Please note that the FactCheckHub has not obtained any right from the authors or copyright owners of all third-party contents from embedded links and shall incur no liability in this regard.
Please note that the FactCheckHub has not obtained any right from the authors or copyright owners of all third-party contents from embedded links and shall incur no liability in this regard.
Please note that the FactCheckHub has not obtained any right from the authors or copyright owners of all third-party contents from embedded links and shall incur no liability in this regard.
Please note that the FactCheckHub has not obtained any right from the authors or copyright owners of all third-party contents from embedded links and shall incur no liability in this regard.
SEVERAL Nigerian publications on Wednesday, October 28, 2020, reported that Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has emerged as the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
Okonjo-Iweala was a former Minister of Finance as well as Coordinating Minister of the Economy in Nigeria.
She, alongside Yoo Myung-Hee, from South Korea are in competition for the top job.
THE CLAIM:
That Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has emerged as the Director-General for the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
THE FINDINGS:
Checks by the FactCheckHub indicates that this is false.
The information that Okonjo-Iweala has emerged the WTO’s boss was reported by Vanguard Newspaper, which has an online following totaling several millions across platforms.
Peoples Gazette, a newly launched publication also published a similar story about Okonjo-Iweala clinching the WTO’s job.
Within a short period, the report tweeted on the verified handle of the publication @GazetteNGR garnered over 1,800 retweets, more than 2, 600 likes on Twitter, with several reactions and congratulatory messages.
Peoples Gazette, particularly made reference to Arise Television News which had earlier broadcasted the news at about 12:31 pm on Wednesday (October 28).
Newswire also followed suit, but later updated the report after diverse reactions questioning why the publications chose to report the news without official disclosure from the WTO authorities.
Meanwhile, as at press time, no such information about Okonjo-Iweala emerging the WTO’s boss has been officially made available on the website of the WTO as well as its verified social media handles.
None of the publications attributed their reports to any official information from the WTO.
The story so far…
On Wednesday, October 28, 2020, the WTO panel recommended Okonjo-Iweala for the WTO top position, but this was rejected by the United States.
Bloomberg report noted that but for the United States’ position, the WTO would have announced Nigeria’s former finance minister as the new Director-General of the global body.
Although, Okonjo-Iweala is a Nigerian-American, the US government declared its support for the South Korean candidate, Yoo Myung-Hee. The US government had insisted Washington would not recognise the Nigerian as the consensus candidate, despite the WTO’s recommendation.
As of the time of this verification, the WTO is yet to officially announce Okonjo-Iweala as the new WTO DG. No such information on its verified Twitter handle, @wto, or its website.
As a result of the US position, the general counsel in charge of election process has postponed the announcement for November 9, 2020.
This will not be the first time that misinformation around this job will flood the cybersphere. The FactCheckHub had on two occasions; in July here and early October here debunked such misinformation.
THE VERDICT:
Based on the available information, there is no official record to validate the claim that Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has emerged the WTO’s Director-General. Therefore, the claim is FALSE.
Okonjo-Iweala was only endorsed by the WTO panel.
Update:
[23/06/21] In February 2021, Okonjo-Iweala was confirmed as the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
SEVERAL fake and misleading information have found its way to the cyberspace during and following the aftermath of the EndSARS protest that rocked Nigeria.
One of such claims is a post shared with the FactCheckHub on October 24, 2020. It shows two images of a tarred road being destroyed by a group of persons alluded to be Nigerians in Nigeria destroying Nigerian roads.
In one of the images, an individual raised what appears to be a digger, while others stood by watching.
The photograph was attributed to the EndSARS protesters as they expressed their grievances demanding actions against Police brutality and bad governance in Nigeria.
It had the caption, “#ENDSARS against the roads. FG, State roads being destroyed. Me: What concerns roads again?”
This image is unrelated to the EndSARS protest in Nigeria.
THE CLAIM
That the photos show #EndSARS protesters destroying a section of a highway to protest Police brutality, bad governance in Nigeria.
THE FINDINGS
The EndSARS protests erupted in Nigeria in early October across major cities in the country to push for the disbandment of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a unit in the Nigeria Police Force (NPF). The protest was largely championed by young persons.
The SARS unit, which focuses on cases of kidnapping, robbery and high-profile crimes, was repeatedly accused of extortions, extrajudicial killings, corruption and human rights’ abuses. As a result, the protesters sought a complete overhaul of the NPF among other demands for a better nation.
Image traced to South Africa
The FactCheckHub‘s check on the images using the Google Reverse Image Search, shows that the viral images did not originate from Nigeria but South Africa.
