident of Festus Keyamo, a serving government official who spread false information about another political party. This is a threat to our democracy.

“Corruption exists and pervades in our society because people know what they will do and get away with it,” Aiyetan added.

The ICIR director also called on the Nigerian government to join hands with the media in fighting information disorder to enhance the development of the nation’s democracy.

“We want to work with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to be able to work real-time in fighting misinformation before and after the general elections.”

Dayo Olaide with Mac-Arthur logo.

Also speaking at the event, Dayo Olaide, Deputy Director of the Mac-Arthur Foundation said misinformation is a huge threat to democracy.

“Dangers of misinformation affect our daily lives. It is dangerous for all of us as a family, as a people and as a nation,” he said.

Dayo stressed that the responsibility of fighting misinformation should not be left to the media alone, adding that all hands must be on deck to curb the menace.

ALSO READ: Mis/Disinformation in Nigeria  Review of 2023 and Outlook for 2024

“We must begin to look at possible review of our laws and sanctions on misinformation to check misinformation.”

He noted that in the absence of strong sanction systems, Nigeria will keep loosing the war on misinformation.

“In 2015, the then Executive Director of Human Rights Commission indicted so many people for misinformation in that election. Currently, many of them are at the helm of government,” he stressed.

Study says pre-bunking effective in tackling misinformation

Raji Olatunji
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Study says pre-bunking effective in tackling misinformation

A study released recently says pre-bunking is an effective technique against the spread of online disinformation and misinformation.

The study, published by Science Advances and led by Cambridge researchers in partnership with Jigsaw, a research branch of Google, said that pre-bunking is a process that seeks to refute manipulation tactics, false facts, and lies before they go viral.

According to the researchers, pre-bunking is like a vaccination, while fact-checking is like treating the symptoms of an illness.

READ: Cholera misinformation killed 23 in Mozambique -Police

“So, think about when you get a vaccine. It has a microdose of the virus. It’s not the whole virus, but it’s like a little piece of it that your body can recognize.

“It’s the same thing in a pre-bunking video; we show you a little clip of the propaganda, so that you can recognize the manipulation tactics going forward,” Beth Goldberg, who is the head of research at Jigsaw, told the International Fact-Checking Network.

The study exposed millions of YouTube users to 90-second clips that explained manipulation techniques like fearmongering, scapegoating and playing into emotions.

The users were subsequently asked to complete follow-up surveys at later dates.

The surveys tested the users’ ability to determine whether a manipulation technique was implemented.

The five manipulation categories depicted in the videos included emotional language, incoherence, false dichotomies, scapegoating and ad-hominem attacks.

The experiments revealed that users who viewed the emotional language video clips were 1.5 to 1.67 times more likely than the control group to recognize the manipulation technique in the future.

The users who watched the false dichotomies video clips were nearly twice as likely as the control group at recognizing the technique.

Also, users who watched the incoherent video were over twice as good at identifying the technique at a later date.

According to Jigsaw, users’ ability to recognize manipulation techniques increased by 5 per cent on average after watching the videos on YouTube.

The lead author, Jon Roozenbeek, a postdoctoral fellow with the Social Decision-Making Lab at Cambridge, said, “Our interventions make no claims about what is true or a fact, which is often disputed. They are effective for anyone who does not appreciate being manipulated.

“The inoculation effect was consistent across liberals and conservatives. It worked for people with different levels of education and different personality types. This is the basis of a general inoculation against misinformation.”

ALSO READ: FactCheckHub at 3: Experts proffer solutions to tackling AI disinformation campaigns

Goldberg said, “We had a control group and a treatment group and could actually see whether people paid attention to our ad, and we found that this seems like a pretty useful approach overall.

“The next step will be, ‘How does that affect sharing of misinformation?’ We haven’t gotten there yet. But at least, we know that we’re effectively teaching people these concepts.”

Roozenbeek said anyone who wants to pay for a YouTube campaign that measurably reduces susceptibility to misinformation across millions of users can do so at a minuscule cost per view.

Five times Obi quoted wrong figures in public

Nurudeen Akewushola
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Five times Obi quoted wrong figures in public

PETER Obi, a former Governor of Anambra state and Labour Party’s (LP) presidential candidate for Nigeria’s 2023 elections, had early this August engaged in a war of words with his counterpart from the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, over counter-accusations of spreading fake news and maligning his candidacy.

