Home Blog Page 141

Did WHO disqualify Nigeria from global COVID-19 vaccine bid?

Niyi Oyedeji
-
0
Did WHO disqualify Nigeria from global COVID-19 vaccine bid?

There are conversations online that the World Health Organisation (WHO) disqualified Nigeria from accessing the COVID-19 vaccine for her population.

This followed media reports of February 6, 2021 stating that WHO disqualified Nigeria, eight other countries from the global COVID-19 vaccine bid.

The reports were published by Sahara Reporters, The Punch, Infodigest, Newsexpressng, and Nairaland.

The reports put forward that the countries were disqualified for their inability to meet certain requirements.

The Punch’s report read:

The World Health Organisation-led COVAX global initiative has failed to shortlist Nigeria for the Pfizer vaccines following the country’s inability to meet the standard requirement of being able to store the vaccines at the required -70 degrees Celsius.

A Twitter handle @Instablog tweeted that “WHO has disqualified Nigeria from global vaccine bid”.

The tweet has generated many reactions.

THE CLAIM

WHO has disqualified Nigeria from the global vaccine bid.

THE FINDINGS

Findings by the FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE.

The FactCheckHub checks show that Nigeria is among the 92 countries that have as of 15 December 2020, submitted non-binding confirmations of intent to participate in the COVAX Facility and thereby signed commitment agreements to the Facility.

COVAX is a global initiative that was launched in April by the World Health Organization (WHO), the European Commission and France in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The project was targeted at bringing together governments, global health organisations, manufacturers, scientists, private sector, civil society and philanthropy, with the aim of providing innovative and equitable access to COVID-19 diagnostics, treatments and vaccines.

The WHO Representative to Nigeria, Dr Walter Kazadi Mulombo, while clarifying the claim spreading tweeted that WHO is part of Covax facility and can never disqualify Nigeria, a participating member from accessing an approved vaccine. He wrote:

WHO is part of Covax facility and can never disqualify a Member State from accessing an approved vaccine for their population. I call upon members of the press in Nigeria and globally to contribute to fighting misinformation @WHONigeria.

The tweet was also retweeted by the verified Twitter handle of the WHO Nigeria office.

Similarly, Charity Warigon, the WHO Communications Officer in Nigeria stated that the news that WHO disqualified Nigeria from accessing an approved COVID-19 vaccine is not true.

“Demand for the initial allocation of 1.2 million Pfizer doses was exceptionally high. COVAX received interest from 72 countries around the world, of which 51 countries were considered by the review committee as “ready” (Nigeria was among these countries) and 18 countries in total were finally chosen to receive initial Pfizer doses,” Warigon told the FactCheckHub via a telephone conversation.

THE VERDICT

The claim that WHO disqualified Nigeria from the global vaccine bid is FALSE.

Does Rivers State have the highest number of unemployed people?

Niyi Oyedeji
-
0
Does Rivers State have the highest number of unemployed people?

SOBOMABO Jackrich, the Convener, Network for Defence of Democracy and Good Governance (NDDGG) claimed that Rivers State has the highest number of unemployed people.

Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers State, in January of 2021, donated 500 million Naira to Sokoto State to support the rebuilding of the state’s central market which was gutted by fire.

This gesture has generated reactions from many people.

The pensioners in his state said the 500 million Naira could have been used to meet some of the demands of retired civil servants.

Jackrich, reacting to the 500 million Naira donation, said,  Wike is unbothered that his state ranks number one on the unemployment index. He said:

The action of the governor clearly proves that he does not seem to have a protected future at stake or vision for our dear [Rivers] state.

He is not bothered that the state ranks number one on the unemployment index having the highest unemployed population as published by the National Bureau of Statistics and other institutions.

THE CLAIM

Rivers State ranks number one on the unemployment index having the highest unemployed population.

THE FINDINGS

Findings by the FactCheckHub show that the claim is TRUE.

The FactCheckHub checked the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) website for the data on Nigeria’s labour statistics to determine the total number of the unemployed population in the country per state.

According to the statistics  on Nigeria’s labour force released by the NBS for 2nd quarter (Q2) of 2020, Rivers State has a total number of 1.7 million (1,714,188) unemployed people.

This makes it the state with the highest number of unemployed people in Nigeria.

Kano State follows with 1.4 million (1,424,685), and then Kaduna State with 1.3 million (1,339,952).