Protesters in South Africa destroy an access road over service delivery. Image via: uMzinyathi District Municipality from The South African.
The image surfaced on the internet last month – September – and the incident was reported by several South African media organisations.
The road being damaged was part of a protest exercise which occurred along the R33 road on September 22.
The R33 road is a major highway in South Africa that stretches through three provinces Limpopo, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal. It links Pietermaritzburg with Greytown, Paulpietersrburg, Carolina, Belfast and Vaalwater.
The aggrieved demonstrators had protested against poor government performances in providing basic infrastructure such as electricity, water.
Some of the protesters particularly from uMzinyathi District Municipality and Msinga Local Municipality had decried poor access to water.
Nomonde Nzimakwe, Head of Communications for uMzinyathi District confirmed the incident to local (South African) newspapers.
Petros Mthandeni Ngubane, Umzinyathi Mayor criticised the actions of the protesters, while noting that “it’s not the Mayor’s fault,” that the community lacks electricity.
The South African citizens through the South African Citizen Satisfaction Index (SA-CSI) monitor deliverables of government authorities in comparison with public expectations and executed projects.
THE VERDICT
The claim that the photos show #EndSARS protesters destroying a section of a highway to protest Police brutality, bad governance in Nigeria is FALSE. This is because the image is from an unrelated protest in South Africa.
On October 22, 2020, visuals flooded the internet of people carrying food items from a warehouse in Lagos, Nigeria marked with “Not For sale” and “CACOVID-19”.
The visuals were generally accompanied with captions alluding that the palliatives were meant to be distributed to the poor and indigent people during the lockdown period following the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in Nigeria but were cornered and hoarded by an or some individual(s).
A Twitter user @Piousbae012 wrote “COVID- 19 palliative meant for struggling Nigerians as relief during lockdown found locked away in a warehouse. The world has to see this”
Another Twitter user, @2muchAkanni wrote “People were dying of hunger, nobody could go anywhere during the Covid-19 lockdown and someone locked that palliative in his/her warehouse.”
Also, another Twitter user @EndSarsAisha wrote “My people see rice, indomie and other Covid-19 palliative hidden in a warehouse in Lagos”. The 12 seconds video posted by this user, alongside the texts above, had over 3 million views, over 10,000 retweets and likes as at 8:30pm on Friday, October 23.
Similar posts could be found on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube and several blogs.
THE CLAIM
That food palliatives meant for distribution during the COVID-19 lockdown period was hoarded by an individual or a group of persons.
A warehouse with CACOVID palliatives. Source: Lagos State Government.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by the FactCheckHub shows that the claim is FALSE.
Media reports indicate that a warehouse where COVID-19 palliatives were kept at Mazamaza community in Amuwo Odofin Local Government area of Lagos State was attacked on Thursday, October 22, 2020 while the food items stored inside were carted away.
The warehouse is located at a place popularly called Monkey Village, the reports noted.
“The looting started as early as 08:00am”, an eyewitness told the Punch Newspaper.
Some of the people who reportedly took these food items also shared visuals of the items in their homes.
The food items were branded with CACOVID stickers.
What is CACOVID?
The Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID) is a private sector-led organisation established in March 2020 to assist the Nigerian government in combating the Coronavirus disease in the country.
“This task force is tasked with pulling resources across industries to provide technical and operational support while providing funding and building advocacy through aggressive awareness drives,” its website stated.
The goal is to raise N120 billion, of which 35 per cent has been met, the fundraising thermometer on the website indicates. The list of donors can be seen here.
The CACOVID initiative is spearheaded by Aliko Dangote, Herbert Wigwe and other private sector leaders alongside the Nigerian government.
The initiative has a Food relief programme and has distributed such to Kogi, Anambra, Edo, Ogun and Sokoto states, among others. These food items were kept in warehouses before distribution to the beneficiaries.
Lagos State Government reacts to hoarding claim and vandalisation of warehouse
The Lagos State Government through its Acting Commissioner of Agriculture, Abisola Olusanya, said the food items that were looted by people was donated to the state by the CACOVID initiative.
Olusanya noted that “The State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, had on September 22nd 2020 formally taken receipt of the food palliatives from the CACOVID team meant for distribution to the indigent.”
She explained that “the warehouse in question is not State-owned and its usage was made available to the CACOVID group. The State Government had been allowed to commence re-bagging of food items allotted to it from the quantities meant for South-West States.
“The re-bagging was being done to account for each beneficiary receipt, as was required.
“The distribution was on-going but had to be halted due to protests, before the invasion of the warehouse today,” Olusanya explains.
The statements put forward that:
The items were not hoarded.
The items were not in their possession for months as alluded.
