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Does a woman need the approval of a male relative before she can adopt a child in Nigeria?

Olugbenga ADANIKIN
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Does a woman need the approval of a male relative before she can adopt a child in Nigeria?

A tweet circulated online claims that in Nigeria a woman cannot adopt a child without getting a male relative to approve the adoption.

The post allegedly shows discrimination against women in Nigeria based on gender.

A screenshot of the tweet which was made by Pamela Adie @PamelaAdie on Twitter was also shared in a WhatsApp group.

The post, which has garnered over 2300 retweets and 3800 likes, reads;

“I was today old when I discovered that in Nigeria, women cannot adopt a child without the “guarantee”/approval of a male person with the same surname as the woman. This is 2021 Nigeria. Later they will say feminism is anti-women.”

THE CLAIM

A woman cannot adopt a child in Nigeria without the approval of a male relative.

The claim as seen on Twitter.

THE FINDINGS

Adoption is the process whereby a person legally and permanently assumes the parenting responsibility of a child not biologically theirs. It is different from fostering which is a temporary commitment with limited parental rights.

The Nigerian government domesticated the United Nations Convention on the Right of the Child and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfares of Child; as such, the Child Rights Act (CRA) was passed in 2003.

This Child Right Acts makes provision and states requirements for the adoption of a child which is done via a High Court accompanied with the following documents;

(a) Where the applicant is a married couple, their marriage certificate or a sworn declaration of marriage;

(b) The birth certificate or sworn declaration of age of each applicant;

(c) 2 passport photographs of each applicant;

(d) A medical certificate of the fitness of the applicant from a Government hospital; and

(e) Such other documents, requirements and information as the Court may require for the purposes of the adoption.

Fred-Young & Evans LP in an article wrote that: “In practice, the Court prefers that an applicant must have fulfilled the condition precedent at the Child Welfare Department and obtain a report stating that the applicant is a proper person to adopt the child. The report would accompany the application for adoption.”

Even though the court may request other information as deemed necessary for the purposes of the adoption, requesting for a woman to get approval from her male relative would be contrary to Section 42 of the Nigeria constitution, Saidu Muhammad Lawal, the Managing Partner of Spectrum Legal told the FactCheckHub.

Section 42 reads:

“Every individual shall be entitled to the enjoyment of the rights and freedoms recognised and guaranteed in the present Charter without distinction of kinds such as race, ethnic group, color, sex, language, religion, political or any other opinion, national and social origin, fortune, birth or other status”.

Lawal noted that there is no uniform adoption law in Nigeria. The Child Rights Acts applies only to the 25 Nigerian states and the FCT who have domesticated and adopted it as law in their respective localities.

He observed that the requirement in the claim made by Pamela may be a requirement in a state, “But even if it exists in whatever state, it is unconstitutional; therefore, it is something that can be challenged on the grounds of its inconsistency with the constitution,” he reiterated.

Section 125 of the child protection law mandates every state government, for the purpose of adoption to “establish and maintain within the state, and in the case of the Federal Government, within the FCT, Abuja, a service designed to meet the need of a child who has been or may be adopted.

Section 129 states that married or single persons are eligible to adopt, however consent from spouse is required only for married people. This consent will be in line with section 132 which speaks on consent.

Section 132: Where a married person is the sole applicant for an adoption order, the Court may, if it
thinks fit, refuse to make the order if the consent of the spouse of the applicant to the making of the
order is not first obtained.

In Nigeria, 25 states have adopted and domesticated the child right act and only 11 states are yet to.

The 11 states include Kebbi, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, Jigawa, Zamfara, Bauchi, Yobe, Gombe, Borno and Adamawa.

As at February 2021, most of these states which are yet to adopt and domesticate the Child Rights Acts do not allow for adoption or are silent on adoption. This invariably means the requirement that a woman needs to get the consent of a relative does not arise in the aforementioned states.

A survey shows that North-East sub-region of the country is yet to make provision for the adoption of children in their statute, the Vanguard Newspaper reported.

The survey by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) conducted in Bauchi, Borno, Yobe, Adamawa and Gombe states shows that authorities in those states prefer allowing applicants to serve as ‘Foster’ parents.

Audu Haruna, the Director, Social Welfare Department, Adamawa State’s Ministry for Women Affairs, Youths and Social Development, said “we do not have a child adoption policy in Adamawa; in place of that, we encourage foster child policy.”