Tinubu Campaign Organization, in a statement signed by its Director of Media and Publicity, Bayo Onanuga, had called on Obi to rein in his supporters, who it accused of spreading fake news about its candidate.

But in a reaction, Obi absolved his supporters of spreading misinformation online, saying that the vitriol of ‘fake news’ attributed to ‘Obidient’ supporters is actually the handiwork of the opposition.

READ: Four misleading claims Tinubu made in 2022

“As we approach the official kick-off of the 2023 election campaign, it has become evident that the opposition have adopted a negative strategy of trolling and insinuating fake news and misinformation in the social media space and blaming the Labour Party, its presidential candidate and their supporters of same,” Obi said in a Twitter thread he posted via his verified handle @PeterObi on August 18, 2022.

The Labour candidate is popular for quoting facts and figures while speaking about challenges facing Nigeria, alongside his plans and policy for the country if elected. However, when some of these claims were subjected to verification, quite a good number of them have been found to be inaccurate.

ALSO READ: Five false claims made by Atiku in the last two years

In this recap, The FactCheckHub highlights five times that Obi quoted misleading facts and figures while trying to drive home his points in public.

1. Claim about the number of Nigerian players at NBA

Responding to questions on a Channels Television programme, “Politics Today” aired on July 25, 2022, Obi claimed that out of 150 players playing in the National Basketball Association (NBA), almost 100 are Nigerians.

Obi said: “…proud, celebrating their talent. And this is what we have everywhere. If you go into American NBA, out of 150 players, almost 100 are Nigerians. These youths are so talented that they are where you need to focus to reach their talent and productive energy to turn around the country…”.

But fact-checks by the AFP and Daily Trust show that the claim is FALSE.

Founded in 1946, the NBA is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada. It is the premier men’s professional basketball league in the world.

According to NBA, about 109 international players registered for the league’s 2021-2022 season, and only five are from Nigeria.

The roaster published on its website also revealed that the league currently has 583 players in total as its international and domestic players.

The five players listed as Nigerians are Charles Bassey, who plays for the Philadelphia 76ers; Josh Okogie of the Minnesota Timberwolves; Precious Achiuwa of the Toronto Raptors; Udoka Azubuike of Utah Jazz and Chimezie Metu of the Sacramento Kings. 

2. Claim about Nigeria’s total export in 2021

Speaking in Umuahia, Abia State capital, on the 23rd of July, 2022, during a non-denominational prayer organized by the Catholic Diocese of Umuahia, the former Anambra governor claimed that Nigeria’s total export was less than 30 billion US dollars in 2021.

“Nigeria is a country with 923,000 square kilometres of land and a population of 200 million people. God blessed us with oil and other resources. We have over 100 million people living in poverty.

“But to show that we are not a producing country, last year, our total export, including oil, was less than 30 billion dollars; that is why we can’t find dollars today,” Obi said.

However, findings by The FactCheckHub show that Nigeria’s total export, including oil, was about $47 billion (U.S. dollars) – or precisely 18.9 trillion Nigeria naira based on the average exchange rate in 2021 – 403.5 naira per dollar; thus, making Obi’s claim FALSE.

A report by the National Bureau of Statistics titled “Foreign Trade in Goods Statistics (Q4 2021)” shows that Nigeria’s total exports amounted to 18.9 trillion Nigerian naira (NGN) in 2021 while total imports stood at N20.84 trillion.

3. Nigeria had only two million vehicles, 10 per 1,000 as at 2018

Speaking at a debate put together by the Nigeria Elections Debate Group (NEDG) and the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON) which featured five running mates for the 2019 general elections, Peter Obi claimed that Nigeria had only two million vehicles, 10 per 1,000.

He said: “It [subsidy] is a waste… what are you actually subsidizing? Look at it. Nigeria has one of the low car ownership in the world. It is 10 per thousand. So, we have only two million vehicles, and you are paying almost a trillion when we have 87 million people that are poor.” 

In 2018, The ICIR fact-checked the claim, and the findings show that it is FALSE.

According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Nigeria’s estimated vehicle population as at the second quarter of 2018 is 11,760,871, and the vehicle per population ratio was put at 0.06; as against Obi’s 0.01.

In 2017, commercial vehicles accounted for 53.8 per cent of the total vehicle population, private vehicles accounted for 44.5 per cent, government vehicles accounted for 1.65 per cent and diplomat vehicles made up for 0.1 per cent.

