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Viral photo of cracked Lagos Third Mainland Bridge is FALSE!

Olugbenga ADANIKIN
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Viral photo of cracked Lagos Third Mainland Bridge is FALSE!

In November 2021, multiple posts circulated on social media that a part of the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos state “has opened up, and the bridge is shaking”.

This post which is a variation of “We have just been informed that part of the 3rd mainland bridge has opened up and the bridge is shaking,” was often accompanied by a photograph.

One of such posts by a Facebook user named Prince Eniola Ojajuni drew 127 comments and almost 3 000 shares.

THE CLAIM:

The photograph shows a defective part of the Third Mainland Bridge.

A screenshot of the claim.

THE FINDINGS:

Findings by The FactCheckHub show the viral image is not from the Third Mainland Bridge.

The FactCheckHub traced the image to a post made in 2017 on the Facebook page of ‘Civil Engineering Daily‘ used to illustrate a ‘buckling’ column failure.  The post has over 6500 engagements.

Furthermore, in 2018 the image was also used to illustrate types of structural failure in civil engineering.

The photo, which may have originated from a shake table experiment of a full-scale bridge pier conducted in 2008, has been re-shared, resized, and used across different platforms.

Meanwhile, it resurfaced in Nigeria amidst the collapse of a 22-storey building in Lagos that led to the death of 44 people.

In addition, in a press statement on its website, the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing debunked the claim making round.

The director of press Boade Akinola said that the Controller drove on the bridge and did not notice any opening or experience any shaking.

Similarly, the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos, Olukayode Popoola, told the press that this has been a recurring rumour.

He said, “I want to put the record straight, this is not the first time such rumours would be going around, it started about five years ago that somebody would just wake up and post this same video on social media, and then people begin passing it and then cause panic to road users.

“I want to assure all residents of Lagos and road users that there is no problem with Third Mainland Bridge; it is safe and still comfortable.”.

The video in circulation was traced to a  report in 2019, where an expansion joint on the bridge was shown shaking.

A scene from a 2019 report on Third mainland bridge bad expansion joint that has resurfaced online.

THE VERDICT

The image does not show a defective part of the Third Mainland Bridge as claimed based on the findings. Therefore, it is FALSE.

Why Federal University Dutse SUG president has ‘security detail’ in viral photos

Niyi Oyedeji
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Why Federal University Dutse SUG president has ‘security detail’ in viral photos

MULTIPLE photos of some student union leaders of the Federal University Dutse (FUD) with ‘security detail’ have been widely circulated online in Nigeria.

The images which trended on Twitter and Facebook show the Students Union Government (SUG) president and vice president being escorted by other students dressed in black suits.

The FUD is located in Jigawa state.

A Twitter user Maazi Ogbonnaya Okoro with the user ID, @maazi-ogbonnaya tweeted the pictures with the caption that the president is on his way to class. He also alluded that this was possible because it happened in a part of the country.

He said “Imagine if it’s south east, EFCC will arrest oke na ngwere”.  The Igbo language ‘Oke na ngwere” here means, literally everyone will be arrested.

A  human rights lawyer in Nigeria Inibehe Effiong, also shared the pictures on his Facebook and Twitter page.

What is the story?

The FactCheckHub  findings show that the photos were from  Federal University Dutse.

The SUG’s Public Relations Officer (PRO) Mohammed Nazif, in a telephone conversation with The FactCheckHub said, the man and a woman seen in some of the pictures are the SUG president, Muhammad Mukhtar and the SUG vice president, Zainab Ibrahim.

The SUG VP and President of Federal University Dutse.

He also added that, the pictures were taken on November 2, 2021 when the university had its matriculation ceremony for new students.

Separate findings by The FactCheckHub confirmed the institution had its matriculation on November 2.

Nazif added that “The day also coincides with the day the students of Criminology and Security Studies (CSS) Department had their week.”

Some higher institutions in Nigeria usually pick a time to celebrate departmental week. This week is marked by series of events which could be academic-oriented, sports, entertainments and so on.

Read  fact-checks here

Nazif said the men in black accompanying the SUG  president’s car in one of the pictures and also seen in other pictures are students of the CSS department who in celebration of their week  and in line with their course acted as security for SUG officials for the day.

He clarified that “the car in one of the pictures and one other bus belongs to the SUG and not to the president.”

Furthermore, the university’s Chief Information Officer Abdullahi Yahaya Bello, also said, the SUG president doesn’t attend lectures in convoy with security in tow.

“The students of the CSS department as part of their study’s requirement usually act as security personnel for lecturers and SUG officials on few occasions and that’s what happened on the day the picture was taken,” Bello said.

 

Edit:  The headline was changed from “Why Federal University Dutse SUG president was in a convoy”  to “Why Federal University Dutse SUG president has ‘security detail’ in viral photos”.