Bauchi state also allows for only fostering while Borno has no specific policy.

Similarly in Gombe, the state Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Naomi Joel, says the state government only gives out children for fostering and not adoption. This also applies to Yobe state.

In Kano, Hajiya Binta Nuraini, the Director, Child Development in the state’s Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, said “we don’t adopt in Kano State because it is a Muslim state; as Shari’a law is practised and the majority of the people in the state are Muslims, we only foster.

In reaction to Pamela’s post, a Twitter user Temitayo O. Esq with the Twitter handle @Tbabz__ said even though it is not a statutory requirement, consent from the male relative of a woman who wants to adopt is required. He wrote;

As an adoption lawyer, I can confirm that this is technically true because I prepared dozens of that ‘approval’. It’s not a statutory requirement but procedural. If you’re solely adopting as a female, the MYSD [Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development] will not accept your application if that male ‘approval’ is missing.

Temitayo went on to reiterate that “As long as you’re female, the evidence of your relationship with a male figure who can play a paternal role in the child’s life must be reflected in your application. [It] has no basis in law”.

He however stated that he doesn’t know if this practice is applicable to men as he is yet to meet “a Nigerian man who wants to adopt on his own”.

A reaction to the claim.

Olaore Feyisayo, an Assistant Director and Head of Adoption in the Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development debunked the claim that women cannot adopt a child until a male relative’s approval is secured during the adoption application.

EndSARS: False claim of video showing Katsina women protesting against Buhari circulates online

“That’s not true sir,” she told the FactCheckHub in a phone interview. “Whatever we do in Lagos state, we are guided by the law. And in the law, a single unmarried man and a single unmarried woman can adopt but the only condition is that they must be at least 35 years old in age.”

For administrative purposes, she said the office engages in counselling of those interested in adoption, “but it’s not in the law that they cannot adopt without validation from someone.”

As for married women, adoption can also be done alone but this would have to be with the husband’s written consent. However, she was quick to add that the procedure is peculiar to Lagos state as the legal framework for child adoption in other states could vary.

CONCLUSION

In summary, the Child Rights Acts makes provision for the adoption of a child. This means it’s not mandatory to get approval from a male relative as a requirement before a woman can adopt. Unless she is married, then she will need her spouse consent; the same applies to married men. The Child Rights Acts have been adopted and domesticated by 25 states and the FCT. Most of the 11 states which have not, do not allow adoption or have no specific policy.  Even if such a requirement exists, it is procedural and not statutory; as such, it can be challenged on the ground of its inconsistency with Section 42 of the Nigerian constitution.

THE VERDICT

The claim that a woman cannot adopt a child in Nigeria without the approval of a male relative is MOSTLY FALSE. This is because such a requirement does not exist in the Child Right Acts. Even if such is introduced by a state while domesticating the CRA, it is contrary to the Nigerian constitution. Consent/Approval is only sought from spouse for married persons, irrespective of gender.

Nigerian dailies share false claim on rescue of Zamfara schoolgirls

Olugbenga ADANIKIN
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Nigerian dailies share false claim on rescue of Zamfara schoolgirls

ON Sunday, February 28, 2021, at least two major Nigerian dailies claimed in separate reports that 317 students from the Government Girls Secondary School, Jangebe, Talata-Mafara Local Government Area of Zamfara State, abducted on Friday had been released.

These national dailies are known to have one of the largest circulations in the country.

The claim, has, however, been shared multiple times online and also generated different reactions.

THE CLAIM

Abducted Zamfara schoolgirls have been released.

False news on Zamfara Schoolgirls.

THE FINDINGS

On Friday, February 26, 2021, abductors took 317 secondary school students from the Government Girls Secondary School, Jangebe, Talata-Mafara Local Government Area of Zamfara State in Nigeria.

The abduction is coming following a series of kidnapping by bandits and insurgents in different states in the country.

Following the incident, the Zamfara state government and security operatives deployed a search and rescue team.

As part of the rescue efforts, the police deployed two helicopters to assist in the search and rescue mission.

Few days prior to the kidnapping incident, Mohammed Adamu, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) had deployed 275 special Police Officers to address the rising cases of banditry and other forms of insecurity in the state.

The Punch and The Nation Newspapers, among other dailies, reported that these students have been released.