The palliative was gotten in September after the lockdown was relaxed.
They had started distribution and had to stop due to protest.
Verifying the Lagos State Government’s Claims
Attempts to contact the CACOVID team via the mobile number on its website as well as its Twitter and Instagram handles were not successful as its mobile line was switched off while its social media accounts were not open for Direct Messaging (DM) respectively.
A check through the Instagram page of CACOVID shows that the distribution of palliatives is not limited to the lockdown period which was relaxed in May 2020.
A video on the page shows a flag-off of the initiative’s food relief programme in Sokoto state. The first speaker said in the video said they are “continuing the third phase” – which implies that the initiative has several phases.
Similarly, the Plateau state Governor, Simon Lalong as at September 18 said, “We are still expecting rice consignment from the CACOVID donation which will be distributed to the beneficiaries.”
Media reports also noted that Imo state received and distributed the food palliatives from CACOVID in June, July and September 2020.
Bauchi State flag-off of CACOVID food relief programme with the time stamp on the image showing August, 11, 2020.
Videos of the food relief flag-off in Edo and Nasarawa states among others – all had visuals of food items in large warehouses similar to the one vandalised in Lagos.
As such, it is not unlikely that the food items in the vandalised warehouse came after the lockdown period.
In addition, a report by the Business Day news platform, published on September 23, states that the Lagos State Government received food items from the CACOVID initiative noting that the food items will be repackaged to ensure that each beneficiary gets the right quantity of items.
Reports from Thisday, Guardian, Alimosho Today indicate that Lagos had commenced distribution of the palliatives as stated.
“The distribution team was led by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Folashade Jaji.
The coalition visited Okegun-Odofin, Egan in Alimosho Local Government, Eti-Osa Local Government, Otto in Lagos Mainland Local Government and ljeododo in Ojo Local Government among others” part of the report reads.
How Sadiya Farouq and the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development came into the conversation
It means Sadiya Umar Farouq actually gave those palliatives to our states representatives & they hoard them for 2023. This is total Wickedness & greed. Please, can we just go burst other hoarded palliatives?
A Twitter user @Prof_aboki wrote: “It means Sadiya Umar Farouq actually gave those palliatives to our states representatives and they hoard them for 2023. This is total wickedness and greed. Please, can we just go burst other hoarded palliatives?”
Another user, @AdekunbiOyelade, whose post has garnered over three million views wrote: “I have never seen anything like this. Okay. I didn’t agree Sadiya Umar Farouq shared any palliatives, but this looks like a warehouse was the sole beneficiary. #warehousegate”
So also @Ameer_Abdul1, wrote: “On a lighter note, Lagos people now know that neither the President Muhammadu Buhari nor the Minister for humanitarian affairs, Mrs Sadiya Umar Farouq were responsible for denying them Covid-19 palliatives. Citizens of other States now know who to blame.”
Comments like the three above flooded the internet at the wake of the viral visuals of vandalised warehouse.
Sadiya Umar Farouq, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development of Nigeria.
This is probably because there are discontentment in some quarters following the distribution of palliatives during the lockdown period by the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian affairs, Disaster management and Social development (FMHDS) headed by Sadiya Farouq.
In addition, the ministry has been in the news for an alleged diversion of over two billion Naira meant for palliatives. This was however, refuted by the ministry.
Therefore, the people who had felt the ministry did not distribute palliatives now put forward that the alleged hoarding explains why the items did not get to the masses in the country.
Contrary to the above, the food items in the warehouse were not from the humanitarian ministry, neither were they in-charge of the distribution.
The ministry, in a report disassociating itself from it, stated that it “wishes to inform the general public that it has nothing to do with the items found in that Lagos warehouse.”
THE VERDICT
The claim is FALSE as available evidence did not indicate that the food palliatives were hoarded by an individual or a group of persons. Available information shows that the food items were geared as a COVID-19 palliative and not restricted to the lockdown period, neither were the items stored in the warehouse for months as claimed by some social media users.
A photo of a man carrying a woman wrapped in a blood stained Nigeria flag has been shared repeatedly on social media as one of the victims of Lekki Toll Gate incident.
A twitter user @seefinish tweeted the picture with caption, “RIP fallen hero, your death shall not be in vain” this was accompanied with hashtags like #LekkiMassacre #EndSARS #Genocide #StopNigeriaGovernment #LekkitollgateMassacre.
Another Twitter user, @fbilash while responding to a tweet by the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu also tweeted the same picture with the caption, “Did you have enough time to visit her too?
Similarly, Spread.ng, Businessday, Xtremenews and some news website in Nigeria also used the picture to illustrate reports related to the Lekki Toll Gate incident.