 

The Q2 data is the current unemployment data released by the NBS as at the time of this report.

It is essential to note that the total unemployed population is different from unemployment rate.

The former is the total number of people who are unemployed within a state while the latter is the percentage of the labour force that is unemployed within a state.

THE VERDICT

Based on the statistics on Nigeria’s labour force released by the NBS for the 2nd quarter (Q2) of 2020, the claim that Rivers State has the highest number of unemployed people is TRUE.

Did Larry King survive multiple ailments, several marriages?

Olugbenga ADANIKIN
-
0
Did Larry King survive multiple ailments, several marriages?

A few days after the passing of American television and radio host,  Larry King, a post surfaced online in Nigeria that he survived several ailments and multiple divorces before finally dying of COVID-19.

The post was meant to get people to take COVID-19 serious and observe its prevention protocols, like wearing of masks.

The post made by an online user, Ben Agande, on Facebook has been shared multiple times.

THE CLAIM

Larry King survived two cancers – lung and prostate, quintuple by-pass heart surgery, cardiac arrest, seven wives and was diabetic.

Screenshot of the post by the Facebook user, Ben Agande.

THE FINDINGS

Findings by the FactCheckHub show that the claim is TRUE.

Larry King was a prominent broadcaster and host of the famous show – ‘Larry King Live’ on Cable News Network (CNN).

He hosted the show for more than 25 years and recorded over 6,000 episodes.

King died at 87. His death was announced by his family on January 24, 2021 on his verified Facebook  page.

“He was an amazing father, and he was fiercely loyal to those lucky enough to call him a friend. We will miss him every single day of our lives,” the statement reads in part.

King’s family did not categorically state the cause of his death. However, his former employer said he was hospitalized for contracting COVID-19.

A day before, Ora Media, a firm he co-founded also disclosed that he died at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre, in Los Angeles, United States.

For 63 years, the ace broadcaster worked across different news platforms such as radio, television, and digital media. “Larry’s many thousands of interviews, awards, and global acclaim stand as a testament to his unique and lasting talent as a broadcaster,” the firm stated.

King has suffered from a series of ailments and largely managed to survive them. Some of which are cancer of the lung and prostate cancer.

In 2017, King struggled with lung cancer, USA Today reports.

Medical doctors discovered a stage 1 tumour during the broadcaster’s annual chest X-ray, which was removed via surgery.

In an interview with EXTRA, King said he had a heart attack and a heart surgery.

“I have a check-up every year. I have gone through a lot in my life – I’ve had a heart attack and heart surgery. Part of my check-up is the chest X-ray, and that is the protocol, I do it every year. Then, the doctor says I see a little spot here,” he said.

His representative, in a statement to the CNN, also stated that King  was “diagnosed with stage 1 Adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer, through a routine chest examination.”

The report also noted that King has type 2 diabetes. 

On February 24, 1987, King suffered a heart attack. The heart disease was found to be hereditary. When King was 9, his father died of cardiac arrest at 46. In an interview with Alene Dawson of the Los Angeles Times, he said:

I’ve had heart attack and heart surgery.

I defeated prostate cancer, have type 2 diabetes but I remain in good health…I follow my doctor’s wishes, I take my prescriptions drugs, I take a lot of vitamins…

By December of the same year, the bypass surgery was done.

King was married eight times to seven different women, including Alene Akins, whom he married and divorced twice. One of his marriages was reportedly annulled.

His longest and last marriage was with Shawn Southwick.  He filed for divorce after  22 years of marriage.

THE VERDICT

The claim that Larry King survived two cancers – lung and prostate, quintuple by-pass heart surgery, cardiac arrest, seven wives and was diabetic is TRUE.

How to verify visuals using frames

Olugbenga ADANIKIN
-
0
How to verify visuals using frames

Misinformation can come in the form of texts, audio, or visuals.

These visuals could be an old video circulated as new or even doctored.

As such content verification skill is required for a fact-checker.

One of the ways to verify  videos is through the WeVerify open-source content verification browser plugin.

To use this, visit website of WeVerify designed by InVID. In most cases, it displays as an extension.

Follow the instruction to add the application (software) as an extension to your internet browser (Google Chrome recommended).

Once this is added, launch the application and click on “Key frames”.  This breaks the footage in to frames -snapshots.

These shots enable the user to deploy the reverse image tool.

The next step is to download the video footage and upload from the computer by clicking on the “Local File,” then click “Submit”.