Has the students been found as claimed by the national dailies?

The FactCheckHub reached out to Muhammed Salisu, the Police spokesperson for the Zamfara state Police command but he debunked the claim.

“Honestly, I’m not aware of that story,” Salisu said.

“I don’t know where they got the story from but if there is anything like that, both the government and police will speak about it.”

He said, once there is any development, the government and police authority would officially make the announcement.

Besides, Suleiman Anka, Zamfara state’s Commissioner for Information and Culture, also distanced the state from the news report.

He encouraged the public through his social media handle to disregard the reports.

“I want to call the attention of good people of Zamfara State. They should disregard any fake news regarding the release of abducted students of the Government Girls Secondary School, Jangebe, by one national daily,” he stated.

“It is not true. But Alhamdulillah, the state government and securities are there trying their best.”

Bello Muhammad Matawalle, the Zamfara state governor further reaffirmed the position of his media aide but with assurance to locate the missing girls.

He gave the pledge on Sunday, February 28, 2021 during the visit of a federal government delegation led by Senator Hadi Sirika, the aviation minister.

“The people of Zamfara state have mandated me as their governor to appeal to Mr. President to mobilise more securities to the prone areas because definitely there is a shortage of security manpower in the state,” he told the delegates.

“We hope that by the time you land in Abuja, you will be called upon to come and witness the release of the children,” he said.

In addition, one of the national dailies – The Punch Newspaper – later apologised for the false news.

“The Zamfara schoolgirls are yet to be released contrary to our earlier report. We regret and apologise for the error,” it stated.

In total, about three authorities have denied the report and one of the national dailies also apologised.

THE VERDICT 

The claim in the reports by at least two national dailies that schoolgirls abducted in Zamfara have been released is FALSE.

How to identify phishing scams and websites

Niyi Oyedeji
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How to identify phishing scams and websites

Phishing scams are becoming a constant feature in misinformation that is shared online especially on messaging platforms.

Phishing, a social engineering technique used in deception, is fraudulently trying to obtain people’s sensitive information or data by impersonation.

People are directed to enter their information on a website that looks legitimate.

Over time, the FactCheckHub have debunked several of such claims hiding under the guise of recruitment, support fund, empowerment programme, a government activity or free internet data.

They often target subjects and issues that are of interest to the public.

1. Check the URL

a. The content of a phishing post may carry the name and image of a legitimate entity but the website link (URL) it directs users to will not be that of the legitimate website, hence, paying attention to the website link matters.

You can search the name of the entity to find out what their legitimate website link is and compare.

In the image below, the message is impersonating National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).

So, searching on your browser “What is the website address for National Identity Management Commission (NIMC)?” can help.

The website URL and the entity on this message shared via WhatsApp do not tally.

b. In addition, because these scams usually impersonate known individuals and entities, checking the social media handles of such individuals or entities can also help.

This is because such kind of entities usually have verified accounts and their website links are usually included in the bio section.

NIMC Twitter handles showing its website.

2. Security

By rule of thumb, most legitimate entities often use secured websites. If a website is not secured, you should pause and dig further before sharing your information with them.

a. To check if a website is secured, look for a locked padlock symbol in the address bar.

In addition check for the “S” after the HTTP (‘https://’ or ‘https://’).

The ‘S’ indicates the web address has been encrypted and secured with an SSL certificate.

A website without the “s”  after the “http:”  is not secure and any data inputted on it may be intercepted by criminal third parties.

The FactCheckHub website showing its secured features.

b. Fraudsters now come up with a phishing website that looks like the original one to trick users, hence why you need to carefully scrutinise the address before clicking.

For instance, they may add a letter or word or symbols to the legitimate web address and then clone the website.

When you click, it takes you to a homepage that looks like the legitimate one. However, when you look at the website link you will see https://Myfactcheckhub.com/  or https://NIN.factcheckhub.com/ instead of the legitimate one which is https://factcheckhub.com/

Claim that Nigerian government is giving out free N50,000 lockdown funds to each citizen is FALSE

3. Run a website check

When you see a suspicious website you can check for its history.

There are free tools and websites you can check to verify this. For instance, you can use https://whois.domaintools.com/ to check for the verifiable details of a website.

If the website of a known and long-existing entity is active for less than a year, it is a red flag.