Claim that APC candidate leads in seven LGAs is FALSE

Niyi Oyedeji
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Claim that APC candidate leads in seven LGAs is FALSE

AS THE Anambra state governorship election result trickles in,  a Facebook user Ikechukwu Emeka Onyia, on Sunday  claimed the candidate of the All Progressives Congress Andy Ubah, is leading in seven Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state.

Onyia in a post made on his Facebook page asserted that Ubah is currently coasting home to victory and as well, leading in seven LGAs.

Onyia who said he is the Deputy Director, Media and Publicity for the Senator Andy Uba Governorship Campaign Organisation (SAUGCO) wrote “Breaking News: APC Heading to victory, leads in seven LGAs  …Alerts public on APGA’s attempt to smuggle doctored results … Says Andy Uba’s victory will Set New Development Agenda.The senator Andy Uba Governorship Campaign Organisation, SAUGCO has stated that Senator Andy Uba is heading to victory with verified results so far across Local Government Areas”.

His post was also published as news by some blogs archived here and here.

THE CLAIM:

APC candidate leads in seven LGAs.

THE FINDINGS:

Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is false, as the official result revealed that the APC candidate is yet to win a single LGA.

As at 3pm, November 7, Media reports show that  Chukwuma Charles Soludo, candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has cleared  10 of the 11 LGAs results that have been announced so far by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The collation of results is ongoing.

THE VERDICT:

The claim that the APC candidate leads in seven LGAs is FALSE.

AnambraDecides2021: Image does NOT show APC chairman collapsing after losing LG to PDP

Niyi Oyedeji
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AnambraDecides2021: Image does NOT show APC chairman collapsing after losing LG to PDP

Barely 24 hours after the Anambra state governorship election, an image is being circulated online that the chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, Basil Ejidike collapsed after his party suffers  defeat in his local government area (LGA).

The post made by Twitter user Igweh U Achebe Esq. (@IgwehAche), which shows a man on his knees being helped into a car has garnered over 1,000 engagements.

The tweet reads; “Just In;  Anambra state APC chairman, Chief Basil Ejidike collapses after losing his LGA to PDP. #AnambraDecides2021”.

The image was also shared with the same caption on blogs and Facebook.

THE CLAIM:

The image shows chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Anambra state Basil Ejidike, after the party lost at his local government.

 

A screenshot of the tweet.

THE FINDINGS:

Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is false, as the image has been on the internet since 2017.

It has been used to illustrate different stories and incidents.

In one instance in 2017, he was a man who pretended to have fainted after finding out the woman he assaulted is a Policeman’s wife.

In another instance in 2020,  he was a man who found out his stimulus (COVID-19) cheque was going towards child support.

Furthermore, The FactCheckHub findings show that at the time the tweet was made, the the PDP was yet to win any LGA in the state.

Media reports here and here  show that the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) won in all the seven LGAs released so far.

THE VERDICT:

The claim that the he image shows chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Anambra state Basil Ejidike, after the party lost at his local government to the PDP is FALSE.

AnambraDecides2021: AAC did NOT endorse PDP’s candidate

Pamela Ephraim
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AnambraDecides2021: AAC did NOT endorse PDP’s candidate

Hours before the governorship election in Anambra state, multiple reports emerged that the African Action Congress (AAC) candidate, Chidozie Nwankwo has stepped down and also endorsed  the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) flagbearer, Valentine Ozigbo.

THE CLAIM

The AAC candidate Chidozie Nwankwo stepped down and endorsed PDP’s Valentine Ozigbo.

THE FINDING

Findings by the FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE.

Adeyeye Olorunfemi, the acting National Secretary for the African Action Congress (AAC),  debunked the claim via statement  shared on  Facebook.

Read Also:LIVE: Fact-Checking claims from Anambra governorship election

He said the ACC “did not endorse Mr Val Ozigbo candidate of the PDP”.

THE VERDICT

The claim that the ACC has endorsed the PDP candidate is FALSE.

AnambraDecides2021: Were APGA officials recorded thumbprinting in viral video?

Olugbenga ADANIKIN
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AnambraDecides2021: Were APGA officials recorded thumbprinting in viral video?

A viral post accusing the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) of electoral malpractices in the November 6, Anambra governorship election has emerged on the internet.

The 30 seconds footage shows four people, three of them spotting reflective jackets similar to the ones worn by election officials thumbprinting what appears to be ballot papers.

The Facebook post by Jacob Iliya reads “The looting of votes ongoing in Anambra State by APGA. Come and see APGA breaking records.”

THE CLAIM

The video depicts APGA officials thumb-printing multiple ballots papers at the November 6  Anambra poll.