On the contrary, if you choose not to download the video, simply copy the video’s URL, paste in the “Insert Video URL” space, then click the “Submit” button.

The next page displays video key frames of the fragmented footage. At this stage, users can select each of the frames and conduct google reverse image search.

To deploy multiple images, simply right click on the image of your choice, select reverse image search in the drop-down menu, then click all search engines.

Browse through the search results and trace the video.

From the search results, users could determine and trace the date such video was uploaded on YouTube, websites or other video channels.

Hope you found this useful? Kindly drop a comment if you do or if you need further clarification.

 

 

Nigerian govt is not giving out N10,500 weekly COVID-19 support

Olugbenga ADANIKIN
-
0
Nigerian govt is not giving out N10,500 weekly COVID-19 support

ON Saturday, January 30, 2021, a viral claim circulating on WhatsApp says the Nigerian Government is giving out N10,500 weekly funds to Nigerians.

The assistance, titled “COVID-19 second wave Support fund programme” encouraged members of the public to take advantage of the funding opportunity by submitting an application through a website.

It reads:

“Don’t miss this federal government N10,500 weekly grant. It takes few seconds to apply. Don’t miss this great opportunity. Apply here

It adds a website link.

ALSO READ: How scam, fraudulent actors take advantage of COVID-19

THE CLAIM

Due to COVID-19 second wave, the Federal Government is giving out a weekly grant of N10, 500 to support Nigerians.

THE FINDINGS

Findings by the FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE.

The FactCheckHub observed that the website on the forwarded post, even though it had photos of the Minister of Humanitarian affairs, Disaster management and Social development (FMHDS), Sadiya Umar Farouq, it is different from that of the ministry.

The FMHDS website is fmhds.gov.ng.

The website in the claim seeks to gain traffic by prompting people to share. For instance, after filling the questionnaire, it says “share until the blue bar is full”.

The website is also riddled with several pop-up advertisements for dating sites, bitcoin trading etc. It is unusual for government websites to have commercially driven adverts.

The website prompting people to share.

In addition, the website is not secure as it does not have “S” after the “HTTP”, neither does it have the padlock symbol at the URL.

Another red flag the FactCheckHub discovered is that the social media icons attached to the website do not redirect to any social media account; it rather refreshes back to the website.

More so, the contact button found on the website is also inactive; thus, questions the credibility of the support fund.

The website also has a comment section – mimicking a Facebook comment plugin. This is also phony as it does not redirect to Facebook as the plugin is expected to work.

The comment section mimicking a Facebook comment plugin.

Furthermore, The FMHDS which coordinates support schemes on behalf of the Nigerian government has no such information on its official website or social media accounts.

The ministry, however,  has special funds such as the N75 billion Nigerian Youth Investment Fund (N-YIF) partly managed by the Federal Ministry of Youths and Sport initiated by the Federal Government and the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Survival Fund.

They are all part of the Nigeria Economic Sustainability Plan (NESP) designed by the Federal Government under the leadership of the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to reduce the impacts of COVID-19 on the nation’s economy.

Not the first time

This is not the first time that the FactCheckHub is debunking similar claims. The FactCheckHub has debunked similar claims that the Nigerian government is giving out free N50,000 lockdown funds, the National Identity Management is giving out 5GB free data, the Nigerian government is giving N25,000 relief funds , FG giving out grants to support Nigerians etc.

All these claims were false.

They all have the same script of broadcasting the claims via WhatsApp, putting out a phony website link, and asking for multiple shares.

The page the link in the claim directs too.

The FactCheckHub had reported that such claims that masquerade as what they are not, usually target topics and areas that a lot of people are interested in, like relief funds, recruitment, free data.

Sometimes, such websites are set up to obtain people’s information for nefarious purposes or to get traffic so that they can sell advertisements.

Going to the government, institution, agency or a company’s social media handles to see if they have such claims can help one avoid falling victim.

A number of such institutions that attract public interest are verified on social media. Such social media handles usually have the website included in the bio.

In addition, Google-searching information using keywords is another way of verifying claims like this; if it is legit, it may have been reported as news.

THE VERDICT

From the findings presented above, the claim that alludes that due to COVID-19 second wave, the Federal Government is giving out a weekly grant of N1o, 500 to support Nigerians is FALSE.

Claim that Bill Gates called for decimation of Africans is false!