If it is a website of a leading brand or agency but registered to an individual in another country, it is also a red flag.

4. Check for content, grammar and spelling errors

One thing we at the FactCheckHub have noticed from debunking phishing posts is that they are littered with bad grammars and spelling errors.

https://factcheckhub.com/tutorials/how-to-fact-check-viral-post-shared-via-whatsapp/

One other important way of knowing a fake website is through the contents on the website.  People usually take time to craft things that would be on a legitimate website but a phishing website is usually rushed or are not willing to dedicate resources to it; as such, it often has poor contents.

If you are on a phishing website, you might even notice its poor graphic design.

5. Call-to-action message to share 

In addition, another observation is that a number of this phishing messages often have a call-to-action message like “Share with 15 friends”, “Share until the bar is full”  before you can access whatever it is they are promising.

They often urge users to share multiple times before they can access whatever they are promising.

6. Check  the “Contact us” section

Another key information that is always missing on a phishing website is the “Contact us” section.

Official websites usually have a page dedicated to providing contact details of their companies.

It may include a postal address, telephone number, email address and social media channels. If none of these details is provided, you should treat the site with suspicion.

These are some of the measures you can apply to avoid falling victims to phishing scams and websites.

Beware! ‘2021 Dangote Empowerment’ post in circulation is FALSE

Beware! ‘2021 Dangote Empowerment’ post in circulation is FALSE

Olugbenga ADANIKIN
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0
Beware! ‘2021 Dangote Empowerment’ post in circulation is FALSE

A  post circulating on WhatsApp claims that the ‘2021 Dangote Empowerment’ is ongoing and urged people to click a link to check their ‘cash prize’ eligibility status.

The claim sent to the FactCheckHub for verification, and screenshot on February 18, 2021 reads;

2021 Dangote Empowerment. Hurry now check if you are eligible to receive a cash prize as part of Dangote Empowerment Grant.  Apply Here.

THE CLAIM

Dangote [Aliko Dangote Foundation] is inviting individuals to apply for 2021 empowerment grant.

The claim retrieved from a WhatsApp group.

THE FINDINGS

Findings by the FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE.

Aliko Dangote is a Nigerian business mogul who owns a conglomerate of businesses.  Forbes 2021 billionaire ranking lists him as the wealthiest man in Africa.

He runs a philanthropist organisation known as the Aliko Dangote Foundation which offers humanitarian support in various capacity.

Francis Awowole-Browne, the Director of Corporate Communication, Dangote Industries Limited, in a statement debunked the viral post saying it is a scam meant to defraud people.

He said:

Our attention has been drawn to a fraudulent scheme circulating on WhatsApp and other social media titled 2021 Dangote Empowerment purporting to be sanctioned by the Aliko Dangote Foundation.

Please note that this initiative is a scam aimed at defrauding unsuspecting people and we strongly advise that you disregard it.

While we work towards shutting down the activities and accounts of these scammers, please be advised to contact the law enforcement agency in case you have made contact with the group.

Avoid falling victim to such scams 

Over time, the FactCheckHub have debunked several of such claims hiding under the guise of recruitment, support fund, empowerment programme, a government activity or free internet data.

These claims usually follow a similar modus operandi by targeting areas that would be of interest to a lot of persons.

They are often shared via the WhatsApp platform. Oftentimes, they impersonate a group, person or organisation and they all have a link they ask people to click.

The link directs to a phishing website either meant to access people’s information for nefarious purposes or to garner traction in order to sell advertisements or sometimes get people to fill a survey under false pretence.

Most importantly – a red flag to be aware of – is that they always ask for the link to be shared multiple times with call-to-action phrases like “Share it until the bar is full”.

These scam posts ask people to share them multiple times.

In addition, these kinds of posts are usually littered with bad grammar and spelling errors.

Surfing the website or social media handles of the organisation the post claims to be from is a way to avoid falling victim to such scams. In this instance, visiting the Dangote Foundation’s website. This is because organisations would often share such information on their social media platforms.

You can also read the FactCheckHub article on how to Fact-check viral posts shared via WhatsApp.