4. Claim that as at 2018, African trade is less than 9% and oil gives 80% of our forex

Speaking on the African Continental Free Trade Agreement during the debate, Obi claimed that as at 2018, African trade is less than 9 per cent and oil gives 80 per cent of our foreign exchange earnings.

“African trade today is less than nine per cent, and if we get it right, it can go as high as 30 per cent or 40 per cent. The foreign exchange you are saying today you’re now earning from oil, oil now gives you 80 per cent of your foreign exchange, when in effect if you do the right things, you can have twice than coming from manufacturing,” Obi said.

The ICIR fact-checked this claim as well, and it was found to be FALSE.

The 2018 African Trade Report developed by the African Export-Import Bank noted that intra-African trade is at 15 per cent (nearly double of Obi’s claim), compared to Europe’s 67 per cent, Asia’s 58 per cent, North America’s 48 per cent, and Latin America’s 20 per cent.

According to Brookings, in 2016, intra-African exports made up 18 per cent of total exports.

5. Bank loans are about 15 per cent of GDP… China is 250 per cent of GDP

While answering a question on driving investments into the economy, Obi also claimed that bank loans are about 15 per cent of GDP and that China is using 250 per cent of its GDP as credits to businesses and private sectors.

“Your banks today, all the loans they have given are about 15 per cent of your GDP, when other countries are doing 50, 100 per cent. China alone is doing 250 per cent on their GDP as credits to businesses, to private sector,” Obi said.

The ICIR fact-checked the claim relying on data sourced from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and made available on TradingEconomics, which provides more than 20 million economic indicators for 196 countries.

In Nigeria, domestic credit provided by the bank sector as a per cent of the GDP for 2017 was 26.56 percent. For China, the figure stands at 215 per cent; thus, making Obi’s claim misleading.

Fake news, misinformation worsening insecurity – Nigerian govt

Nurudeen Akewushola
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Fake news, misinformation worsening insecurity – Nigerian govt

THE Nigerian government has said that insecurity experienced in some parts of the country is being aggravated by fake news and misinformation.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, stated this in Abuja while representing President Muhammadu Buhari at the Citizens Summit for National Integration, Peace and Security, organized by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) on Monday.

“This summit couldn’t have come at a better time, with the issues of peace, security, and national unity on the front burner of our national discourse. In recent times, in particular, the issues of peace and security have been on the lips of many Nigerians against the backdrop of rampaging terrorists, bandits, and kidnappers. Unfortunately, this insecurity crisis has been exacerbated by the twin evil of fake news and misinformation,” he said.

READ: Meta oversight board member urges actions against fake news on WhatsApp

While citing some examples to clearly illustrate how fake news is fueling apprehension and anxiety in the country, Mohammed said that on August 10, this year, the Kaduna State Government had to debunk an online report claiming that hundreds of bandits had laid a siege on the Kaduna – Zaria Road in Kaduna state.

He said the widely circulated fake news even advised travellers not to enter or leave Zaria due to the presence of bandits at Dumbi and Jaji along the Zaria Road.

Mohammed said, “Imagine the apprehension and disruption of plans that this fake news could have caused. Imagine its impact on the security operatives who are doing everything, including paying the ultimate price, to keep us safe?

“Also, in April 2022, a drone video showing a group of five men wearing red clothes and cooking inside an unknown forest went viral. Those circulating the video claimed that it was somewhere in Nigeria. But when BBC did a fact-check on the drone video, it discovered that it was not in Nigeria. The video was circulated just to create panic among the citizens and put the society on edge.

“In June 2022, there were reports of bandits using a helicopter to attack residents in four communities in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna. The Kaduna State Government had to debunk the story by clarifying that the chopper was actually an Air Force helicopter dispatched to repel an attack in the area. Again, imagine the panic that would have been triggered by this fake news,” Mohammed explained further.

ALSO READ: Claim that bandits were chasing police officers in Kaduna is MISLEADING!

Mohammed noted that he has also not been spared by the purveyors of fake news and misinformation, saying that countless numbers of fake news have been attributed to him.

According to him, the Ministry of Information and Culture is addressing the menace through the National Campaign against Fake News and Misinformation, a nationwide advocacy campaign, in addition to working with various social media platforms like Facebook and Google to curtail the spread of fake news and misinformation in the country.