THE FINDINGS

Findings by the FactCheckHub show that the claim is false, as the video has been in circulation months before the Anambra election.

The FactCheckHub traced the video to a Facebook post made in April 2021 by Ekens Foundation International which captioned it with “Nigerian credible election: How would the 2023 general election be in Nigeria.”

Therefore, the video could not have been from the November 6 election as stated.

Read Also:AnambraDecides2021: Image does NOT show APC chairman collapsing after losing LG to PDP

THE VERDICT: 

The  claim that the video depicts APGA officials thumbprinting multiple ballots papers at the November 6  Anambra poll is FALSE.

LIVE: Fact-Checking claims from Anambra governorship election

The FactCheckHub
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LIVE: Fact-Checking claims from Anambra governorship election

ANAMBRA GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION

CLAIM 5:

AS THE Anambra state governorship election result trickles in, a Facebook user Ikechukwu Emeka Onyia, on Sunday claimed the candidate of the All Progressives Congress Andy Ubah, is leading in seven Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state.

THE VERDICT: FALSE

Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is false, as the official result revealed that the APC candidate is yet to win a single LGA.

Read the report here.

CLAIM 4:

Barely 24 hours after the Anambra state governorship election, an image is being circulated online that the chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, Basil Ejidike collapsed after his party suffers  defeat in his local government area (LGA).

THE VERDICT: FALSE

Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is false, as the image has been on the internet since 2017. It has been used to illustrate different stories and incidents.

Read report here

CLAIM 3:

Multiple reports emerged that the African Action Congress (AAC) candidate, Chidozie Nwankwo has stepped down and also endorsed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) flagbearer, Valentine Ozigbo.

THE VERDICT: FALSE

Adeyeye Olorunfemi, the acting National Secretary for the African Action Congress (AAC),  debunked the claim via statement  shared on  Facebook.

He said the ACC “did not endorse Mr Val Ozigbo candidate of the PDP”.

CLAIM 2:

A viral post accusing the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) of electoral malpractices in the November 6, Anambra governorship election has emerged on the internet. The 30 seconds footage shows four people, three of them spotting reflective jackets similar to the ones worn by election officials thumbprinting what appears to be ballot papers

THE VERDICT: FALSE

Findings by the FactCheckHub show that the claim is false, as the video has been in circulation months before the Anambra election.

Read report here

CLAIM 1

“People are refusing to vote, everybody is indoor in Aguleri area of Anambra state.”

THE VERDICT: FALSE

Media reports indicate that the Anambra State Governor Willie Obiano and his wife were at Aguleri where they cast their votes.

The reports stated that Obiano arrived at his polling unit at around 9:28 am at Eri Primary School, Unit 004, Otuocha 1, in Aguleri where he joined the queue and eventually voted a few minutes later.

Obiano also addressed the press and spoke about voter turnout.

Read report here

ANAMBRA GOVERNORSHIP DEBATE

CLAIM 2

During the debate Charles Soludo claimed he was a three-time winner of best central bank governor award.

THE CLAIM

Charles Soludo claimed he was a three-time winner of best central bank governor award.

THE VERDICT: TRUE

The CBN profile of Soludo states that he was the winner  of the ‘Global’ and also the ‘African Central Bank Governor’ of the Year in 2005, 2006, and 2007 by by FT- Banker; Euromoney; and Annual Meetings Daily.

CLAIM 1

Chukwuma Charles Soludo, one of the candidates during the Anambra state gubernatorial debate said “Anambra state has the lowest unemployment of any state in Nigeria at 13 per cent” and that “Anambra state has the lowest under-employment rate at 17 per cent of any state in Nigeria”.

THE CLAIMS

Anambra State has the lowest unemployment rate 13 per cent and the lowest underemployment rate at 17 per cent of any state in Nigeria.

THE VERDICT: MISLEADING

The data he referenced are from the second quarter (Q2) of 2020, Meanwhile, in Q4 data, Anambra’s unemployment rate is 44.23 per cent while the underemployment rate is 16.48 per cent.

Furthermore, Anambra was not the lowest as Osun has 11.65 per cent unemployment rate, while Lagos has 4.52 per cent underemployment rate.

Read Report HERE

AnambraDecides2021: Is everyone indoors in Aguleri?

Pamela Ephraim
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AnambraDecides2021: Is everyone indoors in Aguleri?

ANAMBRA state holds its governorship election on Saturday, November 6, 2021. A media house tweeted that voting is not taking place in one of its towns, Aguleri as everyone is indoor.

The tweet by Sahara Reporters archived here reads, “People are refusing to vote, everybody is indoor in Aguleri area of Anambra state.”

THE CLAIM

No voting in Aguleri, as everyone is indoor.

The claim on Twitter.

THE FINDING

Findings by the FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE.