This was not limited to the Nigerian media, as it also went viral in Ghana where GhanaSummary, Ghbase and MyNewsGhana used the picture in illustrating their reports.
“Photo: See the sad moment female protestor died and was wrapped in a bloody Nigerian flag,” the news read on MyNewsGhana.
This image is not from the Lekki Toll Gate incident, it is from a play.
THE CLAIM:
That the photo of a man carrying a woman wrapped in a blood stained Nigerian flag is from Lekki Toll Gate incident.
THE FINDINGS:
Checks by the FactCheckHub shows that it is False.
On Tuesday, October 20, 2020, news broke that Nigerian soldiers shot at #EndSars protesters that gathered at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos state.
End Special Anti-Robbery squad is a social movement calling for good governance and an end to police brutality which had led to street demonstration. One of the rallying point for protesters is the Lekki Toll Gate.
While both local and international media organisations were reporting the news of what occurred at the Lekki Toll Gate, the picture of the woman wrapped in a blood stained Nigerian flag was shared repeatedly on the internet.
Afro Debbie posted this Image on October 12 this was several days before the Lekki Toll Gate incident which happened on October 20, 2020.
Nigerian singer, Yemi Alade, in a now deleted post also shared the picture on her verified Facebook page with that caption, “Stay safe”.
Reacting to her post, Oyinye Francis, said the photo was false, while pointing out that it emanated from a drama done in commemoration of Nigeria’s independent anniversary on October, 1, 2020.
“Please ma she’s not dead, it was a drama we acted on 1st October 2020 in NCCF Akwa Ibom state ‘drama night,’ themed ‘Heal our land oh lord’. I can send you the drama video,” Francis wrote.
A scene from a video clip of the drama posted on the NCCF Instagram account.
In a bid to verify the picture, The FactCheckHub reached out to Joshua Ogbodo, the President of the Nigeria Christian Corpers’ Fellowship (NCCF), the Akwa Ibom State chapter, who disclosed that the photo was from a scene from the association’s drama.
“That picture of the man carrying a lady covered in Nigerian flag appearing dead is a picture from our stage drama night tagged “Lord, heal our land” that took place on October 1, 2020 at the NCCF secretariat,” Ogbodo told The FactCheckHub in a telephone conversation.
Similarly, the NCCF has in a press release debunked the claim.
The release signed by the President and Secretary stated that the picture was not from the Lekki toll gate incident but from a drama acted by the association.
A screenshot of the press release by the NCCF, Akwa Ibom State
Similarly, the NCCF Akwa Ibom State has on their Instagram page released pictures and video from the drama to justify their claim.
In addition, the picture has been posted since before the Lekki Toll Gate incident.
Afro_Debbie had shared the image on her Instagram account on October 12, 2020.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CGQaOtFJ4o0/
THE VERDICT:
The claim is FALSE, the picture emanated from a drama by NCCF Akwa Ibom State and not from the Lekki Toll Gate incident.
“BUHARI’S daughter is a board member of NNPC,” a social media user @tesseract_ claimed on Monday, October 19, 2020.
“Her salary is N6.7 million, you get N30, 000 monthly for N-Power and you are telling me Buhari shouldn’t resign” reads part of the tweet which also have the EndSARS hashtag.
The hashtag, End Special Anti-Robbery Squad (#EndSARS) or is a decentralised social movement against police brutality and bad governance in Nigeria.
Muahammadu Buhari is the President of Nigeria.
N-Power is a social investment scheme which pays enrolled youth a monthly stipend of N30,000.
The claim has been retweeted by over 30, 000 people, quoted 720 times and garnered more than 24, 000 likes.
The claim that Buhari’s daughter is a board member of the NNPC.
THE CLAIM:
That Buhari’s daughter is a board member of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
THE FINDINGS:
The claim did not state which of the Buhari’s daughters is being referred too. However, a picture of Zahra Buhari was added to the the thread. In addition to a contradictory screenshots which state that she is a deputy manager at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC.
The NNPC is the state owned oil corporation which asides its exploration activities, has powers and operational interests in refining, petrochemicals and products transportation as well as marketing.
A check on the official website of the NNPC shows a list of a 10-member board of the corporation which does not include Zahra Buhari or any of his known daughters.
They are: Chief Timipre Sylva, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mele Kyari, Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Dr Stephen Dike, member of the NNPC board and Chief Pius Akinyelure also a member.
Other members are Sen. Magnus Abe, Dr Tajuddeen Umar, Mallam Mohammed Lawal, Mrs Lami Onayi Ahmed, Dr Mahmoud Isa Dutse and Mrs Hadiza Coomassie who is the Secretary to the Corporation and Legal Adviser.