THE VERDICT

The claim that Dangote [Aliko Dangote Foundation] is inviting individuals to apply for 2021 empowerment grant is FALSE.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by FactCheckHub (@thefactcheckhub)

Viral photo of aircraft wreckage was from 2018 crash

Niyi Oyedeji
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Viral photo of aircraft wreckage was from 2018 crash

A PICTURE of aircraft wreckage has been shared multiple times online with the claim that, it is the wreckage of a Nigerian government fighter jet shot down by the Eastern Security Network (ESN).

The photo surfaced online following the news about a combined military and police operation in search of ESN camps and members at Orlu in Imo State on Thursday, February 18, 2021.

The ESN is a security arm of the Nigerian separatist group, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

A Twitter user, Mazi Azubuike Onovo with the handle: @AzubuikeOnovo, who tweeted the picture on February 18, 2021, claimed that the ESN gunned down the jet which belongs to the Nigerian government.

He tweeted the picture with the caption;

 (sic) BREAK NEWS– This one of the fighter jet that Nigerian government used against unarmed civilians in ORLU IMO state, I thank CHUKWU OKIKE for #ESN who intercepted and destroy the jet to save the innocent civilians. Two dawn kudos to #ESN.We move on.

The tweet had already garnered 692 likes, 563 retweets when retrieved by 10 P.M. of February 21, 2021.

The news of the jet being shot down by ESN was also published on a blog, kbase.com.ng.

It was also published on Nigeria’s foremost forum, Nairaland, before it was later deleted.

THE CLAIM

The photo shows the wreckage of a Nigerian government fighter jet shot down by the Eastern Security Network (ESN).

THE FINDINGS

Multiple searches conducted by the FactCheckHub show that the photo first appeared on the internet in September of 2018.

A search conducted by the FactCheckHub using the Google Reverse Image search revealed that the picture shows the wreckage of two military aircraft that crashed on September 27, 2018.

According to the news that was reported here, here and here, the two jets belonging to the Nigerian Air Force, crashed in Abuja during an aerial display rehearsal ahead of the October 1, 2018 Independence Day celebration.

THE VERDICT

The claim that the photo shows the wreckage of a Nigerian government fighter jet shot down by the Eastern Security Network (ESN) is FALSE.

The photo was from the wreckage of the military jets crash which happened in Abuja on September 27, 2018.

Oyo crisis: Viral photo of man drenched in blood was NOT shot in 2021

Niyi Oyedeji
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0
Oyo crisis: Viral photo of man drenched in blood was NOT shot in 2021

A PICTURE of a man drenched in blood has been shared multiple times online with the claim that it shows a scene from the Hausa/Yoruba clash at Shasha area of Ibadan, Oyo State.

This photo surfaced online at the heat of the  clash reported on February 12, 2021, which led to the trending of the hashtag #StopKillingNortherners on Twitter, the following day.

Twitter users, who shared the picture, allude that the man is a Hausa man who was attacked during the clash.

On February 14, 2021 a Twitter user, with the username @iamunscramz tweeted the picture with the caption;

What is his crime? He speaks Hausa fluently and wears a Hausa native and also stays in OYO. #StopKillingNortherners

A day before the tweet, on Saturday, February 13, 2021,  there were reports of ethnic clash between Hausa and Yoruba people at Shasha area of Ibadan. This is was reported here, here and here.

However, since then, there have been a number of misleading pictures and videos circulating on social media.  The FactCheckHub had earlier debunked one of such videos here.

THE CLAIM                                                                     

The photo shows a Hausa man, drenched in blood, who was attacked in Oyo State following the Hausa/Yoruba clash in Shasha community.

A screenshot of the claim.

THE FINDINGS

Multiple searches conducted by the FactCheckHub show that the picture has been on the internet since 2015.

The picture, which has been used to depict various ethnic and communal clashes, was traced online to May 29, 2015.

A search conducted by the FactCheckHub using the Tineye search revealed that the picture originally emanated from a clash which happened in 2015 in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State.

The Vanguard Newspaper reported that the picture was that of one of the injured victims of the Ado-Ekiti crisis.

THE VERDICT

The claim that the photo shows a Hausa man, drenched in blood, who was attacked in Oyo State following the Hausa/Yoruba clash in Shasha community is FALSE.

The picture is from a clash which took place in Ekiti State in 2015.

 

 

Old Edo video resurfaces online amidst Hausa, Yoruba clash in Oyo state

Olugbenga ADANIKIN
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0
Old Edo video resurfaces online amidst Hausa, Yoruba clash in Oyo state

A video has been shared multiple times on social media alongside a claim that it shows a gruesome attack on Nigeria’s northern community in Oyo state.