Olugbenga ADANIKIN
-
1
Claim that Bill Gates called for decimation of Africans is false!

A video claiming that computer magnate, Bill Gates said that the world should be depopulated starting from the elimination of Africans has resurfaced online and gone viral. 

The claim was made by Robert Young, an alternative medicine practitioner.

The video was shared  on Twitter by Femi Fani-Kayode, a former Minister of Aviation in Nigeria.

He shared it with the caption:

Africa O Africa! Listen to this, watch your back and pray hard…

Fani-Kayode has over 959,000 followers and the video has since garnered over 21,000 views, shared over 1,400  times and liked more than 1,200 times.

The video was also shared on other social media platforms such as Facebook and YouTube.

THE CLAIM

Bill Gates said the world should be depopulated by three billion people, starting with the elimination of Africans.

The tweet by Femi Fani-Kayode.

THE FINDINGS

Did Dr. Young made this assertion or is it a doctored footage?

Findings by the FactCheckHub show that the video originated from International Tribunal for Natural Justice (ITNJ), a radical group that holds unsanctioned commissions of inquiry.

Through  WeVerify, the 40 seconds clip shared by Fani-Kayode was split into frames; while these frames were used in a Google Reverse Image search.

The clip is part of over an hour long video shared by the ITNJ in 2019.

Young made the assertions before the ITNJ Judicial Commission of Inquiry on Weaponisation of the Biosphere.

The panel include: Dr. Nancy Ash, ITJN Trustee; Sacha Stone, ITJN Trustee Emeritus and Sir John Walsh of Brannagh, the ITJN Chief Justice.

Other members of the panel are Bishop Riah Abu El Assal, ITJN Commissioner and Thomas Brown, ITJN Trustee.

Young made the controversial comment when responding to a question from Stone, one of the panelists on if synthetic molecule could be used for human treatment.

He said in part:

For the purpose of sterilisation and population control, there are too many people on the planet that we need to get rid of. In words of Bill Gates, at least 3 billion people need to die. So, we will just start off in Africa.

We start doing our researches there, eliminates most of the Africans because they are deplorable, they are worthless, they are not part of this world economy, so they have their rights taken away, they are suppressed and they are experimented.

Did Gates call for world depopulation by three billion people, starting with the elimination of Africans?

A search on the internet did not produce any result of Gates making the assertion.

Young had said “These are Bill Gates words. Just Google Bill Gates and depopulation and sterilisation. You’ll hear out of his own mouth the plan”.

Gates has been the subject of misinformation and conspiracy theories especially in areas of health, COVID-19 vaccine, population control and 5G network.

This is likely due to his work in Public Health. He has long been a proponent of population control to target the roots of poverty and unrest with a focus on contraception.

On COVID-19, Gates shared concern on the possible rate of transmission due to existing medical issues, weak health facilities, testing capacity among others.

“Poor countries may not be able to reduce the rate of spread unlike the rich countries,” – he told CNBC News in an interview.

In another interview with the Financial Times,  Gates expressed optimism that the COVID-19 vaccine maybe made  available to everyone globally.

Several claims on Gates linked with depopulation and vaccine have been previously debunked by other fact-checking organisations such Politifact, Snopes, and Reuters.

 

THE VERDICT

From the findings above, the claim that Bill Gates said that the world should be depopulated by three billion people, starting with the elimination of Africans is FALSE.

False claim circulates online that NIMC is giving out 5GB free data

Niyi Oyedeji
-
0
False claim circulates online that NIMC is giving out 5GB free data

A post circulating on social media claims that the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC)  is giving out free internet data.

The NIMC is an agency that operates and regulates matters of national identity in Nigeria.

The post retrieved from a WhatsApp group on January 27, 2021 directed people to claim the data via a link.

The post reads:

NIN VERIFICATION Check if Your number have been chosen by NIN to receive 5GB As Part of Verification REWARD Program For Who have been using the SIM for more than three months FOR ALL NETWORK USERS  Deadline: 30-01-2021  Click:

THE CLAIM

The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) is giving  out 5GB of data to those who have verified their National Identification Number (NIN).A screenshot of the claim as seen on WhatsApp

THE FINDINGS

Checks by the FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE.

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

The official website of the NIMC is https://nimc.gov.ng.

The website in the claim seeks to gain traffic by prompting people to share.

For instance, the first page of the website asked people to click a link to check if they have been selected for the 5GB NIN data.