He expressed satisfaction that many CSOs have joined the campaign against fake news and misinformation, while some newspapers have set up fact-checking desks to debunk them.

Five false claims made by Atiku in the last two years

Nurudeen Akewushola
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Five false claims made by Atiku in the last two years

DURING election seasons, Nigerian politicians often make several claims about critical issues, especially on economy and governance, in a bid to convince the citizens that they are fit for political offices. But when subjected to verification by fact-checkers, some of these claims have been found to be inaccurate – a development that further exposes the public to misinformation.

As the 2023 elections beckon, one of the top contenders aiming to succeed the current Nigerian president, Muhammadu Buhari, is former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

In this analysis, The FactCheckHub recounts five out of several times that the PDP presidential candidate made misleading claims while speaking about his plans for the country.

As a non-partisan platform, it will be recalled that The FactCheckHub had also reported the four misleading claims Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, made this year.

1. Did Abraham Lincoln run up to five to six times before becoming US president?

Speaking during an hour-long pre-recorded interview with Arise TV aired on July 22, 2022, Atiku, while defending the reason why he decided to re-contest for the presidential seat, having failed four times, said the 16th US president, Abraham Lincoln “ran up to five, six times before becoming the president of the United States”.

READ” Nigeria to partner UNESCO to tackle fake news in rural areas

But a fact-check by AFP shows that Abraham Lincoln never contested the presidential election five or six times as Atiku claimed. 

Even though Lincoln failed to win various elections, he only ran for president twice and won both. He won his first bid for the presidency in 1860 and was re-elected in 1864, thus making Atiku’s claim FALSE.

2. There is no law stopping public officers from doing business in Nigeria

When asked about the source of his wealth during the interview, Atiku explained that he ran a private transportation business when he was employed as a Nigerian Customs official.

“The fact that you are a public officer does not stop you from engaging in business,” he said.

He further added: “There is no law which says you cannot engage in a legitimate business because you are a public officer. No law”.

However, when the claim was fact-checked by The Cable, findings show that his claim is FALSE.

Section 6(b) of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) and Tribunal Act only allows public servants to engage and participate in running a farm, either subsistence or commercial.

Similarly, section 2 (b), Part 1 of the Fifth Schedule of the Nigerian Constitution says a “public officer” cannot “engage or participate in the management or running of any private business, profession or trade” except if “he is not employed on full-time basis.”

3. Does the oil sector represent 20 per cent of Nigeria’s GDP?

Responding to a question about his plans to lift Nigerians out of poverty during the interview, Atiku said that “Oil only maybe accounts for about 20 per cent of our GDP, the bulk of our GDP is non-oil.”

But the fact-check by The Cable revealed that the claim is FALSE.

According to the latest data from Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the oil sector actually contributed even less than 6.63 per cent of the country’s GDP in the first three months (Q1) of 2022. 

In fact, the sector’s contribution has remained below 10 per cent since the last quarter (Q4) of 2017.

4. Does Nigeria have the highest unemployment rate on earth?

In a Twitter thread posted on his verified handle: @atiku on March 28, 2021, and titled: ‘World’s Highest Unemployment Rate: Time To Help This Government Help Nigeria,’ Atiku claimed that Nigeria had the highest unemployment rate in the world.

Part of the tweet reads: “In a situation where we are simultaneously the world headquarters for extreme poverty, the world capital for out-of-school children, and the nation with the highest unemployment rate on Earth, there is a very real and present danger that we might slip into the failed states index – God forbid!”

When this claim was fact-checked by The FactCheckHub, however, findings show that it is FALSE.

The most recent data from the NBS as of when this claim was made was for the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2020. This data put the country’s unemployment rate at 33.3 percent for a labour force population of 69.8 million and a total unemployed population of 23. 2 million people.

However, the NBS stated that using the international metric, Nigeria’s unemployment rate would be 17.5 per cent.  This puts Bosnia & Herzegovina and Namibia at the top of the list with 33.7 per cent and 33.4 per cent respectively.

Similarly, the ranking done by Trading Economics also listed Bosnia & Herzegovina and Namibia at the top with  33.89 per and  33.4 percent respectively.

Also, data presented by The World Bank in January 2021 revealed that Nigeria’s unemployment rate which stood at nine per cent did not top the table list. South Africa had 28.5 per cent rate; Botswana, 17.2 per cent; Libya, 18 per cent; Gabon, 20.5 per cent, and Namibia, 20.4 percent.