This video surfaced online at the heat of the Hausa/Yoruba clash reported in Oyo state on Friday, February 12, 2021, which led to the trending of the hashtag #StopKillingNortherners on Twitter, the following day.

Multiple Twitter users shared the videos reportedly to call attention to the ongoing crisis in Oyo state, South-western region of Nigeria.

A Twitter handle @SirTafawaBalewa shared the video with the following texts: “#StopKillingNortherners in Oyo State. Enough is Enough!”

The video which was also shared by @Am_Saleem and @El_abdool  shows people lynching a number of men on the allegations that they were Fulani herdsmen caught with guns and weapons.

Despite pleas from other individuals within the mob discouraging the hoodlums to avoid jungle justice, the victims or some of them or there belongings were later set ablaze as fire could be seen in some of the videos.

The action has, however, been criticised by most people on the threads.

THE CLAIM

The video shows the attack on northerners in Oyo State following the Hausa/Yoruba clash in Shasha community, Akinyele Local Government Area.

A screenshot of the claim.

THE FINDINGS

Multiple searches conducted by the FactCheckHub traced the video to Edo state and not Oyo State as alluded in the viral tweets.

One of the earliest time it appeared on the internet was on February 11, 2021, where the suspects were reportedly caught with rifles and other weapons.

The person narrating  states that the incident happened around  Upper Ekenwan in Benin City, Edo State.

A version of the video was also found on a Facebook story by Sanmi Oje. The location was identified as Edo state. “Edo state is no longer safe,” says an unidentified narrator in the video.Even though the videos were taken from different angles with different commentators, they were from the same incident as the same cars, rifles appeared. From the videos, people can be seen recording the incident with their smartphones; this explains why there are different versions of the incident from different angles.

In addition, the language spoken in the video is not Yoruba but Pidgin English peculiar to natives of Southern Nigeria majorly and also Bini, a native language spoken in Edo State.

The Oyo clash between the Hausa and Yoruba was reported to have started on February 10, 2021 but escalated by the evening of February 12, 2021.

This implies that the incident shared in the claim had occurred before the escalation of the Oyo ethnic clash that led to the destructions at Shasha in Akinyele Local Government Area of Oyo State.

This incident of men who are suspected to be from Fulani descent caught with arms in Edo state  is however, different from the one which happened  on February 10, 2021. In this instance, they were caught by security operatives.  The commentator in a video posted on YouTube  says it happened at Ekenwan barrack, in Edo State.

A similar incident of people arrested with unidentified guns had earlier happened.

This was also reported by the News Guru.

In this instance, the suspects were arrested by security operatives.

Furthermore, Chidi Nwabuzor, the spokesperson for Edo State Police Command confirmed to the FactCheckHub that the incident took place in Edo state.

He said, “The incident happened in Ogede Community, Ovia South-West, Edo State. Four persons were involved and they were alleged to have been caught with firearms and they could not give reasons why they bear arms. They were not with any government recognised security organisation”.

There have been other reported cases of mob lynching in the state. Suspected armed robbers, native doctor, phone thieves were reported to have been meted with jungle justice.

THE VERDICT

The claim that the video shows attack on northerners in Oyo State following the Hausa/Yoruba clash in Shasha, Akinyele Local Government Area is FALSE. This is because the video predates the Oyo incident.

False claim circulates online that NIMC has approved self NIN registration

Niyi Oyedeji
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0
False claim circulates online that NIMC has approved self NIN registration

A POST circulating on WhatsApp claims that the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has approved a website for online registration of National Identification Number (NIN).

The NIMC is a Nigerian government agency that operates and regulates matters of national identity in the country.

The post retrieved from a WhatsApp group on February 8, 2021, asked people to avoid unnecessary crowd at the NIMC centres and enrol online via a web link.

The post reads:

Federal Government has approved individual NIN registration online to avoid unnecessary crowd in the NIMC centers. Enroll Now.

THE CLAIM

The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has approved online self-registration of National Identification Number (NIN).

THE FINDINGS

Checks by the FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE.

The FactCheckHub observed that the website attached to the claim has similar characteristics of phishing websites attached to claims previously debunked here and here.