Screenshot of NNPC board members from it website.
More so, on June 24, 2020, the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture (FMIC) published a press statement announcing the list of the board members approved by the president.
The statement was signed by Mrs Enefaa Bob-manuel, a Deputy Director (Information) in the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources.
“The members of the NNPC Board who had on 2nd June, 2020 been approved by President Mohammadu Buhari are the Hon. Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva who doubles as the Alternate Chairman of the Board, Mallam Mele Kolo Kyari, GMD of NNPC, Senator Magnus Abe, Dr Isah Dutse, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Finance, Dr Tajudeen Umaru, Dr Steven Dike, Mrs Lami Ahmed, Chief Pius Akinyelure, Malam Mohammed Lawal and Secretary of the Board, Mrs Hadiza Commassie,” the statement reads in part.
The claim that Buhari’s daughter is a board member of the NNPC.
Prior to that, the list of the board members was earlier released by the Presidency on May 30.
In addition, the list of the previous set of board members during leadership of the late Group Managing Director, Dr Maikanti Baru did not have Buhari’s daughter’s name either.
THE VERDICT:
Available evidence does not support the claim that Buhari’s daughter is a board member at NNPC. The claim is FALSE.
A video that went viral on Saturday, October 17, 2020, claimed that women in Katsina State have joined the #EndSARS protest to demand for the resignation of Muhammadu Buhari as Nigeria’s president.
The video has been shared multiple times online.
Some of the captions accompanying the video alleged that the women in President Buhari’s state of origin, Katsina State have joined the ongoing #EndSARS – a decentralised youth-led protest asking the government to end bad governance and police brutality in the country.
A Twitter user, @Acupofmikey, tweeted the video with the caption: “Kastina Queens have entered the chat. Your time is up” while adding the hashtag: #EndSARS.
Another Twitter user, @hailfinger1, tweeted the same video with another caption: “#EndSARS-For those trying to sectionalise the protest, this happened in President @MBuhari’s home town, Katsina state girls/women protesting and asking the President to resign.”
THE CLAIM
That Katsina women have joined #EndSARS protest and are calling for Muhammadu Buhari’s resignation as the President of Nigeria.
THE FINDINGS
Checks by The FactCheckHub show that the caption does not tally with the content of the video, thus making it FALSE.
The women in the video where chanting in Hausa – a major language in Northern Nigeria.
The woman with the megaphone in the video said an expletive word while other women chorused a response with “Hey, Buhari, modern day Pharaoh, release our leader/cleric.”
Muhammadu Buhari is the current president of Nigeria who came to power as a democratically-elected president in 2015.
Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky is an Islamic scholar and religious leader who was arrested under Buhari’s administration, leading to widespread protests calling for his release.
He was incarcerated after a clash between his sect and Nigerian soldiers. He was granted bail by the court many times but the order was reportedly not obeyed. This led to multiple protests by the sect members demanding for his release.
The chant “Modern day Pharaoh” alludes to the Pharaoh in the Abrahamic religion that refused to let the Israelites go even after multiple requests. While “Release our leader” refers to El-Zakzaky who is in detention.
In addition, at no point in the video did they called for the resignation of President Buhari.
The video is that of a protest calling for the release of El-Zakzaky and not Katsina (which was wrongly spelt as Kastina) women joining the #EndSARS protest as alluded.
THE VERDICT
The claim is FALSE, as the women in the video were neither calling for the resignation of President Buhari nor were they making reference to the #EndSARS movement.
A post which states that in 1959, 69 African-American boys, aged 13 to 17 were padlocked in their dormitory for the night at the Negro Boys Industrial School in Wrightsville, Arkansas and a fire started which led to the death of 21 of them has garnered a lot of reactions on social media.
Arkansas is a state in South Central region of the United State of America.
The post which was published on Facebook here on February 13, 2020 has 58,000 reactions, 25,000 comments and 169,000 shares.
A screenshot of the viral post on Facebook.
THE CLAIM:
That in 1959, 21 boys died from a dormitory fire that affected 69 African-American boys in a Negro Boys Industrial School in Wrightsville, Arkansas.
THE FINDINGS:
Checks by the FactCheckHub shows that the post is TRUE.
It has been the subject of several media reports in the 1950s when it happened and even after the millennium.
In 2008, Arkansas Times did a report which takes a look at the event and also spoke to the mother and brother of one of the victims.
The Arkansas Times also published a video interview with one of the survivors.
The FactCheckHub traced the image used to illustrate the Facebook post to a report by KATV.
