A claim that the FCT minister, Nyesom Wike, has been banned from entering Nigeria’s Presidential Villa following an event involving the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, has circulated online.
The claim posted by an X user, @PO_GrassRootM, on Tuesday, November 19, 2024, read:
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CLAIM
Wike has been banned from entering Nigeria’s Presidential Villa.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE!
The video shows Wike briskly walking ahead of the Indian Prime Minister and his aides, pausing a few feet away to stiffen in what appeared to be a salute. After a brief handshake, Wike maneuvered through a narrow gap between Modi and an aide, nearly brushing the Prime Minister as he walked away.
In reaction, many Nigerians took to social media to blast Wike on the incident, with some stating that Wike has been barred from entering the Aso Villa as a result.
Hours after the incident, there was no statement from the Nigerian presidency announcing the ban on the FCT Minister from entering the Aso Villa.
Similarly, Peoples Gazette reports that the presidency had kept mum on the issue despite being known for promptly rebutting critics of the Bola Tinubu administration, even while the minister trended on X with accusations of being intoxicated while on official duty.
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Further findings show that no media house reported the issue, as such an event would be widely reported by multiple media outfits.
But when our fact-checker reached out to Bayo Onanuga, a spokesperson in the Nigerian presidency, he responded via SMS with a terse sentence: “it’s a lie”.
THE VERDICT
The claim that Wike has been banned from entering Nigeria’s Presidential Villa is FALSE; Bayo Onanuga, presidential spokesperson debunked it and there’s no credible media report announcing the ban.
Seasoned fact-checker and researcher Fatimah Quadri has written numerous fact-checks, explainers, and media literacy pieces for The FactCheckHub in an effort to combat information disorder. She can be reached at sunmibola_q on X or [email protected].