The following page asked for mobile numbers, after which it directs people to another page asking them to share the post in 12 WhatsApp groups before having access to the data.

The page directing people to share the post multiple times.

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

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

In addition, the FactCheckHub had earlier fact-checked and debunked a similar claim asking people to visit a phishing website.

Such claims masquerade as what they are not, usually target topics and areas that a lot of people are interested in, like relief fund, recruitment, free data.

The objective is often geared towards driving traffic to a website – as it often asks for a link to be shared multiple times.

It could also be a survey website getting people to fill out questionnaires under false pretense.

Sometimes such websites are set up to obtain people’s information for nefarious purposes.

In order to avoid falling victims to such false claim, it is important to verify the information by going to the government, institution, agency or company’s social media handles.

A number of such institutions that attract public interest are verified on social media. Such social media handle usually have the website included in the bio.

Google searching information using keywords is another way of verifying claims like this.

THE VERDICT

The claim that the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) is giving out 5GB of data to those who have verified their National Identification Number (NIN) is FALSE.

 

How genuine are pictures of burnt houses in Igangan, Oyo State?  

Olugbenga ADANIKIN
-
0
How genuine are pictures of burnt houses in Igangan, Oyo State?  

ON January 23, 2021 several images depicting the charred remains of  burnt buildings were circulated online. The buildings were said to belong to the Seriki Fulani of Oyo state, Saliu Abdulkadir.

A Twitter user with the handle @MFaarees_ also shared the photos while making a similar claim.

The tweet had over 2,000 likes and shared over 772 times in less than 72 hours.

THE CLAIM

Viral images depict burnt buildings belonging to Seriki Fulani of Oyo state, Saliu Abdulkadir in Igangan, Ibarapa North Local Government of Oyo State.

THE FINDINGS

In Southwest Nigeria, there have been multiple cases of  killings and kidnappings for ransom on highways and farmlands. A number of the victims who regained their freedom had reported that their abductors were herders of the Fulani descent.

The Governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu, had ordered herders to vacate the forest reserve in the state. This was swiftly countered by the Nigerian Presidency.

Amidst this, Sunday Adeyemo, a promoter of Oduduwa nation had raised alarm over continuous attacks on the Yoruba communities by persons alleged to be herders in the South-west.

Sunday, who is also known as Sunday Igboho, issued a seven-day ultimatum for the herders – who are mainly Fulani –  domiciled in Igangan community, Ibarapa North local government area (LGA) to vacate the state.

After his visit to Igangan community, the Seriki Fulani’s house was set ablaze.

This was reported by Sahara Reporters which shared the pictures in question.

In addition, Daily Trust newspaper on Sunday, January 24, also published similar photographs in a report about the crisis in the community.

By Monday, January 25, 2021, Channels Television in a report on the crisis showed footage of Ngozi Onadeko, the new Commissioner of Police, Oyo State Command, during her fact-finding visit to the town. Similar photos were shown in the report.

Three days after the incident, on January 26, Sunday Igboho’s house was set ablaze by unidentified hoodlums, says the Police.

THE VERDICT

The claim that the images depict  burnt house of Seriki Fulani of Oyo State, is TRUE.

Viral image of Nigerian soldiers lowering Boko Haram flag is old photo – not 2021 operation

Olugbenga ADANIKIN
-
0
Viral image of Nigerian soldiers lowering Boko Haram flag is old photo – not 2021 operation

A photo of what appears to be Nigerian soldiers taking down a flag hoisted by Boko Haram insurgents was shared on social media as taken this year – 2021.

The photo tweeted by @zikallah was captioned:

Replacing Boko Haram flag with Nigerian flag, after Boko Haram lost Marte, one of their strongholds. Congratulations brave soldiers of Nigeria.

The tweet which was shared over 1,500 times and liked 6,600 times alludes that the image depicts a recent event where the troops successfully laid ambushed and attacked insurgents at Marte, a town in North-Eastern region of Nigeria.

The photo with similar captions was also shared by other social media users.

@Edrees4P also tweeted the photo with the following captions:

Replacing Boko Haram flag with Nigerian flag, after country’s soldier succeeded the terrorist’s troops in the heart of Sambisa Forest.

THE CLAIM

Photo depicts Nigerian soldiers taking down insurgents’ flag after defeating them in January 2021.

The photo (and claim) as posted on Twitter.

THE FINDINGS

The photo was not taken in 2021. It was also not showing the troops after successfully repelling an attack in Marte this year.