This, among other diverse sources presented above, made Atiku’s claim on Nigeria’s unemployment rate at that time FALSE.

5. Did Nigeria clear off her debt between 1999 – 2007?

On October 2nd, 2020, the former Vice President claimed that Nigeria paid off her entire external (foreign) debt and maintained 6% GDP growth between 1999 and 2007.

Atiku made the claim in a viral tweet posted via his verified Twitter handle.

ALSO READ: False claim circulates that Atiku is retiring from politics, congratulates Tinubu

The tweet reads: “Between 1999 and 2007, Nigeria paid off her entire foreign debt while maintaining an unprecedented 6% annual GDP growth. Those were periods of national restoration, and I am very proud of the work President Obasanjo and I did for this nation we care so much for. Facts don’t lie.”

However, a fact-check by The ICIR revealed that the claim is FALSE.

According to Nigeria’s Debt Management Office, the nation’s external debt stock as of the 31st of March, 2007 was approximately $3.29 billion which later climbed to $3.65 billion by the 31st of December, 2007. Therefore, Atiku’s claim that Nigeria paid off her entire foreign debt between 1999 – 2007 is FALSE.

2023 polls: Nigerian fact-checkers warn politicians against misinformation

Nurudeen Akewushola
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2023 polls: Nigerian fact-checkers warn politicians against misinformation

A coalition of fact-checkers working in Nigeria has issued a strong warning to politicians to abstain from misinformation and disinformation as the 2023 general election draws closer.

The coalition consists of Africa Check, Dubawa, FactCheckHub, FactsMatterNG, Daily Trust, The Cable, Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) and the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR).

In a statement signed for the coalition by the Editor of FactCheckHub, Opeyemi Kehinde, the coalition described misinformation and disinformation as a threat to the credibility of the 2023 general elections and urged politicians to ensure that their claims are accurate during public debates.

Part of the statement reads, “The election season is here, and the narratives are building up around candidates, political parties, and issues. 

“As a result, the media, especially social media, is awash with loads of information aimed at pushing one political agenda or the other. There are claims and counter-claims, some of which advance existing ethnic and religious narratives and engender distrust among Nigerians.

READ: Limited human resources is hindering fight against misinformation -Report

“This is an appeal from us, fact-checkers working in Nigeria, to you, politicians, whether you are contesting the 2023 elections or not. It is the duty of all citizens to ensure that this seventh general election since 1999 is credible by all standards. And you play a significant role in this; hence this open letter is addressed to you. 

“We – the Nigerian Fact-checkers’ Coalition – are committed to non-partisanship and fairness and are bound by the code of principles of the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN).”

It stated that the coalition has internal processes and methodologies which mandate its members to present factual, fair, independent and objective reports devoid of personal biases and opinions.

“We are independent and apolitical; we are neither for any political candidate nor party,” it added.

While noting that ensuring accuracy in public debates is good for the society, the coalition warned against misinformation and misleading statements that could derail efforts to deepen Nigeria’s democracy.

The coalition further stressed its commitment to fight against misinformation and disinformation schemes on social media and in public debates.

“It is a fact that disinformation and influence peddling are threats to Nigerians having a credible election in 2023. We have already seen an increase in the circulation of misinformation that can sway public opinion about candidates and parties and influence voters. It is a dangerous trend. 

“Democracy thrives when the outcome of elections truly reflects the informed choice of the people, devoid of deceit and manipulation. 

“Disinformation has affected elections in several countries. For example, during the 2017 French presidential elections, a duplicate version of the Belgian newspaper, Le Soir, was created to include a false article claiming that Emmanuel Macron was funded by Saudi Arabia.  

“In Brazil, a study found that the winner of the 2018 presidential election, Jair Bolsonaro benefitted from a disinformation scheme on WhatsApp. Bolsonaro’s supporters distributed doctored photos of senior Workers Party members celebrating with Cuban leader Fidel Castro, thereby portraying them as radicals. This may have influenced the outcome of that election. 

“One of the most prominent examples in Nigeria is the Cambridge Analytica case, where the organisation was contracted to target election content in favour of a candidate in the 2015 presidential election.

We can’t do this alone: Nigerian fact-checkers teamed up to debunk politicians’ false claims at this year’s election

“Cambridge Analytica was also used in Kenya in 2013 and 2017. As the country heads for another election in August, there have been cases of social media influencers and ordinary citizens being paid to spread false and misleading narratives.