The reporter told the FactCheckHub that “the image is just a generic class photo of the boys. It’s unclear if the victims that died are in the photo.”
The investigative report titled ‘Tragedy in Wrightsville: What really happened in 1959’ followed Frank Lawrence who it says dedicated majority of his life to trying to solve the tragedy.
“It was a carefully calculated murder that involved 21 boys but was designed to kill 69 that were housed inside of this dormitory,” said Lawrence.
The event is also the subject of Grif Stockley’s book ‘Black boys burning’.
“Most of the boys that were killed had run back to a corner of the building. If you look at the diagram, you can see that although there were a couple of doors, in fact we know there was no one there to unlock the doors,” Stockley told KATV.
A description of the book on the University Press of Mississippi states that Black Boys Burning “presents a focused explanation of how systemic poverty perpetuated by white supremacy sealed the fate of those students. A careful telling of the history of the school and fire, the book provides readers a fresh understanding of the broad implications of white supremacy.
Grif Stockley’s research adds to an evolving understanding of the Jim Crow South, Arkansas’ history, the lawyers who capitalized on this tragedy, and the African-American victims.”
In April 2019, the Arkansas Department of Correction remembered the “Wrightsville 21” by dedicating a memorial site to the 21 lives lost in the fire.
A few months later, the tragedy was the subject of a Fact-Check.
The post surfaced on the Nigeria cyber space in 2020 when a news platform which has a branch in the country republished the content of the Facebook post.
THE VERDICT:
The claim in the post is TRUE. A fire started in a dormitory housing 69 African-American boys which led to the death of 21 of them.
“Never forget, the budget for this “bridge” was 10 million Naira,” says a Twitter post by Guess Who published on Saturday October 17, 2020.
The post has a picture of man cutting a ribbon to commission a small rickety wooden bridge. The man’s white shirt has the logo of All Progressives Congress (APC).
The APC is the ruling political party in Nigeria.
The post suggests that the government (APC) was responsible for an overpriced bridge by adding the hashtag #EndSARS. It seeks to amplify the demands of Nigerian youths who have continued to demonstrate against Police brutality and bad governance in the country using #EndSARS.
The tweet was made at about 4:14pm on Saturday and within 24 hours, the tweet garnered over 20, 000 retweets and more than 13, 700 likes.
THE CLAIM:
That the image shows an APC leader commissioning a wooden bridge which was supposed to have cost 10 million Naira.
THE FINDINGS:
Checks by the FactCheckHub shows that the picture was manipulated and therefore MISLEADING.
Using the Reverse Image Search and Tin Eye tools, the picture was traced to publications in Zambia, Ghana, Kenya, Sierra Léon and other forums in Nigeria.
The Google reverse image showed the picture first appeared on the internet on Monday, February 6, 2017 on a Kenyan platform.
“Kenya’s social media is a gold mine of crazy. From misspellings, photoshop fails, memes and strange habits caught on camera, they are sprawling from all corners of this country,” the post read.
A few weeks after, the image was tweeted by a South African government official Tito Mboweni on February 26, 2017.
In addition, the Zambian Scribe used the same picture on January 21, 2019 to complement a story alleging that a member of parliament from an East African country commissioned the wooden bridge said to have cost 500, 000 dollars.
The picture which showed a man about to cut a ribbon does not have the APC logo on his shirt as portrayed on the viral picture.
It also appeared on a Nairaland, a Nigerian platform on May 27, 2019; this time around, the APC logo which was not there initially was added.
The size and dimension of the logo relative to the size of the man is off, in that the logo is too big, plus it looks super-imposed.
Furthermore, the image was earlier fact-checked on January 2019 when The Nigeria Politics Today, a Facebook page shared it.
THE VERDICT:
From the information presented above, the APC logo was super-imposed on the image thus it is MISLEADING.
A viral WhatsApp message which promises Nigerian citizens free N50,000 lockdown funds allegedly by the Federal Government has been shared widely.
The message was forward to the FactCheckHub by a concerned Nigerian for verification.
It reads: “FG has finally approved and have started giving out free N50,000 Relief Funds to each citizen?
“Below is how to claim and get yours credit Instantly as I have just did now”
The claim also included a website and a caveat that an individual is entitled to it only once.
Since the onset of the coronavirus claims such as this that promises financial relief as a result of the lockdown flooded the internet.
THE CLAIM
That FG has finally approved and have started giving out free N50,000 relief funds to each citizen.
THE FINDINGS
The FactCheckHub checked the domain name of the website on the Whois.com to unravel the identity of the person(s) behind it.