The website attached to the claim is different from the official website of the NIMC.

The official website of the NIMC is nimc.gov.ng and it does not have provision for NIN registration.

It, however, has provision for pre-enrolment. This process involves filling details online using the pre-enrolment Portal (penrol.nimc.gov.ng), and the summary page which has a 2D barcode is printed and taken to an enrolment centre.

To remove ambiguity to as to what pre-enrolment means, the NIMC included a caveat:

It is important to note that the Online Pre-Enrolment is an initial step in the enrolment process. The enrolment is only completed after the applicant gets his or her biometric data (fingerprints, headshot photograph and signature) captured and processed by an Enrolment Officer at any NIMC Enrolment Centre.

The website in the claim either seeks to fraudulently acquire people’s information or garner traffic as it prompts them to share links in WhatsApp groups.

The false website prompting people to share.

For instance, the first page of the website asked people to input their full name and mobile number, while another page asks people to share the information with 15 friends or to 5 groups on WhatsApp.

To avoid falling victim to phishing websites,  here are some guides on how to fact-check broadcast posts shared on WhatsApp.

The FactCheckHub also reached out to Kayode Adegoke, Head of Corporate Communications, NIMC, who confirmed that the claim is false.

“The website is fake,” he replied to the FactCheckHub’s enquiry via a telephone conversation.

The FactCheckHub also observed that the NIMC has debunked the claim on its official verified Twitter Page.

NIMC’s disclaimer.

 

THE VERDICT

The claim that the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has approved online registration of National Identification Number (NIN) is FALSE. In addition, the website link shared in the claim looks fraudulent.

 

Viral video claiming students ran from forced COVID-19 vaccination was shot in 2019

Olugbenga ADANIKIN
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0
Viral video claiming students ran from forced COVID-19 vaccination was shot in 2019

A video has been shared multiple times on social media alongside a claim that it shows students running away to avoid forced COVID-19 vaccination.

The video was posted on Twitter by ANT1 (@ANT159694954) on February 2, 2021 with the caption  SIC “Africa in Danager, kids running away from force vaccination. What is happening in the world.”

The 30 seconds clip has over 13,000 views.

THE CLAIM

Video shows students running away to avoid forced COVID-19 vaccination.

A screenshot of the tweet.

THE FINDINGS

Findings by the FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE.

Through the WeVerify technology and the Google Reverse Image Search, the video was traced online to May 25, 2019.

In 2019, The Guardian Nigeria reported how a 17-year-old student of Community Secondary School, Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt, Rivers State in Nigeria sent his school into pandemonium after he brought a teargas canister to school.

The canister had exploded while the students were fiddling with it.

“The explosion caused panic, prompting several students who were scared to start jumping down from the first floor of the two-storey of the secondary school,” the report stated.

The Vanguard newspaper in 2019, reported a follow-up of the incident.

The footage was recorded by a teacher and it went viral after it was posted on social media.

Ruth Major, the school’s principal had reported the incident at Olu-Obasanjo police station, Port Harcourt.

She said “On Thursday, we experienced a security challenge and it happened because a student in senior secondary school 2 brought a teargas canister to class and invited his mates.

“As they were contemplating on how to open it, one of them, Darlington, detonated it. When he opened it and smoke started coming out, he ran out of the class. As a result, there was panic and stampede.”

As such, the video which was online in 2019 could not have been of students running to evade forced COVID-19 vaccination. This is because it predates COVID-19  pandemic and also its vaccination.

The COVID-19 vaccines have been a subject of debate and misinformation.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak and its transition to a pandemic, the disease has spread across nations globally, infecting millions of people and killing millions as well.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) COVID-19 dashboard says, as of February 7, 2021, the confirmed cases globally are over 105 million (105,394,301) while death is over 2.3 million (2,302,302).

After several efforts, including supports from multiple experts in finding a cure to the pandemic, the WHO eventually announced the approval of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for emergency use.

In the second week of December 2019, the United States Food and Drug Administration Agency (FDA) also issued its support for the emergency use of the Pfizer/BioNTech.

Other vaccines such as Moderna, AstraZeneca, Suptnik V, Johnson and Johnson single-dose Covid-19 serum have been developed.

The Chinese, through its state-owned China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm) also developed and approved Sinovac.