“In all these, it is important to note that it is not enough for you to avoid making false claims and spreading misleading information, you must take responsibility for debunking false information related to your candidacy or your party, even if it advances your campaign.

“We are watching. We are monitoring the media to spot misinformation and call out disinformation schemes.

“Ensuring accuracy in public debate is for the good of society. We invite you to join the fight against the spread of misinformation this election season. You owe it to the people you desire to serve to provide accurate information and ensure they are not deceived or intimidated as they head to the polls.

“In the words of a former United Nations secretary-general, Kofi Annan, “Deepening our democracy is a crucial struggle, not just for our future prosperity and peace, but also for our fundamental human aspiration to live as free men and women. At the end of the day, what matters is not so much which candidate or which party wins an election, as long as the country wins.

“Elections are not a do-or-die affair. Let’s do it for posterity,” the statement read.

Four misleading claims Tinubu made in 2022

Raji Olatunji
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Four misleading claims Tinubu made in 2022

FORMER Lagos State governor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, had officially declared in January his intention to run for Nigeria’s presidency in the 2023 general elections.

Tinubu, who is a national leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), obtained the presidential interest and nomination forms in April and took part in the party’s primary held in June 2022.

Luckily for him, he beat Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Ahmed Lawan, Amaechi, and 10 others, to secure the party’s presidential ticket after he polled the highest votes.

However, Tinubu has been in the eyes of the storm for alleged perjury and irregularities in the documents submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

As part of the build-up to the presidential polls set to hold in February next year, The FactCheckHub highlights some of the misleading claims made by the APC flag-bearer this year, as reported.

Misleading claim about Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs)

Tinubu, while speaking to members of the APC in January 2022, claimed that the Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had expired.

He told the party members who visited him in Abuja that they needed to register for a new PVC as he claimed the ones with them had expired.

READ: How disinformation actors fuelled violence, voter apathy in Imo governorship election

“In case they do not announce to you on time, the PVC you have has expired,” he said.

Nigeria’s electoral umpire, INEC, reacted, faulting the claim by the APC chieftain.

The Chief Technical Adviser to the Chairman of INEC, Professor Bolade Eyinla reiterated that PVCs earlier issued by the Commission remain valid.

“This information is not correct. The PVC issued to all previously registered voters remains valid. This kind of statement will certainly push eligible voters to register more than once, thereby creating the problem of double and multiple registrations,” he said.

Misleading claims about federal allocation and Lagos’ economic status

The APC chieftain had, during an interview in April 2022, claimed that he received zero allocation from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) while he was the governor of Lagos State.

Also, he claimed that Lagos State rose to be the largest economy in Africa despite the lack of funds from the federal government.

“With zero allocation from FAAC, I turned Lagos State around and today, the state has become the largest economy in Africa,” he claimed.

While fact-checking the above, Dubawa’s findings faulted the two claims by Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The allocations claimed to be seized by FAAC, were reported to be the local government council funds withheld in 2004, which was already five years into Tinubu’s eight-year administration (1999-2007).

The then Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo, had withheld the local government funds in 2004 due to the creation of Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) by the Lagos State Government. But it was soon released by the late Umar Musa Yaradua after he became president in 2007.

Therefore, the first claim by Tinubu was misleading as the withheld funds were local government council allocations.

On the second claim, findings revealed that there were no significant facts to show that Lagos State became the largest economy in Africa.

It was, however, found that Nigeria remains the largest economy in Africa, which made Tinubu’s claim to be false.

False claim that he brought Econet Wireless to Nigeria

Tinubu claimed that he was the one who brought one of the leading mobile telecommunications companies, Econet, now known as Airtel to Nigeria.

He disclosed this in an interactive session with the APC presidential screening committee in May 2022.

While speaking before the panel, he said, “Telecommunication that is nonsense in Nigeria today, I brought Econet, Econet is now Airtel.”

However, findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim by the APC presidential candidate was not true.

The findings revealed how a Zimbabwean, Strive Masiyiwa, brought Econet to Nigeria.

Masiyiwa, who was the founder and Executive Chairman of the Econet Group, founded Econet Wireless in 1993.

ALSO READ: TB Joshua: Video of Tinubu criticizing BBC documentary is doctored!

Masiyiwa fled his country in March 2000 over persecution from the Zimbabwean authorities.

