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

Olugbenga ADANIKIN
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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.

 

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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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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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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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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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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.

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

Niyi Oyedeji
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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
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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
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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.

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