THE VERDICT

The claim that the video shows students running away to avoid forced COVID-19 vaccination is FALSE. The video was traced online to 2019; as such, it predates the COVID-19 pandemic and its vaccination.

Did Kogi state attract the highest foreign investment in the last quarter of 2020?

Olugbenga ADANIKIN
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Did Kogi state attract the highest foreign investment in the last quarter of 2020?

KINGSLEY Fanwo, the Kogi State Commissioner for Information on February 2, 2021, claimed the state attracted the highest Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into Nigeria during the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2020.

The assertion was made on  Channels television breakfast show, ‘Sunrise Daily’.

Fanwo was on the national television programme to dispute the declaration of Kogi state as a high-risk area by Nigeria’s Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19.

The programme is also hosted on the television’s YouTube platform which has over 1.4 million subscribers.

Fanwo said:

PTF and NCDC are saying that people should not go to Kogi because it is a high-risk state.
Where is the statistics to support their claims? They don’t have any statistics to support their claims. The death rate in 2020 is less than what we had in 2019.
So, it is not like some people are hiding the ailments or people are dying secretly. There was nothing like that. And you could see that in the last quarter of 2020, Kogi was declared the state with the highest influx of foreign investments in the entire country.
That shows that the people of the state are healthy, the state is safe. The statement by the PTF is targeted at the economy of the state.

THE CLAIM

Kogi state attracted the highest foreign investment in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2020.

A screenshot from the programme.

THE FINDINGS

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) are business ventures established in a country by foreigners.

It largely contributes to the growth and overall development of the host nation’s economy. It is also one of the parameters used to benchmark the economic growth of a nation and its respective states.

The Corporate Finance Institute also described FDI as an investment from a party in one country into a business or corporation in another with the intention of establishing a lasting interest.

FDI is a subset of capital importation alongside portfolio investment and other investment.

In Nigeria, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS),  in its report detailing the activities for the last quarter of 2020 says the country witnessed a significant drop in capital importation with a total of 9.68 billion dollars.

In 2019, it was 23.99 billion dollars while in 2018  it was 16.81 billion dollars.

The report reads “The total value of capital importation into Nigeria stood at 1,069.68 million dollars in the fourth quarter of 2020. This represents a decrease of -26.81% compared to Q3 2020 and -71.87% decrease compared to the fourth quarter of 2019.

Similarly, the total value of capital importation in 2020 stood at 9,680.49 million dollars, compared to 23,990.05 million dollars in 2019, representing a decline of -59.65% between the two periods.”

According to the report, the United Kingdom (UK) remains the top source of capital investment in Nigeria in the last quarter of 2020 with $236.88 million. This sum accounts for 22.14 per cent of the total capital flow.

Moreover, “by the destination of investment, Lagos state emerged the top destination of capital investment in Nigeria in Q4 2020 with 829.64 million dollars. This accounted for 77.56 per cent of the total capital inflow in Q4 2020.”

In Q3 2020, Lagos also ranked top among states in the country with the highest destination of investment. Lagos pulled 1.20 million dollars of capital importation, followed by Abuja with 195,570 dollars then Abia State with an investment value of 56,070 dollars.

CAPITAL IMPORTATION BY DESTINATION Q3-Q4 2020

Did Kogi State attract the highest investment in Q4 2020?

In Q3, 2020 Kogi had no record of foreign investment and could not make the NBS list of states that recorded ‘capital importation by destination’.

It was the same in Q4. The state did not attract capital importation at all based on the NBS data.

Aside from Lagos state which attracted 829.64 million dollars of capital importation in the last quarter of 2020, the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja followed with 222.64 million dollars.

Kogi recorded zero.

Nigeria’s total capital importation for the year was 9,680.49 million dollars.

The NBS report further stated that the “Data is supplied administratively by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and verified and validated by the NBS”.

The FactCheckHub further reached out to Sunday Ichedi, the NBS Head of Public Affairs and International Relations, as to why some states like  Kogi recorded zero.

Ichedi explained that the information on their report was sourced from the Nigeria Investment Promotion Centre (NIPC).

“On investments, the NIPC is the government body working in that area. So, those states without figures don’t have investments as of the time it was reported,” Ichedi said.

THE VERDICT

Based on the above data sourced from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the claim that Kogi State has the highest Foreign Direct Investment for the last quarter of 2020 is FALSE.

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