Our findings revealed that the main domain name of ngodataz.com – the website in the claim – was registered on June 15, 2020 in the United States of America (USA).
Screenshot of the website’s domain name when checked on the Whois.com database.
The website was created amidst the lockdown in Nigeria that halted almost all the nation’s economic activities, following the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
It hosted the sub-domain which in a way similar to a survey form used in collecting users’ data.
Clicking on the website takes users to a page that asks users to fill a survey form, after which it asks them to share the webpage at least 8 times, similar to how other spamming websites work.
Thereafter, it asks users to fill-in their bank details such as account number, account name and bank’s name.
Though the website is fortified with the HTTPS (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure), details about its registrant and administrator names and contacts were publicly unavailable as they were protected.
The HTTPS appears in the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) when a website is secured by a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate.
The details of the certificate, including the issuing authority and the corporate name of the website owner, can be viewed by clicking on the lock symbol on the browser bar.
The SSL is a secure protocol developed for sending information securely over the Internet. It encrypts the data being transmitted so that a third party cannot “eavesdrop” on the transmission and view the data being transmitted.
Since the onset of the coronavirus, claims that promises financial relief as a result of the lockdown flooded the internet with links directing individuals to fill and share a survey form.
Relevant stakeholders speak…
The FactCheckHub enquired from the Nigerian Presidency to verify if there are any lockdown funds being disbursed to Nigerians via that website.
In response, Segun Adeyemi, the Special Assistant to the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, debunked the claim.
“This is fake news,” he stated in a text message to our fact-checker.
Similarly, Garba Shehu, the spokesman to President Muhammadu Buhari, in a text message to the FactCheckHub asked our fact-checker to verify from the Minister of Finance, Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed.
“Can you check with the Minister of Finance, please?” he stated.
When the FactCheckHub contacted Nigeria’s ministry of Finance, Yunusa Tanko, the media aide to the Finance minister, He also discredited the claim and the website, saying “this is not from us, please.”
“Government don’t put out announcements especially of giving out money in such open forum/forms,” he added.
Further checks by the FactCheckHub revealed that the purported N50,000 Relief Funds is not connected with any Nigerian government-led initiatives to cushion the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on her citizens.
Our fact-checker also contacted the nation’s ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development (FMHDSD) headed by Sadiya Umar Farouk, to verify the claim. The FMHDSD supervises the Nigerian government’s relief initiatives.
The media aide to the minister, Halima Oyelade, debunked the claim that the federal government is giving out free N50,000 to each citizen.
“Not true please,” she replied the FactCheckHub’s enquiry via a text message.
Not the first time…
It will be recalled that similar claims verified by the FactCheckHub previously were found to be false.
Similarly, a viral WhatsApp message in June 2020 which claimed that the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) is providing monetary palliatives to all Nigerians to cushion the impact of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) was also found to be false.
The claims that promises financial relief as a result of coronavirus lockdown ask individuals who fill the survey form to share it multiple times.
Why such scams persist and the way forward
Commenting on why such claims are still going viral, Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata Jnr., Co-founder, Tecbuild.africa, said “Scammers have been able to use their victim’s greed and compassion to sway them. Sometimes, the scammers set up in such a way that they offer huge financial profit that appears irresistible in return with no effort.”
He added: “Many of these victims had initially expressed desires to offer a helping hand or likely become a hero.
“The scammers succeed in putting their victims in a position where they would appear to be solving a problem, either by saving an orphan or helping some poor soul recover money that purportedly belongs to them.
“Another way includes preying on the victims’ greediness. They mostly win over those who want to amass wealth too quickly and can easily fall for unrealistic promises.
“In general, lack of orientation is a major cause for victims always falling prey to these schemes. It’s mostly important for people to always do “reality check” for any information and kill greed that makes them fall for unrealistic promises.”
Also commenting, Remi Afon, the President, Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN) noted that “Anyone can easily fall prey of online scams as cybercriminals are crafty.”
“The reason why most people fall prey is because they don’t take their time to check the website they are directed to before clicking and supplying their personal information. When you land on a page or you receive a link, Stop, Think before you connect,” he said.
When asked how Nigerians can detect online scams to avoid falling victim, Afon stated that the HTTPS on the website alone does not guarantee that the website is not fraudulent.
“Internet users need to be at alert whenever they visit any website especially if there are promises of money e.g. COVID-19 relief package, employment that requires you to pay for form etc.
“It’s important to check the URL which is the address you see on the address bar properly. A government agency will not use .com but rather .gov.ng.
“Also, there might be imitation in terms of legitimate site. So, check out for spelling mistakes. Also, look closely at the content for grammatical errors, spelling mistakes or broken (pidgin) English. You can also find out who owns the website using online website checker such as LookWhois or Whois.net,” he added.