The photo is from 2020, but it however, depicts soldiers removing a hoisted insurgents flag after a successful operation.

Using the Google Reverse Image search, the FactCheckHub traced the photo to a post made in May 2020 on the official Facebook page of the Nigerian Army.

The post also had photos of rescued women,  an Armoured Personnel Vehicle, and a deceased Boko Haram Commander, among others.

Picture originally found on verified Facebook account of the Nigerian Army posted in May 2020.

The Army as of May 28, 2020, had released a press statement titled – Terror War: Remarkable Victory for Nigerian military as troops continue to dislodge terrorist camps in the North-East.

In the report, 20 terrorists were neutralised while 241 abductees were rescued. It reads in part:

“During the operation, contact was made with the terrorists which led to an exchange of fire which resulted in the extermination of five (5) terrorists and the capture of the following items: 2 x motorcycles, 2 x bicycles, 1 x amplifier, 1 x battery, 2 x sewing machines and 4 x BHTs’ flags,” the post reads.

“Additionally, the troops moved further to a recently identified Boko Haram terrorists’ infested settlement – Mudu village where 241 kidnapped victims – comprising of 105 women and 136 children were rescued from terrorists’ captivity. The village and other surrounding terrorists’ camps  were equally destroyed by the courageous troops.”

Heroes of Nigeria, a dedicated social media platform managed by a non-governmental organisation, shared the photo via its Facebook page on May 28, 2020.

This was also reported by media organisations last year.

THE VERDICT 

The findings above show that the claim is MISLEADING.  The photo was not taken in 2021. It is also not showing the troops after an operation in Marte. It’s from 2020. However, it depicts the Nigerian soldiers taking down a Boko Haram flag.

 

NIMC did not threaten subscribers yet to do NIN-SIM linkage as reported online

Niyi Oyedeji
-
0
NIMC did not threaten subscribers yet to do NIN-SIM linkage as reported online

THE Punch newspaper on Tuesday, January 19, 2021 reported that the Federal Government of Nigeria told subscribers yet to do the Subscriber Identification Modules (SIMs) linkage with valid National Identity Numbers (NINs) to prepare to face the consequences.

The government had ordered telecommunications companies to deactivate the telephone lines of subscribers who failed to link their SIMs with valid NINs.

January 19 and February 9 were given as deadline for those with and without NINs respectively.

The Punch, in the report published on their website, but now deleted said all SIMs not linked with valid NINs would be blocked following the January 19 deadline. (See the Google cached version of the report here).

THE CLAIM

The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) threatens Nigerians yet to do the NIN-SIM linkage to prepare for consequences as deadline comes to a close.

Screenshot of the report, which was later deleted by the newspaper.

 

THE FINDINGS

Findings by the FactCheckHub show that the newspaper relied on information provided by a parody Twitter account of the NIMC in writing the news report.

The report read in part:

The National Identity Management Commission says Nigerians who have not registered and obtained their National Identity Numbers should be ready to face the consequences.

NIMC stated this in a tweet on Tuesday.

“By order of the Federal Government, today is given as the last chance to register your NIMC or face the wrath of what comes next,” NIMC tweeted.

Kayode Adegoke, Head, Corporate Communications, NIMC told the FactCheckHub that the news in circulation is false.

“The news did not emanate from us,” Adegoke said via telephone conversation.

The NIMC has also disclaim the page on its authentic Twitter handle.

Ikechukwu Adinde, the Director of Public Affairs at the Nigerian Communications Commission also stated in a press release obtained by the FactCheckHub that the NIN-SIM linkage has been extended to February 9, 2021.

“At the end of a review meeting on 18th January 2021, the Technical Implementation Committee under the Ministerial Task Force has reported significant progress in the ongoing NIN-SIM linkage exercise.

“So far, a total of 47.8 million NINs have been collected by the mobile operators. At an average of three to four SIMs per subscriber, this means many millions will be linked up before the deadline in February 2021,” he said.

THE VERDICT

The report which claimed that the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) threatens Nigerians yet to do the SIM-NIN linkage is FALSE because the media house relied on a parody account as the basis for the report.

However, January 19, 2021 was the deadline given for telecommunication companies to deactivate subscribers who failed to link their SIMs with NIN, whereas February 9, 2021 is the deadline for subscribers without NINs.

 

1...140141142...166Page 141 of 166