Thereafter, Econet Wireless Nigeria Limited, alongside MTN Nigeria and NITEL, received digital mobile licences from the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) in March 2001 after paying $285 million as license fees.

Following the purchase of the GSM license, Econet was faced with financing challenges, which made it sell 30% of its shares to the Lagos, Delta, and Akwa Ibom state governments.

Masiyiwa claimed that Econet was frustrated out of Nigeria for its failure to pay bribes to investors.

The issue later degenerated into the selling off of Econet to Vodacom in 2004.

Reno Omokri makes false claims about terrorism in Nigeria, Lagos’ debt

Nurudeen Akewushola
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Reno Omokri makes false claims about terrorism in Nigeria, Lagos’ debt

SPEAKING during a virtual interview with Arise TV on the 9th of August, 2022, Reno Omokri, a former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan said that Nigeria is currently ranked as the third most insecure country in the world according to the Global Terrorism Index (GTI).

Omokri, who claimed Nigeria was the fourth most insecure country under Jonathan’s regime, said the ranking has climbed up under the incumbent president, Muhammadu Buhari.

“Let us focus on the fact. Neither the APC nor the PDP is in the position to judge about security. There is one global body that has the authority and it is an international body- the Global Terrorism Index. The Global Terrorism Index has said under PDP government of the former president Goodluck Jonathan, Nigeria was the 4th most insecure country in the world. However, under this administration, it is now worse, we are the 3rd most insecure country in the world. That would say a lot,” Omokri said.

Speaking further, Omokri claimed that Lagos state owes billions of dollars and that it accounts for 12.6% of Nigeria’s total debt.

READ: Misleading 2020 global terrorism ranking resurfaces online

“Bola Tinubu met a debt in Lagos of less than 100 million dollars. Right now, Lagos is so indebted. Lagos owes billions of dollars. As a matter of fact, Lagos alone owes 12.6% of Nigeria’s total debt. So, if you look at the IGR and compared it to the debt, that is a loss,” Omokri stated.

CLAIM 1

Nigeria is currently ranked as the third most insecure country in the world according to Global Terrorism Index (GTI).

THE FINDINGS

Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE.

The Global Terrorism Index by the Institute for Economics & Peace provides a comprehensive summary of the key global trends and patterns in terrorism over the last 14 years. The report ranks 163 countries (99.7 per cent of the world’s population) according to the impact of terrorism. The indicators include the number of terrorist incidents, fatalities, injuries and hostages.

The GTI report is produced using data from Terrorism Tracker and other sources. Terrorism Tracker provides event records on terrorist attacks since 1 January 2007. The dataset currently contains over 60,500 terrorist incidents from 2007 to 2021.

It summarises trends in terrorism over time and analyses its changing patterns in terms of geographic activity, methods of attack, organisations involved and the national economic and political context. The index has also been compared to a range of socio-economic indicators to determine the key factors most strongly associated with terrorism.

According to GTI report, Nigeria has maintained its 4th position as the country most impacted by terrorism worldwide since 2017. However, its latest ranking released on the 4th of March, 2022 shows that Nigeria dropped two places from the 4th to 6th position following successes recorded in the fight against Boko Haram insurgents.

 

Nigeria’s ranking on the Global Terrorism Index from 2011-2021.

The report indicated a decline in the number of terrorism-related deaths in Nigeria. It attributed this to the death of Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, and the Nigerian government’s efforts to defeat the group.

ALSO READ: Claim that Nigeria ranked 3rd on Global Terrorism Index 2020 is MISLEADING

Buhari became Nigeria’s president on May 29th, 2015 after defeating former president Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 presidential election. From 2011 until then, Jonathan was Nigeria’s president. In 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015 when Jonathan left the office, Nigeria was ranked 8th, 5th, 5th, 3rd, and 2nd positions respectively as the most impacted by terrorism worldwide. This contradicts Omokri’s claim that Nigeria was in the fourth position under Jonathan’s regime.

THE VERDICT

The claim that Nigeria is currently ranked as the 3rd most insecure country in the world according to the GTI is FALSE, as Nigeria is currently ranked as the 6th most insecure country in the world based on the 2022 Global Terrorism Index.

 

CLAIM 2

Lagos accounts for 12.6% of Nigeria’s total debt.

THE FINDINGS

Nigeria’s total debt is usually categorized into two, namely: Domestic debt and External debt.