Media reports indicate that the Anambra State Governor Willie Obiano and his wife were at Aguleri where they cast their votes.

The reports stated that Obiano arrived at his polling unit at around 9:28 am at Eri Primary School, Unit 004, Otuocha 1, in Aguleri where he joined the queue and eventually voted a few minutes later.

Obiano also addressed the press and spoke about voter turnout.

In addition, tweets archived here and here show that election materials arrived at some parts of Aguleri as early as 7:38am.  Subsequently, voting commenced.

Presiding Officer, Linda Akudo photographed reading out the polling procedure at Unit 004, Otuocha 1, Aguleri, Anambra East. SOURCE: ICIR/PTCIJ MiNE Project.

Furthermore, a source in Aguleri confirmed to The FactCheckHub that people were outdoor, and voting was ongoing at 10:30am on Saturday.

Contrary to the tweet posted by the media platform, voting was ongoing in Aguleri and the state governor had even voted before the tweet was sent out.

Read Also: AnambraDecides2021: Image does NOT show APC chairman collapsing after losing LG to PDP

THE VERDICT

Based on the findings, the claim that everyone in Aguleri is indoor and refusing to vote is FALSE. 

Anambra Election: Did Andy Uba sponsor the Prison Reform Bill?

Olugbenga ADANIKIN
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Anambra Election: Did Andy Uba sponsor the Prison Reform Bill?

CANDIDATE of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the forthcoming November 6, governorship election in Anambra, Andy Uba, says he sponsored the Prison Reform Bill.

He made the claim while reacting to assertions by the governorship candidate of All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) Charles Soludo, during a live debate organised by Arise TV and Enough is Enough (EiE) group.

Soludo had accused Uba of being docile on issues relating to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and agitations of the southeast people.

THE CLAIM

Andy Uba sponsored the Prison Reform Bill

THE FINDING

The FactCheckHub found that Uba’s claim is true.

In 2011, Andy Uba contested for the seat of Anambra South Senatorial District under the platform of the People Democratic Party (PDP).

He was later declared the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) after an initial legal tussle.

Aside from being a lawmaker in the 7th National Assembly, he also represented his constituent in the 8th Assembly. He was former Chairman, Senate Committee on Interior.

In August 2019, he told the media in an interview why he sponsored the bill which later changed the Nigerian Prisons Service to the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS).

“The bill also empowers the State Comptroller of Prisons to reject additional prisoners where the prison in question is already filled to capacity.

“As the new name suggests, more emphasis will now be placed on correcting inmates through various skills acquisition programs such as tailoring, shoemaking, carpentry, computer engineering among others,” he stated in the interview.

A list of other bills sponsored and co-sponsored by the lawmaker can be found here.

The bill was later signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari in September 2019.

THE VERDICT

Based on the available findings, Andy Uba sponsored the Prison Reform Bill. Therefore, the claim is TRUE.

How true are Soludo’s employment claims made during Anambra governorship debate

Pamela Ephraim
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How true are Soludo’s employment claims made during Anambra governorship debate

A FORMER governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Chukwuma Charles Soludo during the Anambra state gubernatorial debate said  the state has the lowest unemployment  and underemployment rates in Nigeria.

Soludo who is a candidate in the election slated for November 6, said  “Anambra state has the lowest unemployment of any state in Nigeria at 13 per cent” and  that “Anambra state has the lowest under-employment rate at 17 per cent of any state in Nigeria”.

He clarified that he was making reference to 2020 and his source is the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

THE CLAIMS

Anambra State has the lowest unemployment rate  13 per cent and the lowest underemployment rate at 17 per cent of any state in Nigeria.

A screenshot from the debate.

THE FINDINGS

Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claims are misleading because Soludo made reference to an old set of data.

The data he referenced are actually from the second quarter (Q2) of 2020.

The  2020 Q2 data showed that Anambra has the lowest of unemployment rate at 13.1 per cent and also the lowest underemployment rate at 17 per cent.

Screenshot of National Bureau of Statistics document, unemployment and underemployment Q2, 2020.

After the Q2  labour statistics, the NBS  released the Q4 statistics.

In the Q4 data, Anambra’s unemployment rate is 44.23 per cent while the underemployment rate is 16.48 per cent.

Furthermore, Anambra was not the lowest as  Osun has 11.65 per cent unemployment rate, while Lagos has 4.52 per cent underemployment rate.

Screenshot of National Bureau of Statistics document, unemployment and underemployment Q2, 2020.

THE VERDICT

The claims made by Soludo at the debate that Anambra has the lowest unemployment rate at 13 per cent and the lowest underemployment rate at 17 per cent of any state in Nigeria are MISLEADING.

EDITORS NOTE:

The verdict was updated from True to Misleading.

The report was updated  with NBS Q4 2020 data.

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