The survey forms ask for bank details among other questions.
Agbata also tasked online users to identify possible methods cybercriminals employ in defrauding their unsuspecting victims, saying “Scammers try to create a sense of urgency to encourage you to do something quickly without thinking it through or checking that it’s genuine. Don’t rush — take the time to consider and check whether an email (or message) is real. Always verify directly with the sender or (payment) recipient, using known and trusted contact details.”
He urged Nigerians in particular to be wary of the following: Fake Bank loan or fake credit card, Fake Bitcoin, Emotional Scam, Facebook impersonation, Fake antivirus software, Fake news scam, Fake shopping websites, Hitman scam, Fake Job offer, Loyalty points phishing scam, Make money fast scams (Economic scams), Overpayment Online Scam, Phishing email scams, SMS Scamming (Smishing), Tech Support Online Scams and Travel scams.
Both tech experts confirmed that cybersecurity awareness is key in curbing the menace of such online scams.
“There is need for public–private partnership as regards to Cybersecurity awareness. Internet users need to be more conscious when online and treat everything with suspicion. Government and private organisations need to invest more in Cybersecurity,” Afon stated.
Agbata further advised: “The government should set up intelligence units that can investigate and track scammers. The government should arrest and prosecute cybercriminals to serve as a deterrent to intending scammers.”
THE VERDICT:
From all information gathered from relevant stakeholders and sources, the claim that the FG has approved and started giving out free N50,000 relief funds to each citizen is FALSE.
A viral post on Twitter claimed that Nigeria has 28% unemployment rate, 49% poverty rate and $89.5billion debt profile.
The claims were made by a Twitter influencer Adetutu Balogun with the handle @Tutsy22 on October 5.
Balogun is currently having over 230,000 followers on her Twitter account where these claims were made.
She also stated in the tweet that Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has approved N10 billion for population census which was reported by several mainstream media organisations.
The tweet read: “* 28% unemployment rate, * 49% in extreme poverty, * $85.9Bn debt and counting, Buhari just approved N10 billion for census. Extreme irresponsible behavior is main crisis facing leadership in Nigeria.”
A screenshot of the tweet.
THE CLAIMS:
From the tweet, these claims were established:
That Nigeria has 28% unemployment rate.
That 49% of Nigerians are in extreme poverty.
That Nigeria has $89.5bn debt profile.
THE FINDINGS:
Claim 1:
The FactCheckHub first checked the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) website for the data on Nigeria’s labour statistics to determine the total percentage of unemployment rate in the country.
According to the statistics on Nigeria’s labour force released by the NBS for 2nd quarter (Q2) of 2020, Nigeria currently has 21,764,617 unemployed people. The data also stated that 27.1% people are unemployed in the country.
The NBS also stated in the labour force report that “The unemployment rate during the reference period, Q2, 2020 was 27.1%, up from the 23.1% recorded in Q3, 2018.”
From the data, it is obvious that the Nigeria’s unemployment rate stands at 27.1% and not 28%, which makes the claim FALSE.
Claim 2:
According to the United Nations, Extreme poverty, also known as Absolute or Abject poverty is known as “a condition characterised by severe deprivation of basic human needs, including food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, health, shelter, education and information. It depends not only on income but also on access to services.”
The World Bank in collaboration with the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) in a 2019 report stated that those living in extreme poverty are those living on less than $1.90 per day
In a bid to check if 49% of Nigerians are in extreme poverty, The FactCheckHub checked the World Poverty Clock, a web tool produced by World Data Lab. The World Poverty Clock on October 13, 2020 revealed that 105,097,856 people equating 52% of Nigerian are living in extreme poverty in Nigeria based on the $1.90 benchmark.
The result stated further that 53,133,553 of the total people living in extreme poverty in Nigeria are males while 51,964,303 are females.
From the data, it is evident that 51% and not 49% of Nigerians are living in extreme poverty, thereby making the claim FALSE.
Claim 3
In a bid to check if Nigeria’s total debt profile stands at $89.5bn, The FactCheckHub checked the Nigeria’s Debt Management Office (DMO) ― the office in charge of keeping record of the country’s debt.
From the data gotten from the DMO, as at June 30, 2020, Nigeria’s external debt stands at $31,477.13M, while the total domestic debt was $54,419.39 making Nigeria’s total debt $85,896.52M.
Nigeria’s total public debt portfolio as at June 30, 2020 from Debt Management Office.
THE VERDICT:
Based on the information presented above the first two claims are FALSE while the third claim is TRUE.