According to the latest report by Nigeria’s Debt Management Office (DMO), Nigeria’s total public debt (federal and state governments) hit N41.6 trillion at the end of the first quarter (Q1) of 2022. The amount represents the domestic and external debt stocks of the Federal Government of Nigeria, the thirty-six state governments, and the FCT.

Total external debt stood at N16.6 trillion (39.94%) while the total domestic debt stood at about N24.9 trillion (60.06%). The Federal Government only accounts for N20.1 trillion of the total domestic debts representing 48.42% while the states and the Federal Capital Territory account for N4.8 trillion which represents 11.64%.

Lagos State led the list of most indebted states in Nigeria with N780.48 billion domestic debt as of March 2022. When compared to the country’s total domestic debt (N24.9 trillion), Lagos only accounts for 3.1%.

Also, when compared to the Nigeria’s total public debt, Lagos accounts for only 1.9%.

THE VERDICT

The claim by Omokri that Lagos accounts for 12.6% of Nigeria’s total debt is FALSE; findings show that the figure is lower.

2023 Elections: Open Letter to all Nigerian politicians

FactCheckHub
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2023 Elections: Open Letter to all Nigerian politicians

Dear Nigerian politician, 

The election season is here, and the narratives are building up around candidates, political parties, and issues. 

As a result, the media, especially social media, is awash with loads of information aimed at pushing one political agenda or the other. There are claims and counter-claims, some of which advance existing ethnic and religious narratives, and engender distrust among Nigerians.

READ: Key Nigerian political figures fact-checked during off-cycle governorship elections in Imo, Kogi, Bayelsa

This is an appeal from us, fact-checkers working in Nigeria, to you, politicians, whether you are contesting the 2023 elections or not. It is the duty of all citizens to ensure that this seventh general election since 1999 is credible by all standards. And you play a significant role in this; hence this open letter is addressed to you. 

We – the Nigerian Fact-checkers’ Coalition – are committed to non-partisanship and fairness and are bound by the code of principles of the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN).

We have internal processes and methodologies that mandate us to present factual, fair, independent and objective reports devoid of personal biases and opinions.

We are independent and apolitical; we are neither for any political candidate nor party.

It is a fact that disinformation and influence peddling are threats to Nigerians having a credible election in 2023. We have already seen an increase in the circulation of misinformation that can sway public opinion about candidates and parties and influence voters. It is a dangerous trend. 

Democracy thrives when the outcome of elections truly reflects the informed choice of the people, devoid of deceit and manipulation. 

Disinformation has affected elections in several countries. For example, during the 2017 French presidential elections, a duplicate version of the Belgian newspaper, Le Soir, was created to include a false article claiming that Emmanuel Macron was funded by Saudi Arabia.  

In Brazil, a study found that the winner of the 2018 presidential election, Jair Bolsonaro benefitted from a disinformation scheme on WhatsApp. Bolsonaro’s supporters distributed doctored photos of senior Workers Party members celebrating with Cuban leader Fidel Castro, thereby portraying them as radicals. This may have influenced the outcome of that election. 

One of the most prominent examples in Nigeria is the Cambridge Analytica case, where the organisation was contracted to target election content in favour of a candidate in the 2015 presidential election. 

Cambridge Analytica was also used in Kenya in 2013 and 2017. As the country heads for another election in August, there have been cases of social media influencers and ordinary citizens being paid to spread false and misleading narratives. 

In all these, it is important to note that it is not enough for you to avoid making false claims and spreading misleading information, you must take responsibility for debunking false information related to your candidacy or your party, even if it advances your campaign.

ALSO READ: 2023 Off-cycle elections: Claims fact-checked ahead of Nov. 11 governorship polls

We are watching. We are monitoring the media to spot misinformation and call out disinformation schemes.

Ensuring accuracy in public debate is for the good of society. We invite you to join the fight against the spread of misinformation this election season. You owe it to the people you desire to serve to provide accurate information and ensure they are not deceived or intimidated as they head to the polls.

In the words of a former United Nations secretary-general, Kofi Annan, “Deepening our democracy is a crucial struggle, not just for our future prosperity and peace, but also for our fundamental human aspiration to live as free men and women. At the end of the day, what matters is not so much which candidate or which party wins an election, as long as the country wins”.

Elections are not a do-or-die affair. Let’s do it for posterity. 

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Nigerian Fact-checkers’ Coalition.

Mobile: +2349030785265

Email: nigerianfactcheckerscoalition@gmail